Victor Bloom (photo below) is known in the poker party under the nickname Isildur1. Today he is one of the top best players on the planet. For a whole year, the young Swede kept almost all the strong and famous poker pros at bay. At the same time, he kept his real name a secret. In a few months, Isildur1 won more than six million dollars against Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, Patrick Antonius and Tom Dwan. Since then, all poker media have started talking about him. This article will present a short biography of the top regular.
Carier start
Victor was born in a provincial Swedish town in 1990. The boy was taught to play poker by his older brother. Fourteen years is the age when Victor Bloom met the cards. Poker became an entertainment for the boy, and he devoted all his free time to the game.
A year later, his brother threw $ 100 into Victor’s account. After a short period of time, Bloom was able to increase the bankroll to $ 300, 000. After several years, the young man admits in his interview that he did not even learn poker at that time, but simply got acquainted with the game.
Every day, Bloom sat at tables online from 12 to 14 hours. Naturally, a similar schedule affected his school performance. In this regard, parents forbade Victor to play poker. But the boy was not stopped by this circumstance.
Risk - this is what Viktor Bloom was guided in the game in the early stages. The strategy of the young poker player was super-aggressive. This contributed to the emergence of large losses, although this did not happen often. They repeatedly put Victor on the brink of ruin. At the beginning of 2008, the young man had only $ 2, 000 in his account in one of the poker rooms of the iPoker network. Nine months later, Bloom increased its bankroll to $ 1, 400, 000. After that, the Swede decided to storm Full Tilt Poker.
High stakes
In September 2009, under the username Isildur1, Victor Bloom began to play at high table. At Full Tilt, no one knew anything about the new poker player. The first rival of the young man was the regular Hasib Kareshi. Players met at a limit of $ 100 / $ 200.
At first, Victor lost almost $ 30, 000 to the Portuguese, but then he quickly returned the lost money. Then the poker players moved to the tables of the pot-limit Omaha ($ 500 / $ 1000). Many professionals have stated that Victor Bloom is poorly versed in this discipline. But this did not stop the Swede from defeating Kareshi. That day, Victor replenished the bankroll for half a million dollars.
Popularity
The next game Isildur1 made truly famous. Bloom challenged Tom Dwan (top-ranked regular). Poker players played no limit hold'em on 6 tables at bets of $ 300 / $ 600. Then they switched to $ 500 / $ 1000. Victor and Tom played almost day and night. And after three days, Bloom earned more than $ 3, 000, 000. Later, Dwan challenged the Swede to revenge in order to recoup. However, he lost another $ 2, 200, 000.
Despite gaining popularity, Victor Bloom remained a dark horse in the poker world. The most curious tried to calculate the poker player by IP address. But they only managed to find out that the regular resides in Sweden. Online, Victor was not afraid of meeting any eminent rivals. The Swede could play for many hours in a row against Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey and Patrick Antonius. These were very spectacular battles, followed by almost the entire poker community of the planet. In one of the fights, the players even updated the world record by playing the largest bank online. There were several more significant achievements. For example, Patrick Antonius in one of the hands won $ 880, 000. By the end of 2009, Bloom's bankroll exceeded $ 9, 000, 000.
Black line
The first serious losses occurred on November 17. In a bitter struggle, Bloom lost to Patrick Antonius $ 2, 700, 000. Then the Swede decided to recoup and held sessions against Townsend, Sigmund and Phil Ivey. But this only aggravated his position, having lost another $ 1, 400, 000. Despite this, Victor did not start poker and continued to practice regularly.
In early December, Bloom managed to win back $ 3, 500, 000, but after a few days a new blow awaited him. In 3, 000 hands, Victor Bloom lost to Brian Hastingson about $ 4, 200, 000. In the history of online poker, this session was the largest. After some time, unfair play by the enemy of Bloom will be proved. But Victor’s greatly reduced bankroll did not allow him to stay in the Full Tilt room.
Return
All poker fans wondered which player was hiding behind the Isildur1 login. Many top regulars offered Bloom to meet in person, while guaranteeing complete anonymity. But the Swede did nothing. Therefore, his return in 2010 to high stakes in the Full Tilt Poker room was a complete surprise. In a few weeks, the young man brought his bankroll to $ 1, 500, 000.
Collaboration with PokerStars
At the end of 2010, Bloom became interested in the PokerStars room. His representatives contacted Victor, and negotiations began. After signing the contract, the identity of Isildur1 was disclosed. Under the auspices of PokerStars, Victor Bloom developed a new project - Superstar Showdown. Its essence was as follows: the young man offered everyone to play 2500 hands-up hands with him in Omaha or Hold'em at four tables at bets of $ 50 / $ 100. As part of the project, the Swede held eleven meetings. Of these, he lost only three - twice to Daniel Negreanu and once to Isaac Haxton.
After twelve months of cooperation, the room terminated the contract with Victor. Bloom immediately received an offer from Full Tilt Poker. Along with Tom Dwan and Gus Hansen, he became a member of the team of professionals in this room.
New victories
2013 was a great year for Victor. For several January days, he won $ 5, 000, 000. But several unsuccessful sessions slightly reduced the bankroll of a talented poker player. By the end of March, Bloom's net win reached $ 3, 148, 000.
2015 was even more successful for Victor. For the first time in his career, the Swede was able to hold out for many months without significant negative bands. In addition, Victor Bloom became the best high-tech player of the year, earning $ 3, 490, 000 in the PokerStars room. But there was a loss here. In another room, Full Tilt Poker, before the hi-tech tables were closed, Victor lost $ 1, 300, 000. Nevertheless, the Swede's annual earnings were $ 2, 190, 000.
Out of the game
Of course, the entire poker community would like to know more about Bloom, but he avoids contact with the media. During his career, Victor gave only a few interviews. In them, he talked only about the game against rivals and his own achievements. The Swede did not say a word about his personal life.
Only one thing is known: Victor Bloom, whose biography was presented above, lives on a grand scale in London and does not deny himself anything. Huge winnings allow Bloom to relax in the best resorts, rent a luxury penthouse and engage in his favorite hobby.
