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Betfair Poker: 18 year old female prodigy wins £ 1 million
Norwegian player Annette Obrestad became the youngest bracelet winner in World Series of Poker history early today by conquering the Main Event at the first annual WSOP Europe Presented by Betfair.com.
The 18-year-old online poker prodigy from Norway outlasted the strongest field in European poker history at the five-day £10,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em event in London's Leicester Square.
"I never expected to win," said the composed and articulate 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. "This is the start of a new tradition for the World Series of Poker and the European and global poker communities."
Annette - who is better known by her online alias Annette_15 - has also agreed a sponsorship deal with Betfair.com which means she will be a constant presence on the live tournament circuit.
"This might be a cause of some dismay to many of the top pros that she knocked out in this tournament," said Betfair's Head of Poker Ben Fried. "She is a fearsome poker player and commands great respect at the table. It is fantastic to have her as a member of Team Betfair."
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 gaming, a World Series of Poker bracelet. Tabatabai earned £570,150, or $1,147,770, for second place.
With her performance, Oberstad's payday broke 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 33-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 anaesthetist. 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, 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 in 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.
