One session. That's all it took. Volker sat down at the $2,000/$4,000 tables, booked a $228,910.81 win, and turned a 10.9% win rate into a $158,743 weekly profit. It's the kind of week that defies every conventional poker metric—five winning sessions out of forty-six, and yet nobody on the platform made more money. Meanwhile, Isildur1 posted his worst week yet: -$396,964.01, including a single session loss of $275,562.81 at the same $2,000/$4,000 stakes. Four weeks in, Viktor Blom's cumulative losses have crossed $1.3 million. And in one of the more quietly significant developments this year, Brian Rast—World Series of Poker bracelet winner, super high roller regular, and one of the most respected mixed-game players alive—logged three cash game sessions on Phenom Poker. Let's break down March 2nd through March 8th, 2026.
The Headline: Volker's $228K One-Shot Miracle
The numbers don't make sense at first glance. 10.9% win rate. 5 winning sessions out of 46. And $158,743 in profit. That's Volker's week in a nutshell—and the explanation is a single session at the $2,000/$4,000 Dusseldorf tables that produced a staggering $228,910.81 win.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Weekly Profit | +$158,743.31 |
| Sessions Played | 46 |
| Win Rate | 10.9% |
| Total Won | +$382,866.81 |
| Total Lost | -$224,123.50 |
| Biggest Single Win | +$228,910.81 |
| Biggest Single Loss | -$80,000.00 |
| Platform Volume % | 6.0% |
Where the Money Was Made (and Lost)
| Stakes | Sessions | Result |
|---|---|---|
| $2,000/$4,000 | 1 | +$228,910.81 |
| $1,000/$2,000 (mixed) | 13 | -$63,094.38 |
| $300/$600 | 16 | -$12,136.87 |
| Other | 16 | +$5,063.75 |
One session. One bullet at the highest stakes on the platform. That's it. The other 45 sessions were a combined net loss. The thirteen sessions at $1,000/$2,000 bled $63,094. The sixteen $300/$600 sessions lost another $12K. But when your one winning session is worth $228K, the math works.
The Badge Speedrun
Volker's week also produced one of the fastest badge runs we've tracked: five cash game badges in four days.
- $1K Cash Game — March 3
- $10K Cash Game — March 3
- $25K Cash Game — March 3
- $50K Cash Game — March 6
- $100K Cash Game — March 6
Three badges on March 3rd. Two more on March 6th. From zero career milestones to all five cash game tiers in a single week. Last week it was Thiago Macedo with five badges in 48 hours. Volker did it in four days—propelled almost entirely by one monster session.
Thiago Macedo: Back-to-Back $140K+ Weeks
Last week, Thiago Macedo appeared from nowhere with $163,472 in profit. This week? +$143,893.75 across 27 sessions—making it back-to-back weeks above $140K. Over two weeks, that's $307,365.96 in total profit from the same player who didn't exist on the platform three weeks ago.
| Stat | This Week | Last Week | 2-Week Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Profit | +$143,893.75 | +$163,472.21 | +$307,365.96 |
| Sessions | 27 | 62 | 89 |
| Win Rate | 29.6% | 51.6% | — |
| Biggest Win | +$39,287.12 | +$31,636.00 | — |
The volume is down—27 sessions versus 62 last week—but the profitability hasn't budged. Eight winning sessions, four losses, and fifteen break-evens. The Lunelle $100/$200 tables remain the primary battlefield, though interestingly Thiago took a $44,842 loss across six sessions there this week. The bulk of the profit came from unlabeled high-stakes sessions totaling $188,936. This isn't a one-week heater anymore. This is a sustained run.
FAL1st: The $93K Phantom
A new name demands attention. FAL1st posted +$93,141.50 across 90 sessions with a 5.6% win rate that makes even Volker's 10.9% look generous. Five winning sessions. Five losing sessions. Eighty break-evens. And yet—$93K in profit.
| Stakes | Sessions | Result |
|---|---|---|
| $300/$600 | 17 | +$93,565.00 |
| $100/$200 | 22 | +$3,773.50 |
| $80/$160 | 23 | -$4,194.00 |
| Other | 28 | -$3.00 |
The $300/$600 tables were the entire story: seventeen sessions, $93,565 in profit, headlined by a $61,750 single win. At the $80/$160 and $100/$200 tables, FAL1st was essentially treading water—dozens of sessions with minimal results. But that $300/$600 stretch was devastating. Ninety sessions, 2.4% of platform volume, and a profit number that puts FAL1st at #5 on the weekly leaderboard despite a win rate that rounds to zero.
