Janne 'Durian' Ytilainen: The Master of Pot-Limit Omaha and Big Blind Defense

Janne 'Durian' Ytilainen began his online poker career in the early 2000s with freerolls and low-stakes limit hold'em. He transitioned to Omaha in mid-2002 and soon moved to high stakes, becoming one of the most experienced online professionals in high-stakes PLO.

Ytilainen is known for his series of 12 videos on defending the big blind for Run It Once, the last one dated March 18, 2015. He advocates for defending the big blind against raises from late positions, even with weak hands. His videos influenced bots to defend 100% of hands against mini-raises from the button.

Ytilainen prefers Pot-Limit Omaha and rarely plays other variants. He enjoys the freedom and constant evolution of poker. His best month financially was in 2012, winning 150k in a WCOOP event and having a cash game upswing. His worst month was before he turned professional, struggling with losses and financial difficulties. Ytilainen started playing poker for money in the early 1990s with friends, initially for fun. His biggest mistake was lending money to and backing weaker friends. Ytilainen prefers PokerStars for high-stakes games due to better action and licensing in the EU. His goals for the next year include improving preparation for sessions and working on poker theory. Ytilainen hopes to see local poker markets open up and merge into a larger pool of players.