Patrick Antonius Biography
Patrick Antonius is perhaps one of the most beloved players in the game of poker, as well as being one of the youngest of influential players in the game. Patrick was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1980. Before entering into the world of poker, Patrick had promise to be a professional tennis player, and this is what he wanted to do with his life. However, at the age of fifteen because of back injury these dreams were crushed. However, even today, he enjoys playing various sports, including tennis and golf. So much so, that he once considered quitting poker in order to play on the PGA tour. Thankfully, for all beloved fans out there, this idea was never followed through on.
At the poker table Patrick is very disciplined and focused, which gives him a demeanor that other players fear. He has a strong background that encouraged him and at a young age he realized that a hard work ethic was the only way in which to produce results. Plus, he does have the discipline that the military instills into people, thus he usually does very well for himself at the poker table.
Patrick first started playing poker at the age of 11, just playing at home with family and friends, however, never taking the game too serious. Once he reached the age of 18, he started to go to the Helsinki Casino and play, each week losing all of his check. It was at this point that he decided to take the game seriously and when he did, he found that he had a knack for it, and the winnings started to roll in.
In 2003, Patrick invested two hundred dollars into an online poker game, and within a matter of weeks, he turned that two hundred dollars into $20,000. Patrick took that $20,000 and moved to the United States in order to play poker and attend college. He continued to play poker during this time and this was when he decided to take off from school and devote his time to solely playing poker.
Patrick played every day of the week for sometimes as long as twelve hours a day, he was able to turn that $20,000 into $80,000 in two years. However, he really made a name for himself in 2005. It was during this year that people really began to take notice of the young man. He took the Ladbrokes Scandinavian Poker Championship for around $66K, while also finishing third place in the European Poker Tour raking in $340K, and taking second place at the World Poker Tour for a whopping $1,045,000. He had definitely earned himself a place among some of the best pokers in the world through winning these contests.
Patrick is still involved in poker and plays frequently in high stakes games online and is a member of Team Full Tilt where he plays exclusively at Full Tilt Poker. Future plans are not certain for Patrick however, he simply wants to enjoy the game and his family, as well as life in general.
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