Recognized as one of the most gifted players of his generation, Patrik Antonius is now considered a poker legend! Here is the portrait of the man who won over 12 million US dollars in the Live Tournament!

Back Injury from Tennis Will Lead Him to Poker

Patrik Antonius was born in 1980 to a working-class family on the outskirts of Helsinki in Finland. Quickly, he developed a passion for tennis. But fate had other plans for him. The young Finn begins to suffer from a back injury just before the start of his first professional tennis tournament, taking away all his career hopes. Patrik had to find something to occupy his mind. He will eventually turn a little more seriously to poker. In 2003, he will start playing online poker by depositing $ 200 which will quickly turn into $ 20,000. From March to December 2003, he will play 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to already reach $ 80,000 in winnings!

A Meteoric Career in Poker

It was in 2005 that Patrik Antonius revealed himself to the general public by recording his first results in live tournaments. That year, he won the European Poker Tour (EPT) e Baden which is a series of poker tournaments. Within a lot of companies like Betiton or MrMega, which permit amateurs to play online in tournaments, some of them had covered the event by offering odds on Patrik as the big winner. The bookmaker was right! Then, Patrik continues to participate in the biggest tournaments around the world while attending the biggest Cash Game tables on Full Tilt or PokerStars. He is also a regular on TV shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker. It can be found today at the highest Cash Game tables at Full Tilt Poker. Patrik Antonius is considered one of the most talented players of his generation today!

A Fulfilling Personal Life

2006 is a great year in the personal life of Patrik Antonius. His wife Maya became pregnant with their first child, Mila, born in May 2007, and the couple moved to their new home in Las Vegas. Since then, the family has decided to divide their time between Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Vegas, before settling on the French Riviera. He also imposes irreproachable life hygiene. Beyond a rigorous sporting discipline, Antonius takes care of what he eats: "I have not eaten gluten since 2011 and it made a huge difference for me. I had many physical problems; a lot of inflammation and they no longer exist. Usually, I eat everything, and I never eat fast food. I eat healthy fats." continues the poker legend.

A Great Track Record and Priceless Earnings

The player has a good track record and would have won nearly $ 12 million in live tournament earnings. Patrik Antonius multiplies his performances winning many wins throughout his professional career. Last December, he was on the list of the last ten finalists to join the legendary Poker Hall of Fame. With all these victories, his fame has grown enormously, and he has notably appeared in many TV shows in recent years. He was notably invited to participate in Marcel Luske's learning DVD, Poker: my way, as well as in GSN's High Stakes Poker. In 2007 he appeared in NBC's Poker After Dark series, before ending up in Full Tilt Poker's Million Dollar Cash Game II and again in High Stakes Poker.

When he isn’t at the poker table, Antonius enjoys his daily workouts, his traditional games of tennis, as well as playing other sports. A former bad boy, the Finnish prodigy has settled down in his role as a father and now spends a lot of his free time playing with his daughter and going out with his fiancée. And for his interested fans, Antonius launched his blog in July 2007, talking about his personal life and his tournament schedule.