On Tuesday, it was revealed that Viktor Isildur1Blom (pictured), formerly a staple of the high-stakes online poker scene at Full Tilt, had parted ways with PokerStars, where he was a sponsored pro. PokerStars Head of Corporate Communications Eric Hollreiser broke the headline to PokerNews, which reported in part, “Blom and the company mutually agreed not to renew the Swede’s expired sponsorship agreement.”

Hollreiser and PokerStars wished their former sponsored pro all the best going forward, saying, “In his short time as a poker player, Viktor has played against the biggest names in poker at the highest stakes in the toughest games. It’s hard to recall a player who has kept the poker world so riveted at such an early stage of his career. We’ll be watching with great interest and we wish him nothing but success.”

Blom was originally introduced as a PokerStars sponsored proin January 2011 during a dinner break at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas. Amid wild speculation as to the Swede’s true identity, which included possible names like Todd Brunson and Jonas Danielsson, Blom sauntered out onto the Atlantis ballroom floor and played fellow PokerStars pro Betrand ElkY Grospellier in a $10,000 heads-up match (pictured).

Blom commented to CardPlayer at the time, “I think a lot of people have known for a long time who I really am, so it doesn’t make a big difference to me. But when I signed with PokerStars, I felt like it was the right time to reveal my identity.” Why he’s leaving the site remains to be seen. Also unclear is whether he’ll be able to sign with Full Tilt, a site he regularly played at and that PokerStars recently purchased.

P5s Elite member wackyJaxonwas among those on PocketFives speculating about Blom’s future, posting in a Poker Sites thread, “Wonder if this means he will be an FTP pro. Interesting that they did not re-up the contract. I wonder if Blom was asking for too much money. Stars seemed to get a bit of press with him.”

In an interview with PocketFivesin May, Blom rehashed winning two Spring Championship of Online Poker titles in the first three events: “I was very happy to win the two SCOOP titles. It’s nice to win, of course. I take each day and game as they come, try to play my best, and try to keep up the momentum.” The interview was among the most viewed articles PocketFives articles ever, which further manifests Blom’s mammoth popularity in the online poker world.

Blom was a staple of the high-stakes scene on Full Tilt Poker in 2009. According to Poker Table Ratings, he has been involved in all 10 of the largest cash game pots in online poker history and won four of them for over $3.5 million combined. The high-stakes hands took place in Omaha games against the likes of Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

Blom’s stint on the high-stakes scene included a run-in with Brian Stinger885Hastings (pictured), who took $4 million off the Swede in one evening in December 2009. Hastings later told ESPN, “I give most of the credit to Brian Townsend here… He analyzed a database of heads-up hands that Isildur1 had played and constructed ranges of what Isildur1 was doing in certain spots. The three of us discussed a ton of hands and the reports that Brian made, so I’m very thankful to him and to Cole [South] as well.” Full Tilt suspended Hastings’ Red Pro status for 30 days as a result.

In the live world, Blom won the Super High Roller event at the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $1.2 million. He also finished 14th in the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship at this year’s World Series of Poker for $105,000.