Norwegian Poker Pro To Take On Politician In Heads-Up Match To Try To Show Poker Is A Skill Game

High-stakes poker pro Ola “Odd Oddsen” Amundsgaard is unhappy about how poker is viewed, and taxed, in his home country of Norway, so he is trying to change things on his own.

He made a public challenge to any Norwegian politician. He offered 10,000 hands of heads-up pot-limit Omaha with $170,000 of his own money on the line. Amundsgaard was trying to make the case that poker is a game of skill and that the match would prove it.

He was willing to dangle a six-figure freeroll for any challenger.

A lawmaker accepted, and the two are currently ironing out the official plans to duke it out on the virtual felt. While it’s unclear exactly what will come from the match, Amundsgaard sees it as a pivotal moment for poker in his home country.

“I feel like I have the whole future of poker legalization on my shoulders right now,” he told Card Player. “If I lose this game I will not only lose the money but also maybe all poker players in Norway will lose the hope for full legalization. So losing this match will be devastating for both me and the whole poker community in Norway.”

According to Amundsgaard, his opponent, Erlend Wiborg, has some poker experience.

“He said in an interview that he played online poker from time to time,” Amundsgaard said. “But I guess he will step it up and get some coaching before our challenge. I don’t think he would have accepted this challenge without any experience…If he beats me over 10,000 hands of PLO I think he should quit working for the government and start playing online PLO for a living…since he would be able to make ten times more money per year by playing poker then working for the government.”

Although they will be battling, Wiborg agrees that poker is a game of skill. He apparently will be helping Amundsgaard push the issue going forward regardless of the outcome of their contest.

Image via www.pnn.dk

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