Online poker action has been on the up and up these past couple of months with live poker significantly down due to the ongoing global health crisis. Aside from the headlining major series occurring left and right on leading platforms, private high stakes cash games have been booming as well behind the scenes. This week’s high roller action was made public which got the whole poker community tuned in to the interesting story. Possibly the biggest No Limit Hold’em pot in online poker history, Michael Addamo unfortunately found himself on the receiving end of an obvious cooler.
With the 2020 World Series of Poker Online happening on the aggressive Natural8 – GGPoker Network, some of the highest cash games have simultaneously been running alongside the prestigious festival. In a $500/$1,000 with a $1,000 ante invitation-only cash game, players Wiktor Malinowski playing under his screen name “limitless” and Australian pro Michael Addamo brewed together an $842K pot.
According to High Stakes Database, the reported hand may well be the biggest NLH pot ever won online, breaking a twelve-year record back in 2008 between poker icon Tom “durrr” Dwan and Di “urindanger” Dang. The previous pot which ran on Full Tilt Poker only recorded $723,941 involving a similar hand situation between the two crushers. While the website took a break from tracking high stakes action back in 2019, several games have likewise taken place on private applications leaving some massive pots untracked. Nonetheless, Malinowski and Addamo’s recent clash and the huge value put smack in the middle is definite proof that this year’s online poker action has reached a level never seen before.
Kings vs Aces
Michael Addamo on the receiving end of this cooler from Wiktor Malinowski for a $900K pot at our VIP Games#coolerbro#natural8 pic.twitter.com/gq8u8SQxDY
— N8 Poker | Casino | Sports (@natural8) August 11, 2020
The high limit table saw top level pros Wiktor Malinowski, considered one of the industry’s all-time greats in high stakes cash games and two-time WSOP champion Michael Addamo both sitting on over 400 big blind stacks. The hand played out with Addamo in the big blind and Malinowski raising to $2,000 on the cut-off. Addamo three-bet to $14,000 and Malinowski retaliated back with a four-bet to $43,500, Addamo five-bet to $108,000 and Malinowski called in position, building a $217,500 pot with all the pre-flop action ensuing.
Seeing a flop of 
, Addamo fired a bet of $71,775 to which Malinowski followed with a call. A 
came on the turn with Addamo once again firing a bet of $100,146.50 with Malinowski calling the hefty bet in position. A 
completed the board enabling Addamo to shove all his remaining chips $140,547.80 with Malinowski calling for the anticipated reveal. Addamo showed 
for a King-high two pair with the second strongest hand in poker but Malinowski outpipped his opponent and showed 
, the clear winner for the $842,438.62 pot. Coming from a huge loss, Addamo however, was able to recover most of it in the hands that followed thereafter.
The biggest cash game pot in online history
For over a decade, no other recorded cash game pot has beaten Patrick Antonius and Viktor “Isildur1” Blom’s smashing record in value. With online poker in its peak back in 2009, the historic $1.35 million Pot Limit Omaha hand played through on Full Tilt, granting Antonius the huge win. With pots going back and forth between the two young pros, money on the table rose up to a staggering figure of almost $2 million before the crucial hand took place.
With effective stacks at around $678,000, Blom opened with 6789 single suited and was met with a three-bet from Antonius who had a strong holding of AKK3 double suited. Blom fired back with a 4-bet and another counter 5-bet from Antonius. Blom called in position and $165,000 was already in the middle. An action-packed flop of 245 rainbow connected with both players’ hands instigating all chips to go in the pot right on the flop. Holding the second nuts, Antonius bet and was followed by a raise from Blom with the rest of the money eventually added to the massive pot. Blom, who had a wrap for the higher straight with no flush draw on board, has roughly 45% equity, given his opponent already held a wheel straight. Unfortunately for Blom, Antonius’ straight held up granting him the whopping $1,356,946 payout.
