Sat, 01/22/2011 – 02:52 – PokerPages Staff

#5 – Viktor ‘Isuldur1′ Blom
The mystery man from Scandinavia, whose meteoric rise last year became a poker sensation, was finally “outed” in January as none other than young Swedish high-stakes pro, Viktor Blom.  He started 2011 by winning a tidy $44,280 from Tony G at the Superstar Showdown and we think there is a lot more to come.

#4 – Jonathan Duhamel
Not many people get to be multi-millionaires by the age of 22 but Jonathan Duhamel is now one of this rare species.  He may not replicate his stunning $9 million WSOP victory of 2010 this year, but no one can deny that this guy has been born with some seriously superior poker genes.

#3 – Tom ‘durrr’ Dwan
Famously issuing a $1 million dollar challenge in January 2009 to play anyone online (except Phil Galfond), Tom Dwan is widely tipped to break through in live poker in 2011 and win his first big title.  Incidentally, that challenge (Dwan will give his opponent $1.5 million dollars if, after 50,000 hands, the latter is ahead) has still not been completed.

#2 – Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi
After a spectacularly successful early start, Michael’s career went through the doldrums for a couple of years before 2010.  However, it proved to be his comeback year, when he played with sheer brilliance at the World Series of Poker.  He won $1.5 million at the Poker Player’s Championship and made final table on three further occasions, including the Main Event.  We think he has his Mojo back.

#1 – Phil Ivey
2010 was the year when this unstoppable poker meister became the youngest person in history to win 8 WSOP bracelets.  The “Tiger Woods of Poker” is still going strong and looks set to continue on his glitteringly successful trajectory in 2011.

Tue, 01/18/2011 – 05:22 – PokerPages Staff

Team PokerStars sponsored pro Viktor ‘Isildur1′ Blom’s meteoric rise to the top of the game was completed at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure when he was finally unveiled as the man behind the most exciting alias in high stakes cash game history.

The Scandinavian sensation recalled the moments that shaped his education in poker during an interview with a Swedish newspaper last week.

Blom admitted his interest in poker stemmed from a native episode of ‘The Poker Million’ which aired when he was a teenager.

“I started playing poker when I was 14 years old I think. With my friends and my brother. There was this program on TV, Pokermiljonen that made us pick up the game.”

“It always went well for me, but it was not until I was 18 that I realized that I could become really good.”

The 20 year-old began testing his skills online in European poker rooms before depositing his first bankroll with Full Tilt Poker in 2008.

Blom admits that he found it extremely difficult initially as he had not been prepared to face players who were more accomplished than himself.

“I started playing on American sites and there I was really stunned by how good the level was. I was not prepared, I did not know there were players even better than me.”

The Swede remains bullish about his Hold’em skills, proclaiming himself to be the finest player in the world in heads up play.

“In Hold’em Heads-Up I am probably the best of all and this experience I carry with me.”

Blom concluded by professing his love for the game and stating that money is not his primary motivation.

“Of course it is tough when you lose, but in the end it does not matter. It is just money. I play because I love it, it is that simple.”