Over the past few years, as the calendar turns, one of the early stories the poker world has kept an eye on is the speed in which some online grinders reach the top milestone of the PokerStars VIP Rewards Program, Supernova Elite.
In 2011 it was George ‘jorj95’ Lind who set the bar pretty high, reaching Supernova Elite status in just 77 days, and then in 2012 it was Andrew “AznTracker” Li who bettered the mark, becoming a Supernova Elite in just 59 days (remarkably he only played on 50 of those 59 days). Now in 2013 it appears we have a pair of players that will be seeking the record, considering Alex “AWice” Wice and Ryan “MouldyOnions” Bell both reached Supernova status (100,000 VPP’s) in less than 40 hours on January 2nd.
Wice edged out Bell by a mere 25 minutes, as both players have been extreme-multi-tabling the Heads-Up Hyper-Turbos on the site since the new year, and it seems that Wice has even loftier goals, with the intention of becoming the first player to earn a million dollars in rake in a single year, according to a recent blog post at his website AlexWice.com:
“… I play on Pokerstars, and to their best customers, they give around 70% of the fees back to you as a way to reward loyalty. In one calendar year, the current record is roughly $550k in fees, (of which they got around $390k back.) Next year, I plan to pay $1.45m in fees and get one million dollars back. To do so, I will make something in the area of 10 million poker decisions in a year.”
Alex has given his quest to reach $1,450,000 in tournament fees (which would give him over $1,000,000 in rakeback through the VIP Program) a name, “The Million Club”, and the goal is lofty to say the least, considering he is looking to more than double the previous record in terms of fees paid.
Wice goes on to explain his near-maniacal quest, which he has detailed down to having the best equipment (mouse, keyboard, chair, you name it) to altering his eating and exercising habits, and even describing the ideal temperature in his environment and the clothes he will wear when he plays online poker.
You may be wondering what Alex will gain from this endeavor (and if his quest will turn into an unhealthy obsession) but the end of the road would see the 24 year-old Canadian with a heap of money in his bank account, and what seems more important to Alex after reading his blog, the knowledge that he completed an unbelievably difficult task.
We’ll keep you posted on Wice’s chase of The Million Club.
