Some poker players have the ability to play to the best of their ability for long sessions. They live for the grind and put in some ridiculous hours at the tables. “Doulas12” is one such partypoker players.
Cast your minds back to March if the Doulas12 alias rings any bells. He was one of the first winners of our Cash Game Leaderboards when we bumped up the monthly prizes to more than $1 million.
The Cyprus-based Greek grinder started his poker career with a $20 bankroll and now plays whatever takes his fancy, although he’s usually found battling at our Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) tables.
It was the Doulas12 alias we saw at the top of the $2/$5 PLO leaderboard seemingly every week; nobody managed to get near him. Why did Doulas12 hit the table with such regularity? Was his sole aim to become a member of the exclusive Diamond Club Elite club? Let’s find out from the man himself.
“I’ve always been goal orientated and a competitive person and it always feels good to complete a challenge that I put on myself, this was one of them. I can’t say it was an easy task, it took a lot of dedication and efforts, but in the end, it was worth it. I mainly did it to prove to myself that I could do it.”
The Race To Become the First DC Elite Cash Game Player
Doulas12 didn’t initially set out to be the first cash game Diamond Club Elite player of 2020, but he soon set that goal when he saw the rewards waiting for that first inductee.
All Diamond Club Elite players receive 60% cashback, a VIP package to the Caribbean Poker Party, and a free entry to the MILLIONS Online event. A promotion started on February 1, 2020 that saw the first SPINS player and first cash game player win $50,000 cash. The second and third players to reach Elite status in SPINS or cash games receive $30,000 and $20,000 respectively.
By May 7, Doulas12 became the first cash game player to grind their way to Diamond Club Elite status, meaning he’d generated $200,000 rake in only 96-days after the promo started! Was it his goals to get his hands on this incredible package? You bet it was.
“It certainly was a goal for me from the moment I saw the Diamond Club Elite rewards. I pushed myself every day to put in the hours, setting a strict sleep schedule. I had days where I played for 20-hours straight, slept for 4-5 hours and then I was back at it again.”
Grabbing Value From the Cash Game Leaderboards
The determined grinder helped himself to tens of thousands of dollars from the Cash Game Leaderboard while on the march of Diamond Club Elite glory. Being hunted by the chasing pack helped Doulas12 remain focussed on his end goal.
“The leaderboards were definitely a driving force behind this attempt. Without them I don’t know if I would have had the motivation to do it so quickly. The competition from the other players in the leaderboards also pushed me to my limits.”
Those leaderboards now payout daily instead of weekly. You can learn more about our Cash Game Leaderboards here.
An epic grind like this can easily take the wind out of your sails and Doulas12 now plans to take a break to recharge his batteries in time for his next challenge. He’ll be doing this by enjoying the simple things in life, good company, good food, family time and travel as he told us.
“I already took a long break after reaching Diamond Club Elite to get my energy levels back to normal and to rest. I will still continue to play, but at a much more normal pace.”
Congratulations to Doulas12 on his fantastic achievement. He is one of four partypoker players in this year’s Diamond Club Elite club, three of them coming from grinding SPINS.
You can check out the current standings for the SPINS and Cash Game Diamond Club Elite race here.
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