The Week's Big Cash Game Winners
| Rank | Player | Weekly P&L | Sessions | Win Rate | Biggest Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volker | +$158,743.31 | 46 | 10.9% | $228,910.81 |
| 2 | Thiago Macedo | +$143,893.75 | 27 | 29.6% | $39,287.12 |
| 3 | FAL1st | +$93,141.50 | 90 | 5.6% | $61,750.00 |
| 4 | lepu4ka | +$37,544.31 | 71 | 38.0% | $7,969.51 |
| 5 | tarojiro | +$35,797.08 | 24 | 8.3% | $31,824.03 |
lepu4ka's Consistent Grind
lepu4ka continues the steady march: +$37,544.31 across 71 sessions at a 38% win rate. No single session above $8K, no devastating losses—just relentless mid-stakes volume. lepu4ka also earned the $100K Cash Game badge on March 7th, crossing the career milestone. This is the polar opposite of Volker's one-shot approach: grind after grind after grind, and the money stacks up.
Creatina's Efficiency Play
Creatina posted +$35,588.05 in just 11 sessions at a 45.5% win rate. A $34,926 single win did most of the heavy lifting—but that's $3,235 profit per session, one of the most efficient weeks we've tracked. Three badges earned in a single day: $1K, $10K, and $25K Cash Game all on March 5th.
place41: The 77.8% Win Rate Machine
Quietly, place41 put together +$11,968.36 across 9 sessions at a 77.8% win rate. Seven winning sessions, one loss of -$324.40, and a $3,799 biggest win. No fireworks. No nosebleed stakes. Just near-perfect execution at the mid-stakes tables.
The Reversals
NRG: From +$30K to -$227K
Last week, NRG recovered from a $240K loss with a modest +$30,634 week, earning two badges and looking like the nosebleed dream was stabilizing. This week? -$227,469.05 across 23 sessions with an 8.7% win rate. Two winning sessions totaling $20K couldn't come close to offsetting the carnage.
| Stat | This Week | Last Week | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly P&L | -$227,469.05 | +$30,634.54 | -$258,103.59 |
| Sessions | 23 | 50 | -27 |
| Win Rate | 8.7% | 36.0% | -27.3% |
The $1,000/$2,000 tables were catastrophic: -$204,311 across 12 sessions. A single $133,488 loss at those stakes accounted for more than half the weekly damage. NRG cut volume in half—23 sessions versus 50 last week—but the stakes were higher and the results were worse. The $258K week-over-week swing is one of the largest reversals we've tracked this year.
garrigarri: From +$55K to -$34K
Last week's #2 cash game winner, garrigarri (+$55,364), reversed to -$34,433.86 across 51 sessions. A $30,233 single loss and $15,995 biggest win tell the story of a volatile week. That's an $89,798 swing from one week to the next.
bendiebold: The Seesaw Continues
bendiebold went from -$117K two weeks ago to +$10K last week, and now back to -$15,571.68. A $19,405 win couldn't overcome a $24,777 loss. The high-stakes pendulum keeps swinging.
PINATA's Comeback
On the flip side, PINATA bounced back from last week's -$36,786 to post +$17,023.36 across 21 sessions at a 42.9% win rate. An $18,428 biggest win powered the recovery. That's a $53,809 turnaround in the right direction.
Isildur1: Week 4 — The Worst One Yet
The numbers just keep getting worse. -$396,964.01. It's Isildur1's largest single-week loss since arriving on Phenom, and it pushes the four-week cumulative total past $1.3 million in losses.
| Stat | This Week | Last Week | 4-Week Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly P&L | -$396,964.01 | -$276,403.94 | ~$1,389K in losses |
| Sessions | 124 | 179 | ~581 |
| Win Rate | 28.2% | 32.4% | — |
| Biggest Win | +$131,934.25 | +$65,685.63 | — |
| Biggest Loss | -$275,562.81 | -$100,000.00 | — |
| Platform Volume % | 13.4% | 15.5% | — |
The $275,562.81 loss in a single session at the $2,000/$4,000 Dusseldorf tables is the largest single-session loss we've recorded on the platform. Three more sessions exceeded $50K in losses. On the winning side, a $131,934 session at $1,000/$2,000 and a $79,734 win showed flashes—but the nosebleed tables giveth far less than they taketh away.
