Last Friday, poker fans all over the globe celebrated the beginning of the World Series of Poker Europe, or the WSOPE. But that day meant more to Annette Obrestad than to anyone else in the whole world. It was the day she turned 21.
Poker’s Child Prodigy
Annette Obrestad, or more popularly known as Annette_15, may look like any normal young adult who has just turned 21. Meet her at a poker table, though, and you’ll see that she’s anything but.
Annette started playing poker online when she was 15 years old. A friend sent her some money on an online poker site and she went on making waves in the poker world ever since. When she was 18 years old, she won the first WSOPE’s main event. She even holds two prestigious records: one for being the youngest player to ever win a bracelet and another for being the one who won the largest single-event payout among all female poker players.
However, her age brought her as much controversy as it did praise. Being the youngest name in the poker industry is no walk-in-the-park. In fact, her whole career was wrought with indignant cries about underage gambling from all the factions against it. And each of her wins also brought the limelight onto the proposed banning of online poker. Also, despite her undeniable talent at the poker table, she has yet to play at the World Series of Poker in Vegas, the biggest poker tournament in the world.
But that’s all about to change now that she’s 21.
Watch out, America
“This is the biggest birthday for me by far”, says Annette as she celebrates her birthday in London’s Empire Casino. And sure enough, this year, she’s finally eligible to play at the poker tournaments in the United States.
In fact, she already has a full calendar. In the 2010 World Series of Poker, she’ll be playing a full schedule of events. And in the coming October, she’ll be playing at the Festa al Lago, sponsored by the World Poker Tour and held at the world-famous Bellagio in Las Vegas. It will be her first debut in American soil.
Vegas aside, she has to focus on her own game in this year’s WSOPE as she will be playing for all four bracelet events. She will also be the captain of the European Squad, which will be fighting against a team from America, in the Caesar’s cup event.
Photo from Wikipedia
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