Yesterday, after 75 hours, 20 minutes and 21 seconds of nonstop poker playing, Paul Zimbler broke the world record for longest continuous heads up poker. Zimbler stayed awake for over three days in order to beat the previous world record setter, Paul Cain, who played for 74 hours and 12 minutes straight last year.
I’m all for people shooting for the stars and reaching their goals, but to me staying up for three days without a wink of sleep is just crazy! At least Zimbler, who is also known as “The Marbella Kid”, was not just trying to reach the goal for his own benefit-he was doing it for a good cause. Zimbler was playing for the Make a Wish Foundation and by the end of the stretch he has raised over £35,000.
Zimbler played against famous poker players and champions from around the globe, including Annette Obrestad who won the WSOP Europe Main Event and Doyle Brunson. He ended by playing against Mike Matusow, followed by which he was carried away from the table, certainly off to sleep for a few straight days.
I saw surprised to hear that Zimbler ended his record-breaking streak as an overall winner. He banked 102 wins and only 81 losses, which is exceptional considering he was sleep deprived and probably not thinking at his clearest. Kudos to you, Paul Zimbler!