While displaced American online players like Tom Dwan and his second Durrrr Challenge opponent Daniel Cates are relegated to live action, former foes like Patrik Antonius are going on rampant nosebleed runs posting huge highs and devastating lows every other day. If you haven’t been following Antonius since he dropped off the Durrrr Challenge radar all the way back in August of 2010, then you might be surprised to hear how active the Finnish pro has actually been on Full Tilt Poker…Everywhere but at the Challenge tables, that is.
If you have been following Antonius this year, then you know the tone of his headlines changes on a daily basis. In April alone he scored more than $2.3 million in online profits, sparring frequently with 2011’s other big winner, Gus Hansen, and more often than not leaving their tables as the obvious victor. Just a month after Black Friday, the Finn seemed determined to prove that online poker wasn’t dead, posting a stunning $900,000 profit in a single session. Last week, though, things started to get a little rocky for Antonius who might have gotten overly confident without any of the leading American FTP pros around to contest his dominance.
Antonius’ epic $900,000 night briefly positioned him at the top of FTP’s leaderboard. He held that position for less than 24 hours before returning more than a third of his profits to his fellow FTP high stakers the following day. Hansen alone reclaimed $200,000 in a single session, allowing the Great Dane to retake his previously held leaderboard position. Though Antonius made a solid effort to rally, ultimately last week was one of the worst in the pro’s career. Antonius deserted his final $300/$600 PLO session on May 26 and hasn’t been seen since. In just a few bad sessions, his 2011 online earnings have diminished to $1.1 million, making him last week’s biggest loser.
It’s possible that the pro has gone MIA online because he’s on his way to Vegas. Though Antonius’ live tournament activity has tapered off significantly in the last couple years, he can usually be counted on to make a World Series of Poker appearance. In fact, in 2010 his only live tournament cash was in the WSOP’s No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Though that 601st place finish was hardly anything to write home about, it was Antonius’ twelfth WSOP cash in just six years of play. Just like Antonius’ erstwhile opponent Tom Dwan, the top WSOP honor of a title and bracelet continues to elude him. With the Finn’s recent rocky online performance, it seems questionable that that’s going to change at the 2011 WSOP.
