Keeping a Poker Face: Vegas Pro Breaks Gambling Record

LAS VEGAS (June 6) -- In the end, it may not have been the yoga or the low-fat diet or the frequent visits from his movie-star girlfriend that helped Phil Laak barrel past every known record for the longest consecutive amount of time playing poker.

After more than 100 hours at the table at Bellagio, Laak says his saving grace was, uh, talcum powder.

"About every four or five hours, when I take a bathroom break, I do a quick submarine shower, change my T-shirt and powder my butt and the underside of my legs," Laak said to AOL News. "Any place where my body mass is pressing against the chair, I put powder on. Otherwise, it adds up."

These are the sorts of things that maybe you don't consider before you set out to play No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em nonstop for three or four days, but it made a difference to Laak as he tried to make it into the Guinness World Records.

The authorities for Guinness won't certify Laak's effort for months, but the poker world clearly embraced this attempt as a legitimate effort to eclipse both the Guinness record of 72 hours, 2 minutes set in 2004 by Larry Olmsted as well as an unofficial one of 78 hour, 45 minute set last year by London pro Paul Zimbler. Laak's staff video-recorded the entire effort, which was live-streamed online for fans around the world. Laak also was writing on Twitter and on his blog about the endeavor.

After passing Zimbler's mark around 7 p.m. Pacific on Saturday, Laak said he planned to try to set the new record at 90 hours. By midday Sunday, he had blown past that mark and kept at it --- with no end in sight except that he has said he hopes to play to a prime number. "100 in reach -- pacing things -- I am having stellar time," he tweeted at Hour No. 94.

"This is an opportunity that's really unique," said Laak, who has $2.5 million career winnings in tournament play. "I can beat the record by an hour and 45 minutes or I can beat it by six. There's even an off chance to leave the 80s completely and get past the 90-hour mark. That would be super."

Several times throughout the marathon, Laak said he considered giving up.

"Around the 67th hour, I remember feeling like, 'Oh my God, maybe I should step down,' " he said. "I thought my body would just collapse. Every time I get there, it takes like a super-human effort, but I stand up and stretch. Once I start moving, I fend off [exhaustion] pretty well."

The attempt took place at the Bellagio Hotel-Casino, which has the most prestigious and busiest poker room in the world. Laak played at a relatively low-limit table where the blinds -- the compulsory antes that each player at the table takes turns playing -- are $10 and $20. Anyone could play with him if a seat was open and they bought $800 in chips.

The rules of the record allowed Laak a 5-minute break for every hour played. He could bank those for longer breaks that he used to exercise, shower and do yoga. A yoga master was on call to work with him and a nutritionist brought him bland, healthy meals every five hours. At the 75-hour mark, for instance, he had a plate of steamed broccoli, grilled chicken and sweet potatoes.

He had said he would resort to caffeinated drinks as needed but as of the 80th hour, he vowed he'd only drunk water and some sludge known as dextro-cyclodized liquid beef amino and protein complex recommended by a nutritionist for energy. "It's actually sweet, tastes kinda good," Laak said.

The poker star prepared for this attempt for six months, eliminating cheese, sweets and fried foods and losing 25 pounds. He promised to split his winnings, if any, with Camp Sunshine, a Maine camp for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

As of the 80-hour mark, Laak was up a couple hundred dollars. Despite his exhaustion, he was keeping a graph of whether he was up or down and by how much on yellow lined paper along with notations about significant hands. Contrary to his impression that he would be playing poorly late in his stint, Laak won his biggest pot, more than $45,000, in the 79th hour, helping him return from being down by almost that much.

Laak, known by his nickname The Unabomber because he usually wears hoodies and sunglasses at the table, is a popular presence on the poker circuit known for his sunny disposition and goofy ramblings. His girlfriend, Academy Award nominee Jennifer Tilly, is now also a poker professional who was with him when he eclipsed the record.

Another poker pro at the Bellagio to cheer Laak was Antonio Esfandiari, a close friend who appears with Laak often on poker TV shows who has taken bets from other pros that Laak will go more than 96 hours.

"The only person I know who could actually do this is Phil because he's such a sicko," Esfandiari told AOL News. "It doesn't surprise me one bit that he goes for the world record. I think he's going to go to 100 hours. I believe he's going to crush the record, I don't believe he's going to just beat it."

Zimbler, who called Laak around Laak's 75th hour to offer best wishes, told AOL News , "I wish I was there to play with him during this marathon and hope that he stays well and healthy."

The Brit also threw down the gauntlet to Laak for another extreme challenge: A head-to-head game that aimed to go 100 hours "or the first one to drop."

Laak's response: Unlikely.

"Is he crazy?" he laughed. "Every minute I go past this is the last time I'm doing this. After this, I'm never doing this again."