Is Isildur1 Returning to Online Poker?

Viktor «Isildur1» Blom becomes a Phenom Poker ambassador

Blom announced the news on his Twitter last week.

Hello friends

As many of you already know, i have played a lot less online poker in recent years. Although I still have incredible love for the game, the state of the industry has turned me off. I think many of you have felt the same way at one point or another.

20 years ago, when I discovered online poker, there was so much to like. I was immediately drawn to the Poker Dream, which was very much alive at this time. Somewhere along the way, I feel that dream was lost as we allowed poker room operators to charge too much rake while they turned a blind eye to cheating, use of bots, and more. New players (rightfully so) have been weary to enter the arena to battle. And old school players have also been turned off. All of this is bad for poker.

Recently though, I’ve come across @phenompokerapp. I’ve talked to the team and spent a lot of time with @phenomaly and for the first time in a long time, I found myself excited to play poker online again. I have decided to join Phenom as a Team Pro and I’m excited to help revive the Poker Dream and bring back poker the way it should be: fun, safe, with reasonable rake.

However, since the tweet was published, we have not been able to catch Isildur1 at the tables.

5 Interesting Facts from the Biography of Viktor «Isildur1» Blom

1. Viktor Blom was born on September 26, 1990, in Gothenburg, Sweden. At age 14, his older brother Sebastian introduced him to poker. He quickly became passionate about the game, playing small tournaments and games with schoolmates. By age 18, he had built a bankroll of $300,000 under the nickname Blom90. But lost it all.
2. In 2009, he reappeared on Full Tilt Poker under the alias Isildur1, taken from The Lord of the Rings. He gained notoriety for his hyper-aggressive playstyle and his willingness to take on top pros like Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, and Patrik Antonius on multiple high-stakes tables at once. In November 2009, he had a legendary heads-up battle with Tom Dwan, winning around $5 million. By the end of that year, his total profit on Full Tilt Poker had reached $6 million.
3. Despite his highs, Viktor also experienced massive losses. He lost $3.2 million to Phil Ivey in a single session and $3 million to Patrik Antonius in another. In December 2009, Brian Hastings won $4.2 million from him in five hours using a shared database of hand histories — a violation of site rules. Some accounts involved were temporarily suspended as a result.
4. Until 2011, Isildur1’s real identity remained a mystery. At the 2011 PCA, Viktor Blom was officially revealed as a member of Team PokerStars Pro. He found success in online tournaments as well, winning titles in SCOOP and WCOOP. In 2012, he won $1,254,000 in the $100K PCA Super High Roller event.
5. Viktor Blom has $5.8M in live tournament winnings, including $2.2M at the 2024 WSOP. In one interview, he said that he has only one goal left in poker – to win a WSOP bracelet.

About Phenom Poker

Phenom Poker was launched in October 2024. The room specializes in limit and mixed cash games. In total, there are more than 30 different disciplines.