It seemed like Annette Obrestad had been 18 years old forever. That's mainly because every time someone discussed this poker phenom's huge wins, her age invariably became part of the discussion.
Norwegian-born Obrestad is famous for having started out in online poker by playing freerolls under the screen name
"Annette_15." She quickly turned $0 into tens of thousands of dollars without ever having deposited a cent. She continued to steamroll online poker tournaments and whipped the Full Tilt virtual railbirds into a frenzy when she proceeded to take down a $500,000-guaranteed tournament on the site in August of this year, earning $117,000 (her second-biggest cash ever; she won $163,000 for making the final table of last year's
World Championship of Online Poker main event on PokerStars).
Obrestad further amazed the online poker community by winning a 180-player sit-and-go without looking at her cards. (Actually, she admitted to peeking once, before she decided to take the concept seriously.) She posted a video that replays all of the hands in the tournament, and poker strategists couldn't help but be impressed by the skill-based, foundational poker strategies that she employed to take it down.
Not content with setting the online poker world ablaze, she tried her hand at the
World Series of Poker Europe main event in September. She scooped the final pot of the historic tournament, pocketing more than $2 million in the process and becoming the youngest
WSOP bracelet winner ever and the leading female in lifetime earnings.
The
Card Player team in Norway caught up with the now 19-year-old wunderkind to talk to her about her success and plans for the future.
Stig Moen: What were your interests while growing up?
Annette "Annette_15" Obrestad: I bowled for six years, but stopped when I started playing poker seriously. I also went up a class, so I decided to give it up. When I was a junior, my club paid for everything like travel expenses and entry fees, and I didn't really have that much money, so I decided to quit. I just couldn't afford it anymore, and besides, I was getting a little tired of it. I wasn't
that good, anyway.
SM: You famously, or infamously, first started playing poker when you where 15. How did you find out about the game?
AO: It goes back to when I was bowling. I saw an advertisement for a poker site when I was watching a bowling tournament on TV, and I decided to check it out. I started out with play-money games and freerolls, and eventually managed to build a bankroll from scratch. I asked my mom if she could make a deposit for me, but since I was underage, she said no. By the time I was 18, I didn't really need it, so I've actually never deposited any money that I didn't make playing poker.
SM: When did you start to take it seriously?
AO: It took a little more than a year When I got my bankroll up to about $15,000, I started to play tourneys with higher buy-ins, and really wanted to show everyone that I was a good player. I quickly moved up in levels, and played whatever I could afford to play. If I had a hundred buy-ins for something, I would play that, and when my bankroll got bigger, I moved up.
SM: Did you use any tools to improve your game?
AO: I don't use Poker Tracker and stuff like that. I am a member of all of the training sites, and I've watched all of the videos. I also go through my own hand history, but that's about it. I've read a few books, but I don't believe that they've helped me too much.
Harrington on Hold'em is all right, I guess, but I'm just not that interested in the math involved in the game. I play mostly by feel, and I don't really care if I have the pot odds to call. I don't call much, anyways (laughing).
SM: Was it a conscious decision to focus on no-limit tournaments rather than pot-limit cash or other limit games?
AO: It just happened that way. I started playing tournaments and never did anything else. I tried to play cash games, but I didn't have any success. Besides, I find cash games online kind of boring.
SM: What was your first live poker experience?
AO: I played a lot of small live tournaments in underground clubs around where I live. It's illegal to play poker for money in Norway, but you can still find clubs if you know where to look for them. These tournaments are usually 20 people playing a $100 freezeout, so it's really low-key.
SM: Do you think this helped you to become a better live player?
AO: It helped, but I didn't take it that seriously. In these clubs, the social aspect is actually more important, as you get to meet and talk to other poker players. I guess my first big live experience was in Aruba last year, where I actually finished in the money. I was really lucky to get that far, though. I cracked aces on the bubble with J-8 offsuit when I was all in (laughing).
SM: What was your first significant online win?
AO: I don't know. I just won so many small tournaments. I don't think I had any really big jumps. I guess the Full Tilt $500,000 guarantee that I won a couple of months ago is my biggest win, but it wasn't really significant - at least not to my bankroll.
SM: When did you first become aware that you were causing a stir online?
AO: Maybe when I started winning on PokerStars, because I was playing on UltimateBet most of the time in the beginning. When I started winning everywhere, people obviously started to notice and posted about me on the forums. It took about a year and a half.
SM: What do your friends think about your career choice?
