In 2009, “Isildur1″ shook up the online high-stakes poker scene by taking on some of poker’s toughest competitors, winning and losing millions, yet keeping his identity a mystery. His unknown identity will soon be a thing of the past because he has become the latest poker pro to sign with online poker giant PokerStars.

When asked about joining Team PokerStars Pro, Isildur1 said, “I chose to join PokerStars because it’s the biggest site and it will be an exciting challenge. It means a great deal to be playing in a team alongside players such as Daniel Negreanu, Dario Minieri, and Johnny Lodden.”

“My goals now are to improve my live game for some upcoming events, continue to focus on heads-up no-limit Hold’em, but also try to develop my pot-limit Omaha game.”

He will continue his focus on heads-up no-limit hold’em by beginning the SuperStar Showdown — a series of high stakes heads-up matches at PokerStars. The SuperStar Showdown consists of a single session of 2,500 hands at stakes of $50/$100 or higher. The first match will begin at 6:00 p.m. EST on December 19. No opponent has been named yet, but an announcement should be coming in the next few days.

“It’s not every day that a player like Isildur1 comes along. If you look up the definition of the term ‘phenom’ you’ll see a picture of his face! When he is playing, the poker world takes notice. Hate to overuse the poker term ‘sick’ but Isildur’s no-limit Hold’em game is just that – sick! Few people step up to the plate against him, but the ones who have, universally have respect for his raw talent,” Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu said.

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In blackjack at a casino, the dealer faces between five and nine (commonly seven) playing positions from behind a semicircular table. Each position may be occupied by up to three players. A single player is often permitted to control or bet on as many positions as desired. At the beginning of each round, bets are placed in the “betting box” at each position in play. The player whose bet is at the front of the betting box is deemed to have control over the position, and the dealer will consult the controlling player for playing decisions regarding the hand. Each wagered-on position is dealt an initial hand of two cards visible to the player of that box, and often to any other players. The dealer receives a single face up card, and in some games draws a second card, concealed from the players (the “hole” card, used to establish immediately whether the dealer has blackjack).

Hole card games ares sometimes played on tables with a small mirror or electronic sensor which the dealer can use to check the hole card’s exact denomination, without revealing it if it does not result in blackjack. In European casinos, no hole card games are prevalent; the dealer’s second card is neither drawn nor consulted until the players have all played their hands.

Cards are dealt either from one or two hand-held decks, from a dealer’s shoe, or from a shuffling machine. Single cards are dealt to each of wagered-on position clockwise from the dealer’s leftmost position, followed by a single card to the dealer, followed by an additional card to each of the positions in play. The players’ initial cards may be dealt face-up, or face-down (more common in single-deck games).

The players’ object is to win money by getting a card total which will turn out to be higher than the dealer’s hand, but without exceeding 21 (“busting”/“breaking”), and taking advantage of certain opportunities which arise within the play to increase the wager. Each hand is played by choosing whether to “hit” (take a card), “stand” (pass), “double” (double wager, take a single card and pass), “split” (make two hands out of a pair) or “surrender” (give up a half-bet and retire from the game). Number-cards count as their natural value; the jack, queen, and king (also known as “face cards” or “pictures”) count as 10; aces are valued as either 1 or 11 according to the player’s best interest. If the hand value exceeds 21 points, it busts, and its bet is immediately forfeit. After all boxes have finished playing, the dealer’s hand is resolved by drawing cards until the hand busts or achieves a value of 17 or higher (a dealer total of 7 including an ace, or “soft 17″, must be drawn to in some games). The dealer never doubles, splits nor surrenders. If the dealer busts, all remaining bets win and are paid out at 1:1. If the dealer does not bust, each remaining bet wins if its hand is higher than the dealer’s, and loses if it is lower. In the case of a tied score, known as “push” or “standoff”, the bet is normally returned without adjustment.
Example of a Blackjack game. The top half of the picture shows the beginning of the round, with bets placed and an initial two cards for each player. The bottom half shows the end of the round, with the associated losses or payoffs.

