27.11.2015, 06:12 | Autor: Highstakesdb.com |
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doporučit článekFelix Stephensen takes down Norway's first legal poker tourney
For the first time in history the Norwegian Poker Championships have been staged on home turf, with a record breaking 1,974 hopefuls anteing up the $580 entry fee in Oslo this week to celebrate their home government’s decision to legalise the tournament in their nation.
The championship, which is restricted to Norwegian residents and citizens, had previously been held in England, Latvia and Ireland due to the Norwegian government’s zero tolerance stance on poker. It was only last year, thanks to the recommendation of Minister of Culture Thorhild Widvey, that tournaments and home games were legalised.
High stakes cash game player Ola “Odd_Oddsen” Amundsgard also aided the legalisation process, which Widvey hopes will eventually be complete on a full scale, when he took on politician Erlen Wiborg in a heads-up match last year to help provide tangible evidence that poker is a skill-based game.
Despite this record attendance and the fact that over 100,000 Norwegians tuned in to watch the action on television network TV 2-Sport, the championship will return to the Irish capital for its next leg in March.
On the felt, it was last year’s WSOP Main Event runner-up Felix Stephensen who walked away with the title and 1,405,150 kr ($162,497 USD) first place prize money, despite getting stuck in traffic on his way to Oslo’s Thon Hotel ahead of the final day’s play.
Stephensen now has over $5.5m in recorded live tournament cashes, and extends his lead over fellow legend Annette Obrestad in Norway’s all-time money rankings.
Final table payouts:
1. Felix Stephensen - 1,405,150 kr
2. Silje Nilsen - 773,510 kr
3. Anders Bjerk - 535,250 kr
4. Andreas Fardal - 384,240 kr
5. Jens Petter Johansen -318,970 kr
6. Haakon Garberg - 257,390 kr
7. Erik Fjell - 197,150 kr
8. Simon Other Solberg - 138,930 kr