AO: Actually, we don't talk about it much. Most of them go to school, and they don't really know anything about playing
cards. I know their parents don't like it, so I maintain a low profile when it comes to them. My friends are all "good kids." Like me, they don't smoke or drink, so I guess the "gambling" aspect worries them.
SM: But now that you've proven yourself, have some of them changed their opinion?
AO: Not really. They're stubborn. They're old (laughing)!
SM: What about when you were still in school? Did your teachers know about your "hobby"?
AO: Yeah, some of them did. During the last year, I was traveling a lot, so I had to take some days off every once in a while. It's safe to say that it affected my schoolwork, but I had good results over a long period of time. You shouldn't quit school just because you have one good week playing poker!
SM: Do you ever think about what you'll do in the future? Do you see yourself playing poker for the rest of your life?
AO: Of course I do! I'm going to be the next Doyle Brunson, just wait and see (laughing)!
SM: So, you don't have a backup plan just in case it doesn't work out?
AO: No. It's going to work out.
SM: When you started out, were there any players you admired in terms of style?
AO: I used to watch all of the UB pros, like PokerHO and Debo34, all day long, trying to figure out what they were doing. Now that I'm a little better than them, I don't see why, because they're not as good as I thought they were. When it comes to live poker, I'd have to say Daniel Negreanu. Daniel never puts a lot of chips in the middle unless he's pretty sure the other player is going to fold, or that he's got the best hand. He avoids coin flips early on, and he's really good at controlling the pots. I also like Phil Ivey a lot.
SM: What about Phil Hellmuth?
AO: So, you heard (laughing)? I saw that Phil Hellmuth was registered for a $5,000 heads-up sit-and-go on UB, and people were waiting for someone to go up against him. I was hoping someone else would sign up so that I wouldn't have to, but I ended up taking him on and busting him in twelve hands. I must admit that I was getting cards, and he was trying to bluff me, as well, which is always a good combination.
SM: Tell us about your form in the run-up to the
WSOPE. You had some good results online. Were you confident coming into the event?
AO: Yeah, there was the tournament on Full Tilt ($500,000 guarantee), where I won $117,000. It didn't really help my confidence, though, as I am always confident in my own abilities. I know I'm a good player, and I think I have en edge on most players. I think I've played about ten big live tournaments now, and I've definitely progressed a lot with this live experience. I think I'm a lot harder to read now than I was earlier.
SM: Are you at all nervous anymore?
AO: Not really. I was nervous when we were heads up, and the difference between first and second was a million dollars (laughing)! I get nervous when I bluff.
SM: Considering the strength of the lineup at the
WSOPE, did you have a strategy going into the tournament?
AO: No, I didn't. You just have to see how your table is playing, and adjust to that.
SM: Were there any players of whom you were in awe, or eager to meet?
AO: No, not in this tournament. I wasn't too impressed with any of the live pros I played. Well, Vicky Coren actually impressed me, but I don't know how good she is. She played well at my table, and it was a really tough table. Ted Forrest impressed me the least, with his limping into every pot and calling every raise. He was hitting every flop, but if he didn't, he would have check-folded everything. I just don't think he played well at all.
SM: So, tell us about your
WSOPE main-event experience and the road to your $2 million victory?
AO: Well, I started out just like I always do (laughing); I started with 20,000 in chips, and was quickly down to 13,000 because I tried to bluff Ted Forrest, and everyone knows that doesn't work! Then, I got lucky and hit a set of deuces twice, so I got up to about 60,000. Then, I made a bad call toward the end and finished the day with about 40,000. I was pretty happy to get above the starting stack. On day two, I got a really tough table. I had Greg Raymer with a huge stack to my left, Hoyt Corkins was to his left, and then there was also Vicky Coren, Erick Lindgren, Allen Cunningham, and Brian Townsend, all at the same table. Once again, I got lucky when I flopped the nuts and doubled up through this really bad player who had the second nuts. I got up to about 200,000 by the end of the day without doing too much. The fun really started when we were getting close to the bubble! Everyone tightened up, while I was raising every pot, and they all kept folding. This guy came up to me afterward and said, "Well, I folded pocket tens in the big blind. I'm not gonna let you do that to me next time!" I was thinking, "Yeah, sure … good fold!" After the bubble, I tightened up, as people were going all in and didn't seem to care anymore. I actually laid down most of my K-Q and pocket pair hands, as people reraised me a lot. They thought I was still playing loose when I actually was playing very tight, which worked out to my advantage.
