Loser’s Leap

As if putting up $10,000 for a chance to sit down at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) wasn’t big enough thrill for poker pro Phil Laak, today he and four InterPoker.com players embarked on the most adrenaline inducing poker tournament to ever be held in Sin City. Just days before the main event at the WSOP, and at 15,000 feet above Las Vegas, Laak, Nick Grudzien, Jamie Glasser, Fraser Linkletter and Patrick Neary went head to head in an electric game of Extreme Poker, in which four losers were literally thrown out of the plane — with a parachute of course.

"Extreme Poker is all about keeping your cool under extreme duress — and I can’t think of a more stressful situation than knowing that you must fall 15,000 feet from a moving aircraft if your opponent calls your bluff," said Peter Marcus, spokesperson for InterPoker.com and creator of Extreme Poker. "Trying to concentrate in a bustling casino during the World Series of Poker is tough — but after taking a bad beat and plunging to the desert below, the main event should be a walk in the park for our InterPoker players.

After fifteen minutes of flying, online qualifier Patrick Neary was the first to bust out and be pushed out the door. Minutes later, Nick Grudzien called an all-in move from Phil Laak, and sent the Unabomber packing his chute and freefalling above the desert.

"The pressure in this game was unbelievable, knowing that if someone called my bluff, I would have to jump out of a plane," said Laak. "Now that I’m done, I want to get right back up there and do it again."

Grudzien made quick work of his remaining two opponents, and emerged from the plane the latest Extreme Poker champion. After landing with the plane and thanking his competitors, Grudzien promptly re-boarded the plane for a personal skydiving adventure. As the newest Extreme Poker Champion, Grudzien not only has earned a place in the Extreme Poker Hall of Fame, alongside pros such as World Poker Tour event winner Juha Helppi and 2002 WSOP Main Event winner Robert Varkonyi, he will also receive a buy in and all expense paid trip to the 2006 Caribbean Poker Classic in St. Kitts, a package valued at $13,000.

"Everything about this tournament was extreme — the height, the heat of the Vegas desert and the amazing skill of my competitors," said Grudzien. "I can honestly say this has been one of the toughest tournaments of my life, and I am grateful to InterPoker.com for giving me the opportunity to come to the World Series of Poker and participate in Loser’s Leap, as well as the chance to unwind and play some poker in the Caribbean later this year."

Later this week, Grudzien will test his luck and put his skills to the test and he competes against over 8,000 poker pros and online qualifiers and the biggest World Series of Poker in history.