Kevin Martin survives 60-hour poker marathon with an $11 profit—barely

A $5K early hole, high-stakes battles, and a last-minute surge saved his hair. But was his $11 profit a real win—or just clever accounting?

, and Administrator

2026 January 23 . 10:06 AM

1 min read

The image shows a paper with a drawing of three people, one of whom is holding a stick, with the... — The image shows a paper with a drawing of three people, one of whom is holding a stick, with the words "The Hot Poker" written on it.

Kevin Martin survives 60-hour poker marathon with an $11 profit—barely

Kevin Martin, a GGPoker Ambassador, recently took on a gruelling 60-hour poker marathon known as the War Room Challenge. Before the session began, he made a bold promise: if he ended the weekend in the red, he would shave his head.

The challenge kicked off with early setbacks. Within the first 11 hours, Martin found himself down by roughly $5,000. Undeterred, he continued playing against tough competition, entering high-stakes events without hesitation.

By the final stretch, with just four hours left, his total buy-ins had climbed to $29,171. His cashes at that point stood at $26,211, leaving him still behind. A late push saw him secure third place in the $1,050 High Rollers Sunday Closer, earning $9,949. He also took down a $54 Bounty Hunters event for $613, bringing his total cashes closer to his spend. When the 60 hours ended, Martin’s raw results showed a narrow loss. But after adding $3,065 in rakeback—a move some viewers questioned—his balance tipped just $11 into profit. This slim margin spared him from the razor. The debate over rakeback isn’t new for Martin. In 2023, he faced a net loss of around $500,000 at the Triton Million for Charity High Roller in Vietnam, despite winning $2.8 million. His rakeback of roughly $1.3 million wasn’t factored into that result, leaving him without hair then.

Martin walked away from the War Room Challenge with his hair intact, thanks to an $11 profit after rakeback. The session highlighted both the highs and lows of marathon poker, as well as ongoing discussions about how rakeback should factor into a player’s final tally.