EN
PT
ES
RU
ZH
IT
DE
FR
Viktor Blom is a Swedish professional poker player, born in 1990, who became known in late 2009 under the screen name “Isildur1” for playing the highest-stakes online cash games on Full Tilt Poker against the best-known professionals of the time. His identity was revealed in January 2011. His biggest live tournament wins are the $100,000 Super High Roller at the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and the 2018 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Germany Main Event, and since 2023 he has been a regular at the World Series of Poker. [1][7]
Viktor Blom: key facts
| Full name | Viktor Blom |
|---|---|
| Known as | “Isildur1” (online screen name) [1] |
| Country | Sweden [1] |
| Born | 1990 [1] |
| Hometown | Gothenburg [3] |
| Known for | High-stakes online cash games on Full Tilt Poker from 2009; live high roller and WSOP results |
| WSOP bracelets | 0 (50 WSOP cashes, 9 final tables) [2] |
| Major titles | PCA $100,000 Super High Roller 2012; partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Germany Main Event 2018 [8][9] |
| Live tournament earnings | $7,724,813 as of October 5, 2026 [1] |
Early life
Blom was born in Sweden in 1990, and Card Player lists Gothenburg as his hometown. [1][3] He started playing poker with friends at around the age of 14 and began playing online as soon as he turned 18. Because of the way online poker winnings were taxed in Sweden, he later left the country and moved to London at the age of 21. [1]
Isildur1: the 2009 run on Full Tilt Poker
The account “Isildur1” appeared on Full Tilt Poker in September 2009 and was soon playing the biggest games on the site against Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey, Brian Townsend, Cole South and Patrik Antonius. By mid-November he had about $6 million in online cash game winnings, while nobody outside a small circle knew who he was. [1]
In a four-day heads-up duel in November 2009, PokerNews reported that Dwan lost more than $3 million to the unknown Swede, mostly at $500/$1,000 No-Limit Hold’em, including a $573,991 pot that Isildur1 won with a set of queens. [4] Days later Antonius took nearly $3 million from him over a 2,189-hand, nine-hour session of $500/$1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha. One pot in that match, $878,958, was described at the time as the largest pot in online poker history. [5]
On December 8, 2009, Brian Hastings won $4,206,960 from Isildur1 in 2,858 hands of $500/$1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, a result PokerNews called “believed to be the largest single-session win in online poker history”. [6] Hastings was later accused of using hand histories of Isildur1 obtained from Cole South and Brian Townsend. After the loss and the controversy, Isildur1 stayed away from the high-stakes games for almost a year. [1]
Identity revealed and Team PokerStars
Isildur1 signed with PokerStars in December 2010. On January 8, 2011, during the dinner break of Day 1a of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event, the player behind the account walked out from behind a curtain: Viktor Blom, then 20 years old. He then played a heads-up exhibition against Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. [7]
Blom left Team PokerStars Pro in August 2012, when PokerStars and Blom agreed not to renew his expired sponsorship. During his time with the site he won 11 of his 14 matches in the PokerStars SuperStar Showdown, earning more than $1 million. [10] PokerNews lists him today as an ambassador for Phenom Poker. [1]
Playing style
For most of his career Blom has been a cash game player, best known for heads-up matches in No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha at the highest online stakes. [1] In 2009, PokerNews described Pot-Limit Omaha as “arguably Isildur1’s weakest game at the highest stakes available”; most of his early wins came at heads-up No-Limit Hold’em. [5] Since 2023 his WSOP schedule has also included mixed games and limit events, where several of his deepest runs have come. [1] PokerNews notes that he keeps a low profile and gives few interviews. [1]
Greatest achievements
Tournament results
| Year | Event | Result | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | WSOP $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em | 3rd | $1,311,091 | [1] |
| 2012 | PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 Super High Roller (32 entries) | 1st | $1,254,400 | [3][8] |
| 2024 | WSOP $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em (8-Handed) | 3rd | $951,727 | [1] |
| 2018 | partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Germany €5,300 Main Event (1,022 entries) | 1st | €850,000 | [9] |
| 2020 | Super High Roller Bowl Online $25,500 (online) | 1st | $407,500 | [3] |
| 2025 | WSOP Paradise $10,000 Super PLOSSUS | 2nd | $406,000 | [1] |
| 2025 | WSOP $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship | 2nd | $188,295 | [1] |
Blom arrived in the Bahamas on the day of the 2012 PCA Super High Roller, and the event was his first live tournament win. The field of 30 players and 32 entries created a prize pool of $3.136 million, and he beat Dan Shak heads-up; Shak received $846,700. [8]
