The Story of Patrik Antonius: A Decade-And-A-Half Long Professional Poker Career

Patrik Antonius is a well-known name in the poker world. His impressive poker career started way back in 2005 when he finished “in the money” at three World Series of Poker events. The Fin has been playing poker professionally ever since. Patrik Antonius has a net worth $20 million in the fifteen years he’s been in the professional poker scene. 

That said, Antonius’s childhood dream wasn’t to become a poker superstar. In his teens, he had a different goal in mind — that of becoming a professional tennis player. Although he had a knack for sports, a back injury at the age of fifteen prevented him from pursuing this career. 

Despite the injury forcing him to give up competing in traditional sports, Antonius was determined to find a different “arena” where he could showcase his talents. He used to play poker home games even as a teenager, playing with his allowance and winning a pretty penny quite often. So it doesn’t surprise that Antonius hit the casinos as soon as he turned eighteen. 

Beginner’s luck wasn’t really a thing in Antonius’s case. Quite the contrary, he kept losing considerable amounts at the tables, but the stubborn Finn kept coming back and learning from his mistakes. Perhaps it is his determination and persistence that resulted in Antonius being a successful poker professional that he is today. 

Honing His Skills Online

Patrik Antonius had his first big break in 2003 when he ventured into the world of online poker. With only $200 in his account, he managed to accrue $20,000 in a few short months. Aided by his real-life experience, he has swept online tables ever since, making a name for himself in the online poker community. 

The whole world learned about the ambitious Finn when he claimed the biggest pot ever won in online poker history, in a nerve-wracking game against Viktor “Isildur1” Blom. The pot contained over 1.3 million dollars, making Antonius an “overnight” millionaire. 

His achievements are all the more impressive when you take into account that Antonius has never read any poker books or watched a single video guide. He has learned everything by either playing or observing professional games and analyzing every single move. 

This analytical approach to the game allowed the Finn to outplay the online competition. In turn, the impressive results bolstered Antonius’s confidence, prompting him to turn to real-life games once more — that and the advancement of technology, that is. 

Namely, Antonius has mentioned on several occasions that he firmly believes a lot of online players rely on additional software to gain an edge. That may or may not be the case, but one thing is for sure — Antonius’s temper and competitive spirit would’ve nudged him towards WSOP and other big live tournaments, either way. 

And we’re more than grateful for that fact! He has been in the spotlight during quite a few memorable poker tourneys, and watching the Finn play is a spectacle in and of itself. 

Antonius’s Passion and Dedication

When you look at Antonius’s results, his posture at the table, and radiating confidence, you might get the impression that the card game is child’s play for the Finn. It may even appear that he is winning almost effortlessly. 

However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, in his early days, Antonius used to play poker for 12 hours straight, day in and day out. As talented as he may be, it still takes a lot of practice to be able to keep your nerves in check and learn to read your opponents. 

Poker was his life, and he poured his heart and soul into it. It didn’t take long for Antonius to claim the title of the best online player in the whole of Europe. Still, given his insatiable ambition, Europe was too small of a stage. Antonius wanted to be the best in the world. 

And he had every prerequisite to attain that goal. While sweeping the poker tables, Patrik’s back healed enough that he started reconsidering playing tennis again. Several of his buddies studied in the U.S., and he too was interested in the scholarship Averett University in Virginia offered. 

After finishing a year of studies, playing poker whenever he had the time, the Finn wasn’t too keen on going back to Finland. Instead, immediately upon returning home, he bought a one-way ticket to Vegas and never looked back.

That’s when he started actively participating in live tournaments, constantly looking for opponents that would challenge his skills, thus helping him perfect his game.

Patrik Antonius’s Live Tournament Results

Despite his aversion to online games today, Patrik Antonius earned most of his glory (and a ton of money to boot!) on the web. Still, $7 out of Patrik Antonius’s $20-million net worth comes from live games. That’s mighty impressive if you ask us. 

His biggest tournament win was way back in 2005 when he finished second in the Aussie Millions Challenge, bringing home a sum of over $1.2 million. The third time Antonius scooped up seven figures at a poker table was during the 2005 Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Vegas. 

As far as the World Series of Poker goes, his personal best is the ninth spot at the 2006 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. in Vegas. This goes to show that, although Antonius prefers Omaha and excels at heads-up games, he can shine when playing every format.

Throughout 2007 and 2008, he dominated Poker After Dark tournaments, finishing in the money every time and even winning the second iteration of the event. 

Everything was coming up Antonius for over a decade. At one point, he was a fully-sponsored Full Tilt Poker player. However, although Antonius started off strong, he has dropped off in recent years. This is evident if you look at his runs in 2019, especially at the European Poker Tour, held in Barcelona. Still, with over $20 million under his belt, the Finn has nothing left to prove. Today, poker is no longer just a source of income but rather a passion Antonius often indulges in. 

Poker “Runs in the Family”

Funny enough, the Finn isn’t the only one in the family with a knack for poker. Patrik Antonius’s wife, Maya Geller, also dabbles in the card game and has had a few appearances in major tournaments. Still, her results pale in comparison to her husband’s. Whereas Patrik is a high-stakes poker player, his wife plays mostly for fun and has lifetime winnings of around $30,000. 

Despite not being as famous as Antonius in the poker world, it is rumored that poker was what brought Patrik Antonius and his wife together. The two are married and have two daughters together. 

The Finn has eased into the role of a father, spending the majority of his free time with his family. When he’s not at a poker table, he can often be found at a tennis court, playing a casual game, or working out.

Patrik Antonius was and largely still is one of the best poker players alive. 

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