There are many legends about players enduring marathon poker sessions and, for the most part, many of those stories are exactly that, just legend. In trying to break what is officially recognized as the world record for the longest time spent in a poker cash game, a British man is looking to not only knock off one of the most popular pros in the game, but also raise funds for a cause close to his heart.On July 1st, the United Kingdom’s Barry Denson (pictured), the Manchester representative of the Nuts Poker League, will step to the felt of the G Casino in Manchester to attempt to set the Guinness World Record for “Longest Marathon Playing Poker.” Back in 2010, Phil Laak stepped up to a $10/$20 cash game at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and played for 115 consecutive hours, a feat currently recognized by Guinness as the world record.
The rules are fairly simple. A poker player has to continually play, save a five-minute break each hour. Those five-minute breaks can be banked, allowing a player to save up in order to take a longer break. There doesn’t appear to be an indication that a player has to profit during a session for it to count, but Laak did, finishing $6,766 to the good when he set the record in 2010.
Another rule may make for some difficult times in Denson’s pursuit of the world record. Guinness stipulates that other players at the table can only play for up to four hours at a time. “Finding enough players to play me [will be one of the big challenges],” Denson stated in announcing his assault on Laak’s record. “We need as many players as possible to come along and take part, especially in the early hours or the mornings.”
As Laak (pictured) did for CampSunshine.org during his record setting session, Denson will have a charitable aspect to his marathon work. He has teamed up with Help for Heroes, a charitable cause in the U.K. that benefits British service members. Founded in 2007 by Bryn Parry, the cause has raised over £100 million in its existence and been supported by many members of the British establishment.“Being an ex-Territorial Army soldier myself, I am pleased to be able to raise money for such a worthy cause,” Denson said.
While it may sound easy to sit around a poker table and play for five consecutive days, it is a much more difficult achievement. When Laak set the record in 2010, medical personnel constantly monitored him to ensure he wasn't endangering his health in any way. In later interviews, Laak admitted to hallucinations as the hours wore on and lost five pounds over the five days of play.
Following Laak’s monumental feat, there have been at least two other efforts to break the record. Shortly after Laak concluded his session in June 2010, seven Austrian players claimed they had played for 127 straight hours in a room at the Kufsteinerhof Hotel in Kufstein.
Three of those players – Stephan Reischl, Nuran Karasu, and Jens Tolle – claimed that they had set the new record for endurance by playing the entire time. Lacking an official from Guinness to verify the record – and the fact that there was no money on the table for the game – led many in the poker community to conclude it was not a record-setting achievement.
In 2011, Pranav “The Shark” Bagai promised that he would eclipse Laak’s 115-hour mark at Casino Royale in Goa, India. The attempt was to have taken place in November, but after Bagai complained about the guidelines set by Guinness officials, he postponed that attempt and has never rescheduled the session.