The Stakes Breakdown
| Stakes | Sessions | Result |
|---|---|---|
| $2,000/$4,000 | 3 | -$230,765.81 |
| $1,000/$2,000 (mixed) | 23 | +$33,557.00 |
| $300/$600 | 17 | -$11,486.48 |
| $150/$300 | 11 | -$17,780.90 |
| $100/$200 | 17 | +$16,476.65 |
| Other | 53 | -$186,964.47 |
The $2,000/$4,000 tables—the same stakes where Volker made his $228K—cost Isildur1 $230,765 in just three sessions. The $1,000/$2,000 tables were actually profitable at +$33K, and the $100/$200 tables added $16K. But three sessions at the highest stakes erased everything.
Four consecutive losing weeks. $1.3 million in losses. 124 sessions this week still accounting for 13.4% of the platform's $17.3M volume. The machine doesn't stop.
Cash Game Celebrity Sighting: Brian Rast
Sometimes it's not the biggest number that makes the biggest headline. Brian Rast—five-time WSOP bracelet winner, $23 million in live tournament earnings, and one of poker's most respected high-stakes cash game players—logged three sessions on Phenom Poker this week.
| Stat | Brian Rast |
|---|---|
| Weekly Profit | +$8,201.87 |
| Sessions | 3 |
| Win Rate | 33.3% |
| Biggest Win | +$8,330.00 |
One winning session at the $300/$600 tables for +$8,330. One micro-stakes session at $1/$2 (yes, $1/$2). One session at $30/$60. It's an eclectic mix that looks more like a player exploring the platform than grinding for profit. But Brian Rast at the $300/$600 tables is Brian Rast at the $300/$600 tables—and if the poker legend starts logging volume, the high-stakes ecosystem just got a lot more interesting.
Between HuckleberrySeed (Huck Seed), TonyG, and now Brian Rast, Phenom's cash tables are attracting a who's-who of poker royalty.
TournyTrack Leaderboard Update
| Rank | Player | Ability Rating | Prev Rating | Change | Tournaments | Net Profit | ROI | Podiums |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | nft | 3,603.21 | 3,467.51 | +135.70 | 217 | +$16,337.44 | 44.07% | 120 |
| 2 | WoO | 2,770.11 | 2,754.28 | +15.83 | 618 | -$752.80 | -1.99% | 215 |
| 3 | JAR444 | 2,477.32 | 2,309.66 | +167.66 | 681 | +$3,059.00 | 17.08% | 174 |
| 4 | kingIvey | 2,460.84 | 2,453.18 | +7.66 | 458 | +$12,088.68 | 44.61% | 163 |
| 5 | havuuuuc | 1,811.22 | 1,706.13 | +105.09 | 179 | +$11,928.10 | 42.54% | 82 |
The top tier held steady, but the #3/#4 spots flipped. JAR444 posted the week's largest TournyTrack gain: +167.66 points, jumping from #4 back to #3 and overtaking kingIvey (who only gained +7.66). JAR444 has now played 681 career tournaments—the highest total on the platform by a wide margin—and crossed the 174-podium mark.
nft continues to extend the lead with +135.70 points despite a mixed week (2 cashes in 8 tournaments). The PLO Mix Diamond cash (+$1,097.41) on March 8th and a NL Hold'em 50 cash (+$350) on March 4th were the only positives, but the rating system still found gains. The lead over #2 WoO is now a staggering 833.10 points—100 points wider than last week's 713-point gap.
WoO had a quiet 7-tournament week: a small NLH 50 Diamond cash (+$287.50), a PLO 6Max cash (+$136), and an NLH 6max cash (+$33.92) offset by bustouts in the NLH 250 (-$250), NLH/PLO (-$300), Triple PLO (-$100), and NL Hold'em (-$25). Only +15.83 rating points—the smallest gain in the top 5.
havuuuuc climbed to #5 (up from #6) with a +105.09 gain. A Fun Fridays ship (+$739.17), Triple PLO cash (+$260), Triple Draw Mix cash (+$504.80), and Triple Draw Mix cash (+$200) were the highlights across 13 tournaments. The legend's ROI dipped from 44.70% to 42.54% as volume increases, but the rating keeps climbing.
