Congratulations are in order to Patrick Antonius and his family as he has been elected to the Poker Hall of Fame. He becomes the 63rd member of the Poker Hall of Fame, which includes legendary players like Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Billy Baxter, and last year’s inductee Brian Rast.
“In the modern era of poker, few have been as bold and fearless as Patrik Antonius,” Executive Director of the WSOP Ty Stewart said during the announcement. “A force both online and live, we’re thrilled to see Patrik’s high-stakes career acknowledged by legends who have added the first international player to the Poker Hall of Fame in years.”
It was the 43-year-old’s third year he was eligible and the second time he was nominated. He was one of 10 people who were nominated by fans and made the short-list. The others were Josh Arieh, Barny Boatman, “Miami” John Cernuto, Ted Forrest, Kathy Liebert, Mike Matusow, Matt Savage, Isai Scheinberg and Bill Smith.
Since 2020, the Poker Hall of Fame — which is owned by Caesars Entertainment as part of the World Series of Poker and Horseshoe Casino brands — only one player has been inducted.
The 31 living members of the Hall of Fame and other industry insiders assign points to the short-listed players. The criteria to be nominated is simple:
• Be at least 40 years old.
• Played for high stakes against acknowledge top competition.
• Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers.
• Stood the test of time.
• For non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with incredible positive and lasting results.
Patrik the star
Antonius was born Dec. 13, 1980 in Finland, and grew up in a middle-class family with a talent for tennis. He started playing poker as a teenager with his friends at the tennis club. When he turned 18, he won the first tournament he played in, turning $25 in $260. In 2003, he cashed in his first Pot Limit hold’em event ($220), finishing fourth for $3,480.
Meanwhile, he went to work online, building his bankroll to get into larger buy-in events. Two years later, in 2005, he become the European Poker Tour Baden champion for $343,365. That happened a month after finishing third for $145,067 at EPT Barcelona. Those two cashes were the first of 34 six-figure cashes he bagged in the nearly 20 years he’s been at it.
Add another six million-dollar-plus cashes, and the courage to play nosebleed stakes around the world, often filmed for broadcast, and there it is — a Poker Hall of Fame worthy career according to his peers. He has $22.9 million in lifetime cashes, according to the Hendon Mob.
The announcement was made during the $1,976 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold’em event on Sunday. All living members of the Hall of Fame are able to play for free, but they have a bounty worth the year they were inducted on their backs. The buy-in refers to the year the first WSOP took place at the Horseshoe.
Antonius gave a speech after Stewart made the announcement. Here’s what he had to say:
“This is a very big honor to become a new Hall of Famer,” said Antonius. “Obviously big thanks to my family and close friends — just everyone who has been there for me through the good and the bad.
This has really been one of the nicest things for me. I’ve always been a student of the game and always hoped that poker continues to get bigger and better. And just look at where we are now. It looks like poker has never been as good as it is now — we’re breaking records all over the world.
It was unexpected at this young age, but I’m still young. The last 24-25 years with poker went pretty fast. I think I’m going to stick around for a long time. That’s my plan — to keep playing the highest tournaments and cash games. I’ve always had so much passion and love for the game.
It’s so nice that so many people have found poker and are passionate about poker. We can all do it together. Let’s keep growing the game and thank you to everyone who’s supported me and voted for me.”
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