It’s possible we will be seeing Isildur1’s name in red, soon. Swedish high-stakes blogger Sohello “BankTheMan” Shah has reported that “a famous Swedish high stakes player” got sponsorship from a well known poker site. While the article does not mention Isildur or Viktor Blom by name (if, in fact, Isildur is Viktor Blom), the article is about as subtle as a flying brick.
From the article (translated to English):
A famous Swedish high stakes players, according to my sources, got sponsorship from a well known poker site. This news is not official yet, so unfortunately I can not go out with his name or nickname, but the person is 20 years and during late 2009 and throughout 2010 became poker’s hottest topic. Many have said that he is the world’s best heads-up Player and that will soon take Ivey’s place.
Above the article is a picture of Isildur’s famous ninja avatar with the avatar’s face and Isildur’s name blurred, but still fairly legible.
Obviously, the issue of credibility is a factor. I haven’t brushed up on my Swedish, so I’m not really able to go back and read previous blog entries, but apparently Shah was able to score an interview with Blom before so he might have good sources.
He also doesn’t mention a site, but with Isildur’s epic run and controversial downfall both happening on Full Tilt, it seems like the most logical place. Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies did offer Blom an invitation to join his blog, so the site that sponsors Sahamies, PowerPoker, is also a possibility.
Signing with a site might finally reveal Isildur1’s true identity. While it has been widely accepted that Isildur is Viktor Blom, there has never been actual confirmation of his identity. This, in turn, could ruin his appeal, though. The fact that Isildur’s identity is still somewhat of a mystery is part of the reason he has such a large following.
Will we be seeing Isildur sign with a major site soon? Maybe. Right now, though, the whole story is nothing more than a rumor.