XBLINK on Ulimate Bet | Who is XBLINK?
As 2009 ended, so did the infamous high stakes run of internet poker legend Isildur1 (who is rumoured to be coming back to the high stkes action in 2010, being staked by TonyG). Isildur1 has proven he wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder, but now Isildur1 has stepped down to lower limit games, all of the attention has shifted to a new player – XBLINK.
XBLINK is reportedly between 19 and 20 years old, and is from Vancouver in Canada. The youngster has admitted his story on several poker forums, and even Ultimate Bet have released a blog about his rise from almost bust, to playing the highest stakes with a bankroll of over $1 million! XBLINK’s high stakes adventures began when he entered an $11 tournament (the $11 was all that was left on his account. He ended up winning the tournament for around $750, then began crushing the cash games at Ultimate Bet. Here is the short version of the story in his own words:
1. $11 tournament won 1st place —> $750 (all I had on my account, was going to redeposit if i lost the tournament)
2. $750 grinding low stakes omaha.
3. $750 –> $4k the next day, move up to 2/4 and 3/6 PLO, then to 5/10.
4. 4k –>$16k, played 5/10 and 10/20 PLO
5. For the next 2 days, I was bouncing from $20k – $60k playing 10/20 PLO.
6. 5th day: Start 25/50 PLO , I see 6 digits now.
7. 6th day till now – play 25/50, 50/100, 100/200, 200/400 PLO, and NL when theres no PLO.
XBLINK also admitted that he has gone bust for $500 more than 20 times in his short poker career. He began playing around two years ago and is a regular at the Edgewater Casino in Vancouver. XBLINK has stated he only recently began playing internet poker and lays exclusively at Ultimate Bet. Another hing he has admitted is his bankroll’s rollercoaster. He states at one time he had a bankroll of $1.3 million, and at another it was as low as $400k. Currently XBLINK is playing the highest stakes available at Ultimate Bet and is withdrawing $5k per week, instead of a bulk amount which the Canadian government would tax him heavy on.
XBLINK’s rise to poker fame hasn’t been quite so smooth however, and he has gained a lot of bad publicity with a lot of railbirds criticising his play. Many of the haters have called for XBLINK to withdraw it all before he loses it, with one person even stating the following:
“stop playing ASAP. I railed some of ur matches. Most notably vs S ON MY CHEST (U are terrible) take the bulk of the $$ and run/play lower”.
XBLINK countered this by stating that it was his money and he would use it however he wants to, saying that he feels confident in his abilities and that he might get funds on Full Tilt Poker to take on the stars at the Pot-Limit Omaha tables.
One has to wonder how long XBLINK’s incredible run will continue at Ultimate Bet, and just who will be the next internet poker star to burst into the spotlight playing the highest stakes? Another thing XBLINK should consider is the possibility of sponsorship from Ultimate Bet. He has brought them great publicity with his exploits in recent weeks, and if he can keep up the high stakes results then who knows, we might even see him on High Stakes Poker in the future?!
You can watch XBLINK play at Ultimate Bet, just read our Ultimate Bet review before joining the site!
