Patrik Antonius is possibly the youngest and most well known poker player today. Originally from Helsinki, Finland, he came to birth in 1980. Growing up, his family was poor, so he learned that only a hard work ethic would produce results. Combined with his military discipline, Antonius is very focused at the poker table, able to lose or win large sums of money gracefully.
He was very athletic since he was a child and aspired to be a professional tennis player. Unfortunately, a back injury at the age of 15 would end that dream. Antonius still plays tennis on and off, and has become an avid golfer. Even while playing sports, he still finds a way to gamble with friends. He enjoyed golf so much that he once considered quitting poker to join the PGA tour.
He has been playing poker with since the age of 11. Most of his experience came from simply playing home games with friends, not poker books or lessons. When he turned 18, he was regularly playing at Casino Helsinki, where he would empty his bankroll almost every week for two years. Then he started taking the game more seriously and began to win consistently.
At the start of 2003, he put in an initial deposit of $200 into an online poker room. In a few months, he had grown it to $20,000. He moved to the United States of America to attend college and play poker. As he became more successful with poker, that’s when he decided to take a break from school and spend the next 2 years focusing solely on poker. By playing 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, Antonius was able to turn $20,000 into $80,000.
2005 was his golden year. Antonius went on a huge heater during the tournament circuit. He took down the Ladbrokes Scandinavian Poker Championships for $66K, finished 3rd in European Poker Tour at Barcelona for $340K, and took 2nd place in the World Poker Tour at Bellagio for $1,045,000. Then he placed 9th in the 2006 World Series of Poker $50k H.o.r.s.e. event for $205K, made it to 3rd place in the 2007 World Championship PLO event for $311K and 7th place in the 2008 World Championship PLO event for $124K.
Over the last few years, Antonius has been playing the biggest online cash games and logs most of his hours at the $200/$400 NLH and PLO tables. He also plays in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, a famous high limit room where stakes can run as high $4K/$8K. He was a sponsor for Martinspoker until April, 2008, when his contract expired. A few months later, during a World Series of Poker press conference, it was announced to the public that Antonius would sign with Full Tilt Poker and become a member of the prestigious Team Full Tilt.
He has a fiancee named Mya and a daughter named Mila. Their residence can alternate between Las Vegas and Monacco each year. Right now, his number one priorities in life are to enjoy his family and be healthy. If you want to see Patrik Antonius in action, look for him online, playing exclusively at Full Tilt Poker.
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