The best possible hand is a “blackjack” or “natural”, which is an ace and a ten-value card in either order on the initial two cards (not after a split). A blackjack beats any hand which is not a blackjack, even those with value 21. Blackjack vs. blackjack is a push. When the dealer’s upcard is an ace, the player is usually allowed to make a side bet called “insurance,” of up to half his wager, which pays 2:1 if the dealer gets a blackjack, and is forfeited otherwise.

The minimum and maximum bets are posted on the table. The payoff on most bets is 1:1, meaning that the player wins the same amount as he or she bets. The traditional payoff for a player blackjack is 3:2, meaning that the casino pays $3 for each $2 originally bet, but many casinos today pay less at some tables

After receiving an initial two cards, the player has four standard options: “hit,” “stand,” “double down,” or “split a pair.” Each option requires the use of a hand signal. At some casinos or tables, the player may have a fifth option, called a “surrender.”

* Hit: Take another card from the dealer.

signal: (handheld) Scrape cards against table. (face up) Touch finger to table or wave hand toward himself or herself.

* Stand: Take no more cards; also known as “stand pat”, “stick”, or “stay”.

signal: (handheld) Slide cards under chips. (face up) Wave hand horizontally.

* Double down (only available as first decision of a hand): The player is allowed to increase the initial bet by up to 100% in exchange for committing to stand after receiving exactly one more card. The additional bet is placed in the betting box next to the original bet. Some games do not permit the player to increase the bet by amounts other than 100%. Non-controlling players may double their wager or decline to do so, but they are bound by the controlling player’s decision to take only one card.

signal: Place additional chips next to (not on top of) the original bet. Point with one finger.

* Split a pair (only available as first decision of a hand): If the first two cards are a “pair” (of the same denomination), the player can split them into two hands, by moving a second bet equal to the first into an area outside the betting box of the original bet. The dealer separates the two cards and draws a further card on each, placing one bet with each hand. The player then plays out the two separate hands in turn, with some restrictions. In the case of ten-valued cards, some casinos allow splitting only when the cards have the identical symbols; for instance, a hand of T-T or K-K may be split, but not of T-K or K-T. Other casinos allow splitting of any pair of ten-valued cards. Common restrictions on playing hands which originate from a split relate to doubling, re-splitting, blackjack and hitting split aces. Non-controlling players may follow the controlling player by putting down an additional bet, or decline to do so, instead associating their existing wager with one of the two spawned hands. In that case they must choose which hand to play behind before the second cards are drawn.

signal: Place additional chips next to the original bet outside the betting box. Point with two fingers spread into a V formation.

* Surrender (only available as first decision of a hand): Some games offer the option to “surrender.” After the dealer has checked for blackjack, the player may “surrender”, whereupon the house will take half the player’s bet and return the other half to the player; this terminates the player’s interest in the hand. The request to surrender is made verbally, there being no commonly accepted hand signal.

Hand signals are used to assist the “eye in the sky,” a person or video camera located above the table and sometimes concealed behind one-way glass. The recording provides a means of resolving disputes or identifying mistakes, and is also used to protect the casino against dealers who steal chips or players who cheat. It may also be used by the casino to identify advantage players whose activities, while legal, make them undesirable customers. If there’s any disagreement between a player’s hand signals and their words, the hand signal still stands.

Each player may normally “hit” as many times as desired so long as the total in hand is not above hard-20. On achieving 21 (including soft 21), a player is normally required to stand; busting is an irrevocable loss and the player’s wager is immediately forefeited to the house. After a bust or a stand, play proceeds to the next player clockwise around the table. When the last player has finished, the dealer then reveals the hole card and stands or draws further cards according to the rules of the game. After the dealer’s final outcome is established, any bets remaining on the table associated with losing hands are forefeited, and winners are paid out.