There are a lot of things people can do in a span of 48 hours. That’s two full days of waking up, eating, going to work, coming home, and hitting the sack. Two times over.
But for poker player Damon Shulenberger, that’s the amount it took to win what is now reportedly the longest continuous poker tournament in the world. Actually, it took him 48 hours, 55 minutes, and 58.5 seconds to beat Choi Byung Kyoo of Korea at the APT-RWM Iron Man Poker Challenge in Manila, Philippines, setting a new record and besting the previous record set in Delaware in August 2012, which lasted 36 hours, 34 minutes and 41 seconds.
By comparison, by the time the APT-RWM Iron Man Poker Challenge eclipsed that mark, there were still five players in the running. Clearly, winning the tournament proved to be as important for these guys than being a part of history. No discussions of chopping the final pot were seriously considered and by the time the tournament came down to Kyoo and Shulenberger, the two had been playing poker non-stop for over 45 hours straight.
“I have never experienced anything like it in my life,” Shulenberger said without any speck of hyperbole in his voice. “Not only going without sleep for two nights straight but I started at Level 1 at 8 pm and never left the table for five minutes, until almost 50 hours later, with winning the championship.”
With his win, the American pocketed a cool $18,240, which may not sound like a lot compared to other tournaments, but still more than enough to compel Shulenberger and Kyoo to last as long as they did without losing their minds.
Making Shulenberger’s accomplishment all the more impressive was his admission that he’s never participated in an all-nighter poker session, let alone one that lasts for over two days. “I am mostly a casual player so whereas some people like to play all night, all day I’ve always maintained a commitment to sleeping at least by 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. so I never did an all-nighter like some of my friends,” the American admitted.
“So actually I was really an iron man virgin.”
For a first timer, Shulenberger really made quite an impression. Not only will he go down as the winner of the longest continuous poker tournament in history, but he’ll have a story to tell anybody willing to listen for as long as he lives.
