Playing under the caps-lock-hitting tHeClaImEr1, Rick TheClaimeerTrigg (pictured) took down a $200 No Limit Hold’em PartyPoker Pokerfest event late last month after a two-way deal. His reward was $35,000, helping push his lifetime online tournament winnings north of $5.3 million.

The following day, Trigg was full of adrenaline, but turned in a rather poor performance at the tables. On Tuesday, one day later, he finally crashed off his high and intended to take a 20-minute nap, but instead slept for six hours. As he put it, “I think Sundays take more out of people than they imagine.”

Coming off victories in the Pokerfest event and Wednesday Hundred Grand as well as a final table in the Sunday Supersonic this year, Trigg’s sights are set on the 2014 Yearly PLB on PocketFives. As such, he plans to sink his recent winnings into poker: “I’m not planning to buy anything, as it’s head-down on the grind until the end of the year. I really want to win the Yearly PLB on PocketFives and get a good spot on the PokerStars TLB.”

He is fourth in the PokerStarsYearly TLB right now and tops in the Yearly PLB on PocketFives. Here’s how the 2014 PocketFives Yearly PLB is stacking up now:

1. TheClaimeer – 17,393.60 points
2. PokerKaiser – 16,990.57 points
3. p0cket00 – 16,844.16 points
4. r4ndomr4gs – 16,674.61 points
5. pleno1 – 16,421.46 points
6. jbrown8777 – 16,168.51 points
7. 1bigacehole – 15,685.61 points
8. Romeopro – 15,588.81 points
9. lukethafluke – 15,579.75 points
10. rounder63 – 15,573.70 points

Here’s how the PokerStars Yearly TLB looks:

1. ismo<3seppo - 59,160.09 points
2. kleopl – 49,799.66 points
3. cedrick89 – 49,601.66 points
4. ThEcLaiMEer – 49,038.66 points
5. PieTrO_925 – 48,726.64 points
6. Xodd – 48,444.05 points
7. gsr1703 – 48,199.27 points
8. greerzy_2 – 48,195.92 points
9. Aaralynn – 48,116.39 points
10. AsjBaaaf – 47,724.45 points

Over the course of his career, Trigg has taken down some of the most challenging MTTs out there, including the PokerStars Super Tuesday, Sunday Second Chance, and Bigger $162. His largest tracked cash isn’t even a win; instead, it’s a fourth place finish in a SCOOP $2,100 NLHE event for over $100,000. “The $1K win a few years ago was big,” Trigg said of his past accomplishments. “Knowing I can beat solid fields is important.”

The story of his climb through the ranks in poker? Trigg caught “Late Night Poker” on television and was immediately hooked. “I’d always gambled with cards at school and played blackjack,” he said. “I loved the game right away. Lots of things and people have helped me over the years. I remember one day it all clicked and I felt like I was a good player. Being friends with Chris moorman1 Moorman (pictured) for nine years has helped.”

Trigg met Moorman, the most successful PocketFiver in history, online at Tribeca back in the day. “There were four UK guys who won heaps of MTTs,” Trigg said, “Moorman, Paul badpab2Foltyn, James Flushy Dempsey, and me. We got talking on MSN and met at live events.” Three of those four players now have at least $5 million in online MTT winnings, so the brain trust was undoubtedly effective.

In case you’re wondering, his friend, who worked for a claims firm, set up an account with the user name TheClaimeron Tribecaand was Trigg’s first backer. Trigg said he was inebriated when he finally opened his own account and misspelled TheClaimer as TheClaimeer. That’s the name, extra “e” and all, which he’d forever be known as.

Trigg is in the running for Best Online Player at the British Poker Awards, so we definitely wanted to mention that. Moorman is also nominated in what will likely be a tight race. “I would appreciate anyone who would like to vote for me,” he said.

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Image courtesy GUKPT