At LIVE MILLIONS Germany in February 2018, then 27, he came back from a nine-to-one chip deficit heads-up against Pavel Plesuv of Moldova, who took €750,000, and won the final hand by calling a bluff with king-six. The event had a €5,000,000 prize pool. [9]
World Series of Poker
Blom has not won a WSOP bracelet. His WSOP.com profile lists 50 cashes, 9 final tables and $4,823,272 in WSOP earnings. [2] He began playing the WSOP in Las Vegas every summer in 2023. [1] At the 2024 WSOP he finished third in both the $50,000 and the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Rollers. [1][3]
He entered the 2025 WSOP with 21 career WSOP cashes and four final tables, and PokerNews soon called it the “Summer of Isildur”. [11] He finished fourth in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship ($152,315), sixth in the $50,000 High Roller ($349,068), second in the $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship and fifth in the $10,000 Big O Championship ($181,069), his fourth final table of the series. [1][13] He finished 11th in the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year race, won by Shaun Deeb. [12]
Poker Hall of Fame
Blom is not a member of the Poker Hall of Fame; neither his WSOP.com profile nor his PokerNews profile lists an induction. [1][2]
In his own words
- “I think I am the best online heads-up no-limit hold’em player in the world but I’m looking forward to learning a lot from the other Team Pros and helping them with their games too.” On joining Team PokerStars Pro, January 2011. [7]
- “I think a lot of people have known for a long time who I really am, so it doesn’t make a big difference to me.” On the reveal of his identity, January 2011. [7]
- “I’ve enjoyed my time as a Team Pro and I wish everyone at PokerStars the best. Now I just want to concentrate on playing poker.” On leaving PokerStars, August 2012. [10]
Iconic hands and moments
The final hand of LIVE MILLIONS Germany 2018 (partypoker)
The Legend of Isildur1: his first live tournament win (PokerStars)
FAQ about Viktor Blom
How old is Viktor Blom?
Viktor Blom was born in 1990, according to his PokerNews player profile. [1]
Where is Viktor Blom from?
He is from Sweden; Card Player lists Gothenburg as his hometown. He moved to London at the age of 21. [1][3]
Is Viktor Blom Isildur1?
Yes. PokerStars revealed Blom as the player behind the “Isildur1” account on January 8, 2011, at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. [7]
What is Viktor Blom’s net worth?
There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $7,724,813 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews. Most of his career has been spent in online cash games, whose overall results are not published. [1]
How many WSOP bracelets does Viktor Blom have?
None. His WSOP.com profile shows 50 cashes and 9 final tables without a bracelet. [2]
How much did Isildur1 lose to Brian Hastings?
$4,206,960, in 2,858 hands of $500/$1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha on Full Tilt Poker on December 8, 2009. [6]
What is Viktor Blom’s biggest tournament win?
The $100,000 Super High Roller at the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, worth $1,254,400. His largest single live cash is a third place in the 2024 WSOP $100,000 High Roller for $1,311,091. [3]
Is Viktor Blom in the Poker Hall of Fame?
No. Neither his WSOP.com nor his PokerNews profile lists a Poker Hall of Fame induction. [1][2]
Related Poker Legends
Read more about Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius, his best-known opponents in the 2009 Full Tilt Poker games, and about Phil Ivey, who also played him at the highest online stakes.
Sources
- PokerNews, Viktor Blom player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- WSOP.com, Viktor Blom player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- Card Player, Viktor Blom player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- PokerNews, Online Railbird Report: Dwan Drops $3 Million to “Isildur1” In Four-Day Heads-Up Duel, November 14, 2009.
- PokerNews, Antonius Wins $2.9 Million from Isildur1 in Battle Royale, November 18, 2009.
- PokerNews, The Online Railbird Report: Isildur1 Loses $4.2 Million to Brian Hastings, December 9, 2009.
- PokerNews, Isildur1 Revealed as Viktor Blom, January 8, 2011.
- PokerNews, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Retrospective: Stars Shine in $100K Super High Roller, January 2016.
- PokerNews, 2018 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Germany Main Event, February 2018.
- PokerNews, The Nightly Turbo: 2012 Poker Hall of Fame, Viktor Blom Leaves PokerStars, and More, August 14, 2012.
- PokerNews, It’s Becoming the ‘Summer of Isildur’ at the 2025 World Series of Poker, June 13, 2025.
- Card Player, Shaun Deeb Wins 2025 WSOP Player of the Year, 2025.
- PokerNews, Four Players Stand Between Online Poker Legend ‘Isildur’ and His First WSOP Bracelet, June 17, 2025.
Last verified: October 5, 2026. Figures that change over time, such as career earnings, are given with the date they were checked.
