The Ten Biggest Online Pots of 2015

With 2016 still only a few days old, we look back over the top 10 online pots of 2015. Unsurprisingly Viktor "Isildur1" Blom features heavily on the list, appearing in 6 of the 10 pots, and winning 4 of them. Phil "RaiseOnce" Ivey also gets his share of memorable pots, winning 3 of the 10, with 2 going to WithColor, and the remaining pot to JayP-AA. 8 of the 10 pots were played at PokerStars $200/$400 PLO tables, while the other two came at the NLHE tables.

10. $252,023, Isildur1 vs WithColor, 23rd August, $200/$400 PLO, PokerStars

This hand came up during the first few day's of Isildur1's multi-million dollar upswing and from a +$147k session against WithColor. Isildur1 flops two pair in a 3-bet pot and WithColor flops a pair and an open-ended straight draw. Isildur1 bets out on the flop before filling up on the turn. WithColor also improves, making trips on the turn. Isildur1 checks back on the river, inducing a big bet from his opponent. WithColor take the bait and Isildur1 snap calls to take this quarter million dollar pot.

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9. $256,602, Isildur1 vs cumicon, 24th October, $200/$400 PLO, PokerStars

This hand went down during an epic PLO match between Isildur1 and cumicon in late October. During the match, which you can read more about in our daily article from October, both players went on +$600k upswings at one time or another, with cumicon eventually ending the day a $340k winner. However, prior to that, Isildur1 had also held a +$300k lead, helped along the way by this mega-cooler of a pot in which cumicon flopped middle set and rivered a full house, only for Isildur1 to have flopped bottom set and riverd quads!

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8. $262,478 RaiseOnce vs Trueteller, 10th November, $100/$200 NLHE (8-Game mix), PokerStars

During one on his marathon 8-Game matches with Trueteller in November, Phil "RaiseOnce" Ivey won this big pot in a round of $100/$200 NLHE. It is a killer cooler for Trueteller as he flops trip 7's and turns 7's full of 10's, only for RaiseOnce to be sitting on pocket 10's for top full house.

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7. $268,689 - WithColor vs Isildur1, 25th August, $200/$400 PLO, PokerStars

On the fateful day when Isildur1 ran over WithColor, winning more than $1m the US pro at least managed to pick up one of his biggest ever pots (scant consolation we should imagine). After a flop which gave both players a diamond flush draw and also gave WithColor two pairs, and Isildur1 two straight draws, the turn puts Isildur1 ahead as he makes a 6 high straight. The Swedish pro raises WithColor who calls a $59k bet to see the flush hit on the river. WithColor shoves his remaining $66k into the pot and Isildur1 calls. WithColor takes the pot with the higher diamond (9d) in his hand.

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6. $271,652 - WithColor vs RaiseOnce & JayP-AA, 9th September, $200/$400 PLO, PokerStars

On a day when WithColor topped the daily leaderboard with a $274k win, he also took down one of the biggest pots of the year in a three-way all-in at the $200/$400 PLO tables. The action really picks up on the turn after WithColor makes a $7k pot-sized bet and is called by JayP-AA before Phil "RaiseOnce" Ivey check-raises all in only to get two callers.

Both Ivey and WithColor had made the nut-straight on the turn, although WithColor also picked an Ace high flush draw. Meanwhile JayP-AA had flopped another Ace high flush draw as well as two pairs. The river completed WithColor's flushdraw and he was able to rake in a tasty pot.

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5. $274,858 - Isildur1 vs WithColor, 24th August, $200/$400 PLO, PokerStars

Another $200/$400 PLO hand between Isildur1 and WithColor makes the list, this time from one of their ealier PokerStars games in late August during Isildur1's big upswing. After flopping top set and turning top full house, Isildur1 finds himself raised on the turn. The Swedish pro uses this agression from WithColor to make his hand look weaker than it is by checking back the river (although as he also had a full house, WithColor was highly likely to call any bet made by Isildur1). It's an easy call as WithColor jams the river and he snap calls to take down this big pot.

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4. $296,092 - RaiseOnce vs Otb_RedBaron, 31st May, $200/$400 NLHE, PokerStars

The only non-PLO pot of the list, it is once again Phil "RaiseOnce" Ivey who takes it down. It's a cooler for his opponent OtB_RedBaron who flopped top set (queens), only for his opponent to hit an unlikely straight draw on the turn. Ivey shoves the river for value and gets the inevitable call.

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3. $298,606 - RaiseOnce vs Ben86, 10th October, $200/$400 PLO, PokerStars

On a day when Phil "RaiseOnce" Ivey won $400k at the PLO tables he entered into a big pot preflop against Ben "Ben86" Tollerene during a six-max $200/$400 game. Both players flop big flush draws and all the money goes in thereafter (Ben's A high to Ivey's K high), but Ivey has the overpair (Kings). The flush fails to materialise and Ivey's Kings play and hand him his biggest pot of the year.

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2. $346,433 - JayP-AA vs Isildur1, 13th September, $200/$400 PLO, PokerStars

During a huge +$873k day for PLO specialist JayP-AA he managed to win his biggest ever pot, and the second biggest pot of 2015. Isildur1 flops two pair against JayP-AA's overpair (Aces) and is ahead all the way to the river where both players miss their flush draw. The board pairs, negating Isildur1's flopped two pair. Isildur1 goes for broke, raising JayP-AA's river bet all in for an extra $120k putting his opponent in a tricky spot. However, JayP-AA makes a great call to take the pot.

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1. $365,896 - Isildur1 vs WithColor, 25th August 2015, $200/$400 PLO, PokerStars

The biggest pot of the year (and Isildur1's biggest ever pot at PokerStars) took place on Tuesday 25th August, the day when he smashed "WithColor" for $1.1m in a huge $200/$400 with antes match. It was a pretty sick cooler for the American who flopped middle set (7's) against Isildur1's top set (8's) - this was even more unfortunate than it sounds as WithColor also held the one remaining 8. All the money went in on the flop and Isildur1 inevitably took down the $365.9k pot

See the hand in full here