Phil Laak Poker Endurance Record Broken by Two New Zealanders

 Phil Laak made headlines earlier this year when he set a new world record for the longest single session of poker. Guinness stood by as the Unabomber played poker at the Bellagio Poker Room for 115 hours straight (nearly 5 days) in a feat that can only be described as grueling. Many thought his record would hold up for quite some time but now it appears that two players out of New Zealand may have set a new record of their own.

Some of our readers may remember that the New Zealand group NZ Poker Tour was looking for players to participate in a tournament designed to break the record back in September. Well on November 22nd that event kicked off at the Grand Hotel in Wanganui and over the course of five days, the 80 original participants narrowed down to just two Christie Teki-Reu and a man known only as “Chopper.”

The two continuously re-buyed into the specially designed tournament for nearly a week and set a new standard for poker endurance but it is unclear whether or not their actions should count towards the record. After all, a tournament is not the same as a cash game, and Laak set his record session almost entirely on his own while these two players got the comfort of having company and facing off against equally exhausted players.

No official decision has been made on the Guinness World Record website but we here at PokerShark would argue that his record is relatively safe.

As always, stay tuned to PokerShark for more news and updates.