115 hours

May 8, 2012 By
115 hours

How long would you play poker for?

How much do you enjoy playing casino games?

For how long do you think you can play one game of poker? Two hours? Maybe three?

Did you know that the current record for the longest poker game is 115 hours? Yes – that’s right – 115 hours!

A lot can happen in 115 hours. That’s nearly five days after all, basically a full work week for most people. But for poker player Phil Laak, or “The Unabomber” as he’s known as in the poker world, that was the amount of time one poker game lasted.

In June 2010, nearly two years ago, during the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Phil sat down to play a poker game that lasted 115 hours. That’s a lot of poker!

Phil was given five minute breaks for every hour that he played, and he was allowed to skip those breaks and save them up so he could take longer breaks. He managed to take a 30-minute nap, but that’s not much, especially when you consider that he wasn’t allowed to have any stimulants, including caffeine. Nutritionists gave him meals every five hours, and to prepare for this game, he had been on a very strict diet for six months prior to sitting down to play.

Phil’s record-breaking game was watched by over 130,000 people, who came from 90 different countries. He won $6,766 for this game, which works out to $58.83 per hour. Do you think that money was worth all that time?

Do you think you could play poker for that long?

Platinum Play has a range of exciting online video poker games that could keep you occupied, even if 115 hours is a bit excessive! Who knows, if you play your cards right, maybe you can make more money than Phil?

Filed Under: Casino games, Games, Poker Tagged With: ,

European Poker Tour

November 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Back in the mid-2000’s, the popularity of poker, and Texas Hold ‘Em in particular, was at an all-time high, and in the midst of that success, the European Poker Tour was born. The year was 2004, and the first EPT consisted of 7 separate tournaments, with Dutch player Rob Hollink winning the Grand Final and pocketing the 635,000 Euro prize. The second season of the tournament saw the same set-up, with a little jump in prize money, but by season 3, two additional tournaments had been added, and the prize for winning at the Grand Final table had jumped to 1.8 million Euros.

Seasons 4 and 5 saw the European Poker Tour continue to grow, and by the end of that 5th season, the number of tournaments had risen to 12, each in a different major European city, and the top prize topped out at 2.3 million. That was where the tour seemed to peak, and after that season, the prize pools dropped somewhat, and this season, which is number 8, has seen the number of tournaments drop back down to 8.

Although tour founder John Duthie had modelled the EPT after the wildly successful World Poker Tour, there were a few differences in the European version, most notably the cheaper buy-in (although that is now sitting around $10,000, the same as the WPT), as well as having 8 players at the final table, rather than 6.
Not all the drama during the EPT has taken place at the tables, and last year at an even in Berlin, masked robbers got away with 242,000 Euros, an event that was seen by many who had tuned into the live webcast of the tournament. Fortunately, the bandits were captured a few days later.

As it stands right now, the United Kingdom has 13 individual winners, with US players nipping at their heels with 12 overall wins, and with 4 tournaments still to play this season and it will be interesting to see if the Brits can maintain that lead. Of course, we can still maintain our poker domination by playing the tables here at our own version of Platinum Play.

Filed Under: Poker, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Poker players meet casino games

October 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Poker is a game that has been around, in one form or another, for a long, long time, with many even believing that a version of the game was played in Ancient China. It’s easy to understand why it has remained so popular, as it is a game that requires skill, a sharp brain, and the ability to be able to “read” the player sitting across from you, trying to decide whether or not he is trying to bluff you out of your wallet.

Poker gained a huge following in the past decade, with Texas Hold Em becoming the game of choice, and tournaments popping up on television, making for great gambling drama. There is no coincidence that the newfound popularity of poker also came on the back of the evolution of the online casino, as it truly is a global game that looks as though it was made for the internet.

Each format fed the other, and before long, tournament winners at online poker sites were being rewarded in seats in huge money live tournaments, including the World Series of Poker. Many players learned the intricacies of the game by playing online, and it still remains incredibly popular to this day.

Platinum Play completely understands that popularity, and they run a great portal called Poker Time, where players can go to match wits against other players from all over the globe. If you haven’t yet checked it out, I really suggest you do, as the sign-up bonus that is offered there is extraordinary.

If the table version of the game is not your thing, then try out one of the great video poker machines available here at PP. As you can see, there are tons of poker options for the online casino player, so get on in and ante up.

Filed Under: Casino games Tagged With: , ,