September 26, 2007 - World Series of Poker history was made earlier this month as Annette Obrestad became the youngest bracelet winner by conquering the Main Event at the first annual WSOP Europe Presented by BetFair Poker.
The 18-year-old Norwegian outlasted the field over the course of the five-day £10,000 buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold’Em Championship, the competition included the strongest showing of professionals in European poker history.
“I never expected to win,” commented Oberstad, who turns 19 in just one day. “I’m speechless. I really don’t know what to say.”
“In the end, the Europeans dominated here,” said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “But this is the start of a new tradition for the World Series of Poker and the European and global poker communities. WSOP Europe will provide more exciting action in the years to come and we’re confident poker greats from all over the world – and across the generations – will shine here, just as they have in Las Vegas.”
Obrestad’s win capped a series that saw European players – make that young European poker players – shut out veteran American professionals by winning all three WSOP bracelets up for grabs. Her victory over 22-year-old John Tabatabai of London came when her three sevens beat his two pair.
Obrestad won the £1 million, or $2,013,102, first-place prize and the most coveted prize in all of gaming, a World Series of Poker 18-karat gold and jewel-encrusted bracelet created by luxury Swiss watchmaker CORUM, the official timepiece of the WSOP. Tabatabai earned £570,150, or $1,147,770, for second place.
With her performance, Oberstad’s payday snapped two records held by poker pro Annie Duke. The first was Duke’s one-day-old record as the first woman to exceed $1 million in official WSOP winnings, thanks to her 21st place finish in the WSOP Europe Main Event. Duke’s £30,770, or $61,943, payday saw her edge just over the $1 million earnings mark. Duke also held the single-event record win for a woman with her $2 million winner-take-all victory in the 2004 Tournament of Champions staged by Harrah’s Entertainment.
The world’s top-ranked professionals journeyed to London this month for a chance to make poker history by winning the first three WSOP bracelets ever awarded outside the United States. But the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and scores of others were stymied in their quests, as Europe’s cadre of young poker players – most of whose playing experience was gained online – performed exceptionally well.
Matthew McCullough, the last remaining American in the Main Event, finished third after going all in with top pair on the flop. The hopes of the 26-year-old New Jersey resident for a WSOP bracelet were dashed when John Tabatabai, who called with middle pair, matched his ace kicker for two pair that eliminated the full-time anesthetist. McCullough collected £381,910 for third place.
Norwegian Oyvind Riisen, 22, won £257,020 for finishing fourth, and Johannes Korsar, 20, of Uppsala, Sweden, got £191,860 for fifth place.
Dominic Kay, 30, a professional sports trader from London, finished sixth to earn £152,040, while 24-year-old Magnus Persson of Gothenburg, Sweden, received £114,030 for seventh place. Copenhagen’s Theo Jorgensen, at age 35 the oldest player at the final table, won £85,070 for his eighth-place finish.
Final-table play got under way at 2:30 p.m. GMT at The Casino at The Empire on Leicester Square. A few moments later, 21-year-old Londoner James Keys, who began the day with the lowest number of tournament chips, was eliminated. He collected £61,540 for his efforts.
The 10th through 36th place finishers received from £41,630 to £27,150, depending on their final position. The total prize pool for the Main Event was £3,676,990.
Full Tilt Poker Pro Jennifer Harman finshed up 2nd in the HORSE event - The first World Series event to be played in Europe. Reasserted her reputation as one of the world’s premier mixed-game players battling through a field of over 100 players to claim second-place in the World Series of Poker Europe’s £2,500 HORSE Event.
The eight-player final table was one of the toughest in recent WSOP history, featuring Team Full Tilt member and five-time bracelet winner Chris Ferguson, Joe Beevers, and Alex Kravchenko, who finished fourth at the WSOP Main Event in July.
Harman began the day as the chip leader, but saw her stack fall to just 75,000 at the dinner break. After three hours of three-handed play, found herself facing Thomas Bihl for the title. Heads-up play lasted for more than 100 hands before Harman moved all-in with two pair and was called by Bihl, who made a straight on the river to claim the title.
Harman, who regularly plays mixed games in her hometown of Las Vegas, is the only woman to have won two WSOP bracelets in the WSOP’s open events. Harman’s impressive performance in the HORSE event earned her £40,688 ($82,527) and once again showed why she is widely considered to be one of the world’s top poker players, regardless of gender.
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