The Sodasoccer Slide Continues
Sodasoccer dropped another spot to #8 with a 1,439.85 rating—down from last week's #7. After falling 339 points two weeks ago, another quiet week of mixed results couldn't stop the slide. From #5 three weeks ago to #8 now, that's a steep fall for a player with 645 career tournaments and 169 podiums.
RunUp2sky Enters the Frame
RunUp2sky climbed to #7 with a 1,520.63 rating and 179 tournaments played. A 37.81% ROI and 55 podiums make this a legitimate contender for the top 5—especially with Sodasoccer still sliding.
The Sunday Major: A Rough Night for the Favorites
The ♦ NLH 250 ♦ Sunday Major on March 8th didn't produce a marquee winner from the usual suspects. nft (-$750), WoO (-$250), kingIvey (-$250), havuuuuc (-$200), and HuckleberrySeed (-$250) all busted. It was a week where the regulars ran cold and the Sunday Major money went elsewhere.
HuckleberrySeed: Cash Game Grinder?
Last week we featured HuckleberrySeed for their tournament breakout—eight cashes across seven game types. This week, the story shifted to the cash tables: 96 sessions, +$4,540.35 in profit, 44.8% win rate. That's the most cash sessions we've recorded from the player we believe to be 1996 WSOP Main Event champion Huck Seed.
The stakes were modest—$2/$4 to $30/$60—but the volume was enormous. Forty-three winning sessions against thirty-five losses across a wide range of stakes and game types. The tournament side cooled off (11 events, -$376.22 net), but the cash tables more than compensated.
HuckleberrySeed's tournament ROI has normalized from 95.65% to 72.21% across 56 career tournaments—still elite, but the increased volume is bringing more realistic variance. The combination of high-volume cash grinding and selective tournament entries paints a picture of a player settling into a full-time Phenom routine.
The High-Stakes Battlefield
| Player | Weekly P&L | Volume % | Stakes Range | Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volker | +$158,743.31 | 6.0% | $300/$600 – $2K/$4K | One-shot miracle |
| Thiago Macedo | +$143,893.75 | 2.0% | $100/$200+ | Back-to-back $140K+ |
| FAL1st | +$93,141.50 | 2.4% | $80/$160 – $300/$600 | 90 sessions, 5.6% win rate |
| Isildur1 | -$396,964.01 | 13.4% | $100/$200 – $2K/$4K | Worst week yet |
| NRG | -$227,469.05 | 5.3% | $300/$600 – $1K/$2K | $258K reversal |
The $2,000/$4,000 tables were ground zero this week. Volker made $228K there. Isildur1 lost $230K. Same stakes, opposite outcomes, $459K apart. The nosebleed ring continues to produce the most extreme results on the platform—and this week's $2K/$4K swing between two players may be the single largest same-stakes divergence we've ever tracked.
Combined, the top 5 non-private winners and top 5 losers moved over $1.2 million in profit and loss. The high-stakes ecosystem isn't slowing down.
