Enter The Nexus

Viktor Blom was born in Sweden on 26th September 1990.  He is a professional poker player who is among the most feared cash game proponents in the world.  Blom rose to prominence during the late 2000s after crushing several renowned names on the now defunct online poker site, Full Tilt Poker.

Blom made his first appearance on that site in September 2009 under the then unknown alias ‘isildur1’.  The young Swede made his mark less than two months later when he earned a staggering $5 million from $500 to $1000 games involving the likes of Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius.  That success, however, was short-lived as he donated the whole figure back in a disastrous session with Brian Hastings.  It was later found that Hastings had colluded with close friends Cole South and Brian Townsend by accessing information stored on FTP, prompting Blom to take a three month hiatus.

Viktor Blom continued to conceal his identity following his return in February 2010, though it was revealed less than a year later when the 21 year old joined Team PokerStars Pro and competed in the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.  Blom initially struggled to match his remarkable cash game achievements in the live arena but he finally made a breakthrough in 2012 when he took down the PokerStars PCA $100,000 Super High Roller in the Bahamas for a $1.5 million jackpot.  The London resident defeated a final table which included former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel and Daniel Negreanu to triumph. 

As the game of Poker has grown in popularity, many faces have gained worldwide fame.  The World Poker Tour Championships have given the following people, among many, the opportunity to become millionaires by playing their cards right. 

Carlos Mortensen

Carlos Mortensen, known as “The Matador”, is one of the most well-known Poker champions in the world.  Born in Ecuador, he holds the record for all-time money winner on the World Poker Tour.  His winnings have totalled in excess of six million dollars over the course of his career.  Mortensen also holds the record for the largest pay-out in the World Poker Tour, which brought in just fewer than four million dollars.  Softly spoken but aggressive, Mortensen has earned his nickname “The Matador”.
 
Tuan Le

Tuan Le was born in Paris before moving to Kansas City and later to Los Angeles, California.  There he enrolled in a college Finance programme and took up Poker during his free time.  He was persistent in the game, and eventually decided to leave his schooling, just a few classes shy of a Bachelor’s Degree, to pursue a Poker career.  After some time, professional Barry Greenstein noticed Le and became his mentor.  This relationship helped Le better his game.  He learned how to read opponents and be aggressive during play.  His later wins led him to champion status and have helped his career earnings grow to more than 4.5 million dollars.

Nick Schulman

Nick Schulman, known as “The Takeover”, became interested in cards at a very young age.  He studied the game intensely and practiced for countless hours online.  By 19 years old, he was considered a professional, but too young to play at the casino.  He continued to build his skills by practicing online until he was of legal age.  Just one month after being eligible to enter tournament games, Schulman joined the competition.  He came out with a win that earned him the record of youngest World Poker Tour champion.  He went on to win the Battle of the Champions.