Poker has produced countless records — from the largest prize pool in a poker tournament and biggest cash game pot to marathon poker playing sessions both live and online. Many of these achievements have been recognized in the prestigious Guinness World Records.
But records are not just set in stone; they are meant to be broken.
In this article, we have curated ten records that we think are ripe for a new record. We are grading each in our patent-pending, scientifically precise flexed bicep (💪) difficulty rating, ranging from five flexed biceps (extremely difficult to set a new record) to just one (ripe for a record).
So the question is — are you up to the challenge?
1. Most hands played online in eight hours
- Who: Randy “nanonoko” Lew
- What: Most hands played in eight hours with a profit
- Where: Vancouver, Canada
- When: May 4, 2012
- Difficulty: 💪💪💪💪💪 (Extremely difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: Yes
In 2012, former PokerStars Team Pro Randy “nanonoko” Lew achieved a remarkable feat, setting a Guinness World Record for playing the most hands in eight hours while maintaining a profit.
He loaded between 25 and 40 tables at a time on the PokerStars client, foregoing breaks for food or restroom visits throughout the entire session. Remarkably, PokerStars even waived their 24-table limit to accommodate Lew’s record attempt.
Eventually, he did create a new record by playing a total of 14,548 hands. During his eight-hour stint, he averaged 1819 hands per hour and 30 hands per minute. Crucially, Lew had to ensure profitability at the end of his session. At one juncture, he faced a $1200 deficit, prompting him to increase stakes to $5/$10 to stay in contention. Eventually, he recouped his losses, concluding the session with a $20.72 profit.
Despite 12 years having passed since Lew’s historic achievement, his record remains unbroken.
While the current multi-table limits on platforms like PokerStars may pose challenges for future contenders, opportunities may still exist for players seeking to surpass this milestone by playing on other platforms with no multi-tabling restrictions or playing across multiple sites simultaneously.
2. Most online poker tables played in one hour
- Who: Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
- What: Most online poker tables played in an hour
- Where: Monte Carlo Bay Resort
- When: April 28, 2009
- Difficulty: 💪💪💪💪💪 (Extremely difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: Yes
In 2009, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, another member of the PokerStars Team Pro back then, set a record by playing the most number of sit and go tables played in an hour — 62. He achieved this record in front of a live audience at the EPT Monte Carlo, playing at a $6.50 buy-in and ending with a profit of $23.60.
Notably, he was also the first player to reach Supernova and Supernova elite VIP statuses on PokerStars. Today, Grospellier continues to leave his mark on the poker world as an ambassador for GGPoker.
This record has stood for 15 years. While breaking this record may appear daunting given modern-day table limits, it remains a tantalizing challenge for players willing to play across multiple rooms simultaneously.
3. Longest marathon playing online poker
- Who: Sergio Garcia
- What: Longest marathon playing online poker
- Where: Madrid, Spain
- When: June 29 — July 1, 2023
- Difficulty: 💪💪💪 (Difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: Yes
Here’s one achieved more recently — and one that could be ripe for further improvement.
It is for the “longest marathon playing online poker.” In 2023, Spanish player Sergio Garcia broke the record for the most consecutive hours playing online poker within a 48-hour period. Initially aiming for 50 hours, Garcia ultimately played for an impressive 49 hours straight, from June 29 to July 1.
Garcia documented his marathon session for the world to witness, live-streaming his gameplay to his Spanish community on Twitch.
While achieving this record is undoubtedly challenging, especially considering the physical and mental endurance required, it remains within reach compared to other poker records.
However, we do not recommend anyone attempt to break this record. Team Pokerfuse recommends regular breaks, maintaining proper nutrition, and staying hydrated for the optimum poker play. Marathon sessions could be hazardous to your health — and your bankroll.
But is this one more doable than some of the others? Sure.
4. Longest poker session by an individual
- Who: Zach Gensler
- What: Longest marathon playing live poker
- Where: Resorts World, Las Vegas
- When: October 27 — November 1, 2021
- Difficulty: 💪💪💪💪 (Very difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: No
In 2021, American professional poker player Zach Gensler broke Phil Laak’s record for the longest marathon playing live poker cash games. While Laak’s achievement stood at an impressive 115 hours, Gensler surpassed even that by an astonishing 124 hours.
That’s the equivalent to five consecutive days of play. An unbelievable record, for sure.
Gensler’s monumental feat took place at Resorts World Las Vegas, where he commenced his marathon session at 3 PM on October 27 and concluded it at 7 PM on November 1. Prior to this record-breaking attempt, Gensler underwent an 80-hour “warm-up” at the Aria.
Although Laak managed to conclude his marathon session with a modest profit, Gensler, unfortunately, finished the challenge $1200 in the red. While the venue confirmed Gensler’s remarkable achievement, Guinness World Records has not yet officially verified this record.
Undoubtedly, this record presents an incredibly daunting challenge, but one that remains achievable for those with unwavering determination and endurance.
5. Longest poker session on Twitch
- Who: Lukas “RobinPoker” Robinson
- What: Longest poker session on the live-streaming platform Twitch
- Where: UK
- When: 2021
- Difficulty: 💪💪💪💪 (Very difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: No
Twitch streamer and Season 1 Game of Gold contestant, Lukas “RobinPoker,” made waves in the streaming community with an extraordinary achievement three years ago. In a feat of endurance and dedication, he set a world record by streaming an astounding 1000 hours of poker content in just 100 days.
