Sami Kelopuro
Encyclopedia
Sami Kelopuro also known as LarsLuzak, is a professional poker
player represented by Poker Icons. Sami started to play poker cash games in late 2005 when he was invited to a home sit-and-go poker tournament
. After playing there, he was excited about poker and played online poker
soon after, where he played a mix of tournaments, sit-and-gos, cash games, heads up, shorthanded, and full ring games. He started on PAF, an online poker room belonging to the Ongame Network, where he made several deposits of €
30 each, and began playing $0.25/$0.50 and $0.50/$1.00 games. At the time, he was just finishing high school, but was able to devote up to 10 hours a day to playing online poker. Six months after graduating from high school, Kelopuro joined the Finnish Defence Forces
, where he stayed for nine months. While there, he continued playing online poker. During his service, he decided that he wanted to play poker professionally after completing his service and he made his first large profits as a cash game specialist on the poker room Betfair
.
Sami or by now known as LarsLuzak made a major impact on the cash game scene when in 2007 moving up to high stakes no-limit Texas hold 'em
and pot-limit Omaha hold 'em
cash game
s at Full Tilt Poker
, playing on limits up to $500/$1,000, where he was involved in some of the biggest poker hands at that time made and experienced daily swings of up to a million dollars.. He is known for being one of the most aggressive and fearless cash game players in the world. Despite shying away from the spotlight when he first became a popular player for spectators to rail, he started blog
ging at Coinflip a poker website that he started with fellow Finnish poker pro, Ilari Sahamies
. When playing poker online, Kelopuro enjoys challenging himself by playing against some of the best poker players in the world. During the past years he has started to show results also in live poker tournaments, for a total of more than $200,000 in winnings. In May 2011 he won the Spring Championship of Online Poker
Event 38-H ($10,300 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event) for $504,691.09.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player represented by Poker Icons. Sami started to play poker cash games in late 2005 when he was invited to a home sit-and-go poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
. After playing there, he was excited about poker and played online poker
Online poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...
soon after, where he played a mix of tournaments, sit-and-gos, cash games, heads up, shorthanded, and full ring games. He started on PAF, an online poker room belonging to the Ongame Network, where he made several deposits of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
30 each, and began playing $0.25/$0.50 and $0.50/$1.00 games. At the time, he was just finishing high school, but was able to devote up to 10 hours a day to playing online poker. Six months after graduating from high school, Kelopuro joined the Finnish Defence Forces
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...
, where he stayed for nine months. While there, he continued playing online poker. During his service, he decided that he wanted to play poker professionally after completing his service and he made his first large profits as a cash game specialist on the poker room Betfair
Betfair
Betfair is the world's largest Internet betting exchange. The company is based in Hammersmith in West London, England. Since Betfair was launched in June 2000 it has become the largest online betting company in the UK and the largest betting exchange in the world. Betfair claim to have over 3...
.
Sami or by now known as LarsLuzak made a major impact on the cash game scene when in 2007 moving up to high stakes no-limit Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
and pot-limit Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
cash game
Cash game
Cash games, also sometimes referred to as ring games or live action games, are poker games played with "real" chips and money at stake, usually with no predetermined end time, with players able to enter and leave as they see fit...
s at Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
, playing on limits up to $500/$1,000, where he was involved in some of the biggest poker hands at that time made and experienced daily swings of up to a million dollars.. He is known for being one of the most aggressive and fearless cash game players in the world. Despite shying away from the spotlight when he first became a popular player for spectators to rail, he started blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ging at Coinflip a poker website that he started with fellow Finnish poker pro, Ilari Sahamies
Ilari Sahamies
Ilari Sahamies , 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...
. When playing poker online, Kelopuro enjoys challenging himself by playing against some of the best poker players in the world. During the past years he has started to show results also in live poker tournaments, for a total of more than $200,000 in winnings. In May 2011 he won the Spring Championship of Online Poker
Spring Championship of Online Poker
The Spring Championship of Online Poker - All Stakes is an online poker tournament series sponsored by PokerStars. It was established in 2009....
Event 38-H ($10,300 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event) for $504,691.09.