The final table was just crazy! There were these Swedish guys who were in every single pot, raising every flop and floating out of position. They were insane, so I decided not to get too much involved, but instead wait until they were knocked out. I did lose a big pot to the guy on my left, but doubled up again with jacks. After that, I just waited until we were fourhanded and started playing. The heads-up battle was really tough. John Tabatabai was very hard to play against. He was very aggressive, but I think he was bluffing a little too much. He knows I'm a good player, but he was still trying to make too many moves on me that didn't work. I don't think that either of us was getting too many hands, so it was more about having the last word on the bluff every time. I think it was a good match. I'm really looking forward to seeing it on TV, because I was bluffing a lot! People are probably going to think I'm crazy when they see it (laughing).
SM: Can you give us any examples?
AO: I was in this pot against John when there were 15 players left, and I raised from the cutoff with the 6
2
. He called me from the button, and the flop came Q-9-6 with two clubs. I check, knowing he's gonna bet. If I bet, I know he's gonna float me, so I really don't want to put too much money in the pot. He bets pot, which is about 20,000, and I raise to 60,000 to find out where I'm at or maybe get him off the hand. He thinks for a while and reraises to 140,000, with about 300,000 behind. I think for a long while and then shove it all in. He folded (laughing).
SM: Did you have any change in your mindset during the final table? Did you at any point doubt yourself?
AO: Only when I was all in with Q-J and ran into J-J, but I had a feeling I was gonna spike the queen, anyway (laughing). I often get those feelings when I'm running good, and they are often correct.
SM: What were the key hands for you in the tournament?
AO: The 6-2 was kind of a key hand, but there was also another one. I had just become the chip leader with two tables left, and I raised from the button with pocket threes. The small blind reraised, I went all in, and he instantly called with pocket
queens. I lost about a million there, and it was a big mistake. The average at the final table was about 800,000. I was down to about 160,000, but doubled up again with pocket fives against A-J or something like that. Then, I drew out later with A-10 against A-J. Come to think of it, there were quite a few key hands. The Q-J at the final table is, of course, another one. I was running good in this tournament.
SM: What does losing a hand like the one in which you had pocket threes do to you mentally?
AO: I didn't let it get to me. It's happened too many times online, so I know how to deal with it. I still had about 20 big blinds left, and I've come back from probably one big blind to win a tournament before, so I know it can be done. This is where the experience of playing a lot of poker online helps me.
SM: With this win, you've won a lot of money. How will this affect your life?
AO: The bracelet means a lot more than the money, but the money is, of course, nice. I actually wasn't going to play in the tournament, as I thought $20,000 was too much to pay in, so I asked two of my friends, Cliff Josephy and Eric Haber, if they would buy 50 percent of me and they agreed. They're happy about that now (laughing)! After I've paid my taxes, we'll probably buy a house, so I won't see much of it, anyway. It's expensive to live in Norway.
SM: You say that you've been invited on dates. Have you ever been tempted to take them up on their offers?
AO: No, never! Never have, never will (laughing)!
SM: You've signed a sponsorship deal with Betfair. How long were you in negotiations, and what were your criteria for choosing Betfair?
AO: I had gotten a couple of other offers that I wasn't really satisfied with. My manager, Per Hagen at Pokermanager.com, put together a biography/resume that he presented to several sites, and Betfair offered me a contract that I was really pleased with. I'm their main priority, and they've given me the opportunity to play any live tournament I want to play, which was exactly what I was looking for in a deal. By the way, be sure to check out my blog at both betfair.com and pokermanager.com.
SM: You've broken a lot of records - youngest bracelet winner and first female main-event winner, to mention a few. You've written poker history, and some people even believe that your win will have as big an impact as Chris Moneymaker's in 2003. Do you agree?
AO: No, I don't think it's going to be that big. It's fun that a lot of people are following my success and are rooting for me. I don't think I'd be able to do as well if they weren't behind me, but the attention I've been getting is a little hard to get used to. I'm getting text messages every single minute from people I don't even know, congratulating me, asking me for a date, or even begging for money. It's unbelievable. The media attention is also massive, but I guess it's just part of the job.
SM: It's going to be hard to top this win, Annette, but what's your next goal?
AO: Maybe to win an
EPT event? I'm going to play several of the events on the
European Poker Tour this season. There's not much else I can do until I turn 21, anyway, but the minute I do, I'm going to Vegas!