To accomplish this remarkable feat, Robinson maintained an incredible pace, playing an average of 10 hours of poker each day while streaming for a minimum of seven hours daily. Without a single day off, he persevered and even managed to turn a profit of nearly $24,000.
This accomplishment surpassed the previous record held by Arlie Shaban, who took 125 days to complete the same challenge. In recognition of his achievement, Robinson was appointed as a member of GGPoker’s Twitch Squad later that year and now represents PokerNews as their ambassador.
Despite the magnitude of this achievement, it is worth noting that Robinson’s record has yet to be officially recognized by Guinness World Records.
Although this record presents a formidable challenge, individuals with resilience and perseverance may aspire to surpass it.
6. Longest consecutive days of streaming online poker
- Who: Arlie Shaban
- What: Longest consecutive days of streaming online poker
- Where: Canada
- When: 2017-2018
- Difficulty: 💪💪💪 (Difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: No
Prior to Lukas’s remarkable feat, Arlie Shaban, PokerStars Team Pro and former Big Brother 2 Canada contestant undertook the challenge of streaming online poker for 1000 hours over 125 consecutive days.
Initially setting out with a goal of streaming for 50 consecutive days, Shaban’s determination propelled him to extend the challenge to 100 days and eventually to his ultimate goal of 125 days, which he achieved in March 2018.
Beginning the challenge with approximately 150 Twitch followers, Shaban’s audience grew substantially over the course of four months and 1000 hours of streaming, reaching close to 7000 subscribers.
Compared to Robinson’s marathon, Shaban’s endeavor may seem less intense, with an average of eight hours of streaming per day spread out over 125 days. Nonetheless, breaking the record for the longest consecutive days of streaming online poker still demands significant determination and endurance.
7. Longest consecutive streamed hours of poker
- Who: Jaime Staples, Matt Staples, Jeff Gross and Kevin Martin
- What: Livestreaming continuously for 7 days
- When: October 9 — 16, 2016
- Difficulty: 💪💪 (Not so difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: No
During the heyday of Twitch, four prominent poker streamers – Jaime Staples, his brother Matt Staples, Jeff Gross, and Kevin Martin — came together for an extraordinary endeavor. They embarked on a marathon livestreaming event, broadcasting non-stop for seven days.
That means a record 168 hours of straight poker streaming on Twitch. Their mission: to raise funds for the Michael Phelps Foundation, promoting water safety, healthy living, and the pursuit of dreams for underprivileged children.
This streaming marathon began on October 9, with the players tirelessly streaming round-the-clock poker action on Twitch. Through Twitch’s donation feature, they managed to raise a sum exceeding $21,000, all of which was donated to the foundation.
While Twitch features numerous channels streaming 24/7 live poker content, this record-breaking feat involved continuous online poker gameplay over seven consecutive days. Among the poker records highlighted, this challenge stands out as slightly less difficult, as the streaming duties were shared among four team members.
8. Most poker chips balanced on one finger
- Who: Rocco Mercurio
- What: Most poker chips balanced on one finger
- Where: Italy
- When: May 15, 2023
- Difficulty: 💪💪💪💪 (Very difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: Yes
In 2023, an Italian man named Rocco Mercurio accomplished an unusual and very challenging feat: He set a Guinness World Record for stacking the most poker chips and balancing them on a single finger.
How many, you might wonder. Not 20. Not 50. He balanced a total of 255 poker chips on his finger.
While this challenge does not require expertise in poker game play, mastering the art of chip balancing is no easy task. With sufficient practice and determination — and maybe some finger-based weight-training — this could be your path into the record books.
9. Most tournament cashes in a year
- Who: Edward Yam
- What: Highest number of ITM in live poker tournaments
- Where: Asia
- When: 2019
- Difficulty: 💪💪💪💪 (Very difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: Yes
In 2019, Edward Yam, an Asian player, achieved a remarkable milestone in the world of live poker. As per Guinness, he holds the record title for the highest number of ITM (in the money) finishes in professional live poker tournaments within a calendar year, amassing a total of 225 cashes.
Yam’s achievement far surpassed the previous record by a significant margin of 67 cashes in a single calendar year. His impressive ITM finishes were predominantly attained during poker tours across Asia, notably across Vietnam, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Remarkably, Yam’s record-breaking performance occurred just before the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic, which led to widespread cancellations of live poker events worldwide.
According to PokerNews.FR, Yam’s exceptional run in 2019 resulted in gross earnings of $261,373, accompanied by 45 victories and 10 trophies. With such a remarkable feat, breaking this record remains an incredibly challenging task — yet it remains within the realm of possibility for determined players (with a year of their lives to spare).
10. Fastest time to deal a deck of cards
- Who: Travis Stich
- What: Fastest time to deal a deck of poker cards
- Where: US
- When: January 27, 2022
- Difficulty: 💪💪💪💪 (Very difficult)
- Guinness Recorded: Yes
A poker dealer named Travis Stich holds numerous world records including the title for the fastest time to deal a deck of cards. Stich managed to deal an entire 52-card deck in a remarkable 15.35 seconds, earning him a place in the Guinness World Records.
This record-setting achievement occurred on January 27, 2022, in Forest Lake, Minnesota, USA.
Stich also holds the world record for stacking the most chips in a single pile and is regarded as a “card-throwing machine.”
Similar to balancing poker chips, mastering the art of dealing cards swiftly does not necessitate an in-depth knowledge of poker gameplay. For aspiring live poker dealers aiming to break this record, consistent practice and dedication could pave the way to success.