Badges Awarded This Week
| Badge | Player | Date | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100K Cash Game | Volker | Mar 6 | Crossed $100K career cash profit |
| $100K Cash Game | lepu4ka | Mar 7 | Crossed $100K career cash profit |
| $50K Cash Game | Volker | Mar 6 | Crossed $50K career cash profit |
| $25K Cash Game | Volker | Mar 3 | Crossed $25K career cash profit |
| $25K Cash Game | tarojiro | Mar 5 | Crossed $25K career cash profit |
| $25K Cash Game | Creatina | Mar 5 | Crossed $25K career cash profit |
| $25K Cash Game | RunUp2sky | Mar 7 | Crossed $25K career cash profit |
| $25K Cash Game | arthur1807 | Mar 5 | Crossed $25K career cash profit |
| $10K Cash Game | Volker | Mar 3 | Crossed $10K career cash profit |
| $10K Cash Game | tarojiro | Mar 4 | Crossed $10K career cash profit |
| $10K Cash Game | Creatina | Mar 5 | Crossed $10K career cash profit |
| $1K Cash Game | Volker | Mar 3 | Crossed $1K career cash profit |
| $1K Cash Game | Creatina | Mar 5 | Crossed $1K career cash profit |
| $1K Cash Game | IQ200Player | Mar 5 | Crossed $1K career cash profit |
| $1K Cash Game | WazzaJoy7 | Mar 8 | Crossed $1K career cash profit |
| $1K Cash Game | ImBleffing | Mar 7 | Crossed $1K career cash profit |
| Cash Grinder | WazzaJoy7 | Mar 7 | 500 career cash sessions |
| Cash Grinder | Malar | Mar 3 | 500 career cash sessions |
| Cash Grinder | CHEEKY_BOBBY | Mar 8 | 500 career cash sessions |
| Cash Grinder | ZeusTheGod | Mar 8 | 500 career cash sessions |
| Cash Grinder | polaMatysiak | Mar 7 | 500 career cash sessions |
| Cash Grinder | AntiKiller | Mar 7 | 500 career cash sessions |
| Cash Grinder | Wayeyesee1 | Mar 5 | 500 career cash sessions |
Volker's Five-Badge Week
Volker swept through all five cash game profit tiers in four days—the fastest full badge run we've ever tracked. From $1K to $100K in a single week, powered almost entirely by one $228K session. Most players take months to climb that ladder. Volker did it between Monday and Friday.
Weekly Stats Snapshot
Cash Games (Mar 2 - Mar 8)
| Metric | Value | vs Last Week |
|---|---|---|
| Total Players | 707 | +2 |
| Total Sessions | 10,885 | -864 |
| Total Volume | $17,372,858.12 | -20.5% |
| Biggest Winner | Volker (+$158,743.31) | — |
| Biggest Loser | Isildur1 (-$396,964.01) | — |
Volume dropped significantly—$17.3M versus last week's $21.8M, a 20.5% decline. Session count fell from 11,749 to 10,885. Player count held steady at 707 (versus 705 last week). Isildur1's volume share ticked down slightly from 15.5% to 13.4%, but the losses deepened. The platform's overall action is cooling, even as the nosebleed tables continue to produce six-figure swings.
Tournaments
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Tournaments (All-Time) | 4,088 |
| Total Players Tracked | 5,462 |
| Active Players | 571 |
| Last Sync | Mar 9, 11:07 AM |
Looking Ahead
Another week of one-session miracles, four-week losing streaks, and celebrity sightings. The cash game leaderboard is dominated by players who don't win often—they just win enormous when they do.
Questions to watch:
- Volker's entire $158K week came from one session at $2K/$4K. Will the nosebleed return, or was this a one-and-done?
- Thiago Macedo has $307K in two weeks. Can anyone sustain back-to-back-to-back $100K+ weeks?
- Isildur1 is approaching $1.4 million in four-week losses. Is there a floor, or does the volume machine keep running at full tilt?
- NRG's $258K reversal—temporary setback or the end of the nosebleed experiment?
- nft's lead is now 833 points over WoO. At what point does the #1 position become mathematically unreachable?
- JAR444 reclaimed #3 from kingIvey. With 681 tournaments and climbing, can the volume king sustain this pace?
- Brian Rast logged his first sessions. If the five-time bracelet winner starts grinding, the $300/$600 tables gain another legend.
- Sodasoccer's three-week slide has taken them from #5 to #8. Where's the bottom?
- FAL1st appeared from nowhere with $93K on a 5.6% win rate. Ghost or the beginning of a new presence?
- HuckleberrySeed played 96 cash sessions. Is the 1996 Main Event champion becoming a full-time Phenom grinder?
The nosebleed tables produced a $459K divergence between two players at the same stakes. A poker legend quietly logged on. And the platform's biggest loser keeps losing bigger. See you at the tables.
Follow the action live on the Cash Game Leaderboard and TournyTrack.
Search for players: nft | WoO | JAR444 | kingIvey | havuuuuc | Volker | Thiago Macedo | Isildur1 | Brian Rast | HuckleberrySeed | FAL1st | NRG
Stats current as of March 9, 2026 | Source: TournyTrack & CashTrack Database