We have all been there. That 24-hour marathon study session in college, the all-night bachelor party, the sleepover when we were kids where we refused to actually sleep (though most of us probably gave up at about 11:00pm). But 124 hours straight with no sleep? That’s beyond most people’s physical capabilities. But not only did 49-year-old Zach Gensler do it, but he played poker the entire time, breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest poker session.
The previous record was held by Phil Laak, who played for 115 straight hours at the Bellagio in 2010.
Gensler accomplished his feat at Resorts World Las Vegas, starting at 3:00pm on October 27 and finally calling it quits at 7:00pm on November 1. And if anyone was going to do it, it was him, as he did a little trial run a few years ago, playing for a modest 80 consecutive hours.
According to CardsChat, which tracked Gensler’s efforts, the rules were set by Resorts World’s poker room manager, Gary Hagar, with the blessing of Guinness. The poker room setup a clock to keep track of time (obviously), staff were instructed to ensure that Gensler was dealt into every hand, and the proceedings were recorded.
Staying awake for five straight days is a superhuman feat no matter which way you slice it, but using the brain power that it takes to play poker the whole time takes it to another level. Guinness wanted to be sure Gensler was healthy and safe, though, so they did require him to take some breaks. He didn’t want to stop for any more than 15 minutes, but Guinness made him take some breaks that were longer.
As one might guess, Gensler lost money during the session, finishing down $1,200 (Laak actually profited, though, so it wasn’t a given). That’s not bad, however, considering how long he played. He essentially just lost to the rake.
Gensler told CardsChat that he stuck with the same strategy throughout, though in retrospect, he thinks he should have played tighter and more conservatively near the end when he was the most tired. His low point, though, may have been at around 80 hours. He said a local pro came by and the two chatted about the South Point poker room. Hours later, a loopy Gensler wasn’t sure if he had been at South Point or not.
Chris Wallace of CardsChat says that in the final hour, he spoke with Gensler, who seemed quite with it and did not at all look like someone who had just been awake for as long as he had been.
There will be no attempts to extend his own record. Gensler accomplished what he set out to do and if someone breaks the record, he will tip his cap and be happy that he was once the record holder.
