| Ilari Sahamies | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Ziigmund (Full Tilt Poker), Ilari FIN (PokerStars)[1] |
| Hometown | Helsinki, Finland |
| Born | 1983 (age 28–29) Helsinki, Finland |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 1 |
| Information accurate as of March 9, 2010. | |
Ilari Sahamies (born 1983 in Helsinki, Finland), also known as Ziigmund, is a Finnish professional poker player. He specializes in high stakes pot-limit Omaha cash games. Sahamies is known for his trashtalk at the poker table, usually aimed towards his fellow pros, which has led to an online following. In an interview, however, he notes that he only trashtalks for fun, since he claims to be good friends with everyone that he insults at the poker table. Sahamies played poker live before transitioning to online poker, where he now makes most of his money. However, he occasionally returns to live poker, playing on television shows including High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark.[2] He has won a total of $327,241 in live tournament winnings, ranking him the 20th most successful Finnish poker player.[3]
Sahamies first played poker at the age of 15, when he participated in a home game at fellow Finnish poker pro Patrik Antonius' home. They first met at a local billiard hall, where Sahamies spent a lot of his time. He earned two Finnish junior championships for billiards; Sahamies is also the defending Finnish watersliding champion as of 2009. When he was 18, Sahamies made his first visit to the Grand Casino Helsinki, eventually becoming a professional poker player in two years. Sahamies, who enjoys drinking alcohol, used to occasionally play online poker while intoxicated, a habit which lost him more than US$3 million over four years, and $700,000 in a single day.[2] He stopped doing this two years ago, however, and only drinks when playing poker live. He founded the online poker hub, Coinflip.com, with fellow Finnish poker pro Sami Kelopuro.[2] He is sponsored by the online poker site PowerPoker.com. Sahamies, known to be a fan of Finnish hip hop music, starred in a rap music video "Pojat on poikii", which was sponsored by Sahamies' poker site PowerPoker.[4]