No matter how you look at it, Niklas ‘Lena900’ Astedt is one of the most dominant online poker players in the history of online poker.

The Swedish superstar has hit the top of the Online Poker Rankings ten different times and spent a record 97 weeks in total at #1. On top of that, he was the first player to break through the $20 million career earnings barrier and is the current Online All-Time Money List leader with $21,758,331in earnings.

It’s more than the numbers though, ‘Lena900’ has a reputation as the type of grinder who, despite his enormous success, would prefer to never take a day off. It’s his drive that has put him (and kept him) at the top for so many years.

As the #1 seed in the Spades bracket, one might think that such eye-popping numbers would ensure that he would have a smooth path to the later stages. But there’s not only some phenomenal talent represented in the Spades bracket, but a healthy mix of current crushers and popular personalities from online poker eras gone by.

Players like Alex ‘AJKHoosier1’ Kamberis, Sorel ‘Imper1um’ Mizzi, and Paul ‘paulgees81’ Volpe are included here. Not to mention Brazilians Brunno ‘bbotteon’ Botteon and Joao ‘jososimaobh’ Simao who have large fan bases. Then of course there’s Ari Engel, one of the most prolific MTT players of all-time.

Enter the #1 Number One Contest Now!

lena900 (#1) vs brianm15 (#16)

As mentioned above, ‘Lena900’ holds the record for the number of weeks at the #1 spot with 97 and is the current leader on the Online All-Time Money List with nearly $22 million in earnings. While Brian ‘brianm15’ England may have only held down the #1 spot for one week back in 2014, he continues to grind and has amassed an impressive $6.85 million in career earnings.

AJKHoosier1 (#2) vs theczar19 (#15)

Back in August of 2008, Alex ‘AJKHoosier1’ Kamberis was in what seemed like a weekly battle for the top spot against Chris ‘moorman1’ Moorman. Finally, in September of that year, after two short stints at #1, he claimed it and kept it for 18 weeks straight. Kamberis has a tough first-round opponent in Bryan ‘theczar19’ Piccioli who spent two weeks at #1 in May of 2011 but also went on to garner acclaim for his appearance at the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2017.

Sheater (#3) vs paulgees81 (#14)

Sweden’s ‘Sheater’ first captured the #1 spot back in December 2013. He had two stints in the top spot for a total of eight weeks (one month each time) and picked up a total of five Triple Crowns. Paul ‘paulgees81’ Volpe took his turn at the top in March of 2011 and spent three weeks there. The longtime tournament grinder amassed more than $5.8 million in online earnings to go along with his more than $8.5 million in live results.

LarsLuzak (#4) vs VnilaVader (#13)

Well after establishing himself as a renowned nosebleed cash game grinder, Finland’s Sami ‘LarsLuzak’ Kelopuro hit the top of the rankings for the first time in 2019. He spent a total of nine weeks as #1 and he continues to be a presence in the upper echelons of the rankings having accumulated $16 million in tournament earnings. Anton ‘VnilaVader’ Herrman held on to the #1 spot for three weeks back in 2014 and has four Triple Crowns to go along with his more than $4.1 million in recorded career online earnings.

BYE Ari (#12)

Ari ‘Ari’ Engel is one of the most consistent tournament players in the world and just the third player in history to hold the #1 spot back in 2006, ending the reign of Cliff ‘JohnnyBax’ Josephy who held the top spot for well over a year. Engel received the PocketFives Legacy Award back in 2018, recognizing his achievements in both the online and live poker arenas.

NigDawG (#6) vs bbotteon (#11)

The UK’s Christopher ‘NigDawG’ Brammer took two turns as the top-ranked pro in 2012 spending a total of six weeks at the top. A prolific online poker player, Brammer earned six Triple Crowns, seventh-best among the #1s. Brunno ‘bbotteon’ Botteon took over the #1 spot in December of 2020 and held on to it for 11 weeks into 2021. Considered one of Brazil’s best, Botteon has more than $6.8 million in career earnings.

probirs (#7) vs imper1um (#10)

Andras ‘probirs’ Nemeth not only won the PokerStars Sunday Millon back in 2016 but the high-roller tournament pro also sat atop the rankings two different times in 2019 for a total of nine weeks. The sometimes controversial Sorel ‘Imper1um’ Mizzi was a staple on the rankings back in 2007 when he spent 15 weeks at #1 over the course of three reigns and more than $3.6 million in career earnings.

joaosimaobh (#8) vs Jymaster0011 (#9)

Poker pro and partypoker ambassador Joao ‘joaosimaobh’ Simao was one of the faces of Brazilian poker in 2016 when he spent four weeks at #1 over three different stints. He’s up against Jordan ‘Jymaster0011’ Young who also had three trips to the top for a total of 12 weeks. Young has accumulated more than $5.6 million in career online earnings.

Make your picks in the PocketFives #1 Number One Contest – entries due by Midnight ET on April 2. Then make sure to follow @PocketFives on Twitter to get your votes in!”