| Name | Annette Obrestad |
|---|---|
| Born | Sep. 18, 1988 |
| Birth Place | Sandnes , NO |
Obrestad, who is now 25, has enjoyed a massive amount of success both live and online under her “Annette15” screen name. Her combined scores total well over $5 million according to The Hendon. Annette Obrestad was raking in the cash by playing at online poker sites, where she was known as a skilled and fierce competitor. However, the whole world would come to recognize her talent when she won the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event on September 17, 2007, becoming the youngest player ever to win a WSOP bracelet.
Annette Obrestad is a nice, quiet, unassuming girl - until you meet her at the poker table.Known as Annette_15 online, Obrestad has played thousands upon thousands of hands online. While doing so she developed a highly effective poker game that is reminiscent of that of other famously aggressive Scandinavians. In 2007 Obrestad shook the poker world by winning the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. By doing so, Obrestad broke several records, including youngest
marked cards player ever to win a bracelet and largest single-event payout to a female.
Obrestad grew up in the small Norwegian town of Sandness. She was only 15 years old when a friend shipped her some money on an online poker site. The idea of a 15-year-old playing poker online created controversy and is exactly why many governments have attempted to ban online poker. It's worth noting that Obrestad never actually deposited any of her own money.
After winning a few freerolls and slowly moving up the online poker ranks Obrestad got good. Really good. She was so good, in fact, that she didn't even need to see hole cards. During one legendary online tournament Obrestad put tape over her computer monitor so she couldn't see her own hand. By using superior bluffing techniques and reading her opponents perfectly she outlasted 180 opponents and went on to win the tournament.
By 2006 Obrestad had elevated her online game so high that she was dominating the online world. She won countless $100 buy-in tournaments on both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, garnering around $10,000 to $20,000 for every victory. Annette_15 had built her bankroll to such a size that she could afford to compete at the highest levels.
Having conquered the online world, it seemed only natural that Obrestad would turn her attention to live play, given that some of the most lucrative poker tournaments are of course the live ones.
Despite some minor cashes in some EPT events and a good showing at the Aruba Classic, Obrestad didn't really capture the attention of the mainstream poker media at first easy cards tricks.
Because of her age Obrestad couldn't go to Las Vegas and compete in the World Series of Poker, but when it was announced the WSOP was coming to Europe, she was probably one of the first players in line.
Although Obrestad made an appearance in the Pot-Limit Omaha event it was during the Main Event that she began to find her game. Obrestad ironically eliminated two of the top female players in Annie Duke and Jennifer Harman on Day 3 of the tournament. She was just getting started, however, and by the end of the day Annette_15 was one of the top five chip leaders. The next day she had some ups and downs but she made it to the final table in the middle of the pack.
Through calculated play and a couple risky moves Obrestad made it to heads-up play against Londoner John Tabatabai. After several hours of play that went back and forth, Obrestad took a commanding lead. The final hand of the day, one that Obrestad will likely remember forever, saw her dealt pocket sevens against Tabatabai's #6d-#5c. The flop went #7c-#6c-#5h and Obrestad thought for a minute and then pushed all-in. Tabatabai made the call but was shocked to find his two pair bested by Obrestad's set of sevens. The board finished #2c-#Qh and Annette_15's place in poker history was secured. At only 18 years old (her birthday was the day after the Main Event) Obrestad had won one of the most prestigious poker tournaments ever held in Europe.
Obrestad won £1 million ($2.01 million) for her victory, which was the best ever for a female player in a single event (she narrowly beat out Annie Duke, who scored $2 million for winning the Tournament of Champions). Ironically organizers had marketed the event with the tagline, 'Who will be the King of Europe?' Needless to say, they had to change their tune when it was in fact a Queen, not a King, who won the prestigious poker tournament.
A number of poker professionals who were at the WSOPE, including Kirk Morrison and Daniel Negreanu, touted her performance as one of the most impressive they had ever seen.
Shortly after the WSOPE Obrestad was signed by Betfair Poker, and she continued to frequent online tournaments. She also began to make the rounds in European live tournaments and other bigger-buy-in events that allow players under 21 to compete.
Of course the one tournament series Obrestad has her eye on is the WSOP in Las Vegas. Unfortunately because of her age it will be a while yet before she is allowed to compete but when she does get there, she will already have won more money in poker than most players make in a lifetime.
Trivia
- Youngest player ever to win a WSOP bracelet
- Renowned online player
- Once won a 180-player online sit-and-go without looking at her hole cards
- Won the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe Main Event
- Owns the record for highest single-event payout to a female player ($2.01 million)
Annette Obrestad recent tournament placings
Place Winnings Tournament 89 $71,053 WSOP 2013, $10,000 Main Event 42 $6,051 WSOP 2013, Event 7: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em 41 $6,534 WSOP 2012, Event #28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Four Handed 8 $28,409 WSOP 2012, Event #3: $3,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em / Pot-Limit Omaha 36 $12,561 WSOP 2010, Event 50 - $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 11 $13,654 WSOP 2010, Event 39 - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout 72 $10,497 WSOP 2010, Event 17 - $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 11 $25,000 2010 Special, 2010 NBC Heads-Up Championship 7 $175,000 2010 Special, 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event 17 £17,000 EPT Season 6, EPT London 13 $100,100 EPT Season 5, PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final 21 $50,000 2009 Special, 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event 2 €297,800 EPT Season 4, EPT Dublin 1 £1,000,000 2007 WSOPE, Event 3, No-Limit Texas Hold'em Main Event
- »News
- »Six Poker Stars Who Retired From The Game
“You don’t quit poker, poker quits you,” is a phrase that often does the rounds in players’ discussions. Yet some players do retire from poker, although they rarely stay retired as you’re about to find out.
Jason Strasser: The best retired player you’ve never heard of
You are forgiven for not knowing the name Jason Strasser even if you should. Strasser was one of the original online poker crushers and used the alias “strassa2”. Strasser racked up millions in online cashes and another million in the live arena.
It wasn’t a massive surprise when Strasser announced was quitting poker. He is highly intelligent and took a job in finance with Morgan Stanley in 2007. Strasser didn’t stay retired for long, although his volume in live events massively reduced.
January 2018 saw Strasser make a rare appearance at the felt and he showed he still has mad skills. He triumphed in the WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event for $332,539. Once a great poker player, always a great poker player.
Annette Obrestad
Annette Obrestad became the youngest-ever winner of the WSOP bracelet back in 2007 and had the world at her feet. Obrestad climbed to the top of the online poker tournament rankings and was seen as a legitimate poker star.
The talented Norwegian never told the poker community she retired. Instead, she simply drifted away from the poker scene. Obrestad now has her own YouTube channel where she showcases make-up tips. It’s a world away from poker and one Obrestad says she is happy in.
Vanessa Selbst
Nobody batted an eyelid when Vanessa Selbst announced her retirement. Just like nobody was shocked when she didn’t stay fully retired. The former Team PokerStars Pro has pursued a legal career, which is her passion.
Selbst announced her retirement on New Year’s Eve in 2017. She made an appearance at the 2017 WSOP, cashing twice, but didn’t register a single cash in 2018. Selbst never said she was fully retired and returned to action in September 2019 in the WPT Borgata Poker Open Main Event. A 14th place finish netted Selbst $39,950 and took her lifetime winnings to $11,891,331.
Annette Obrestad Boyfriend
Andy Frankenberger
Andy Frankenberger burst onto the poker scene in 2010 and retired eight years later, or did he? The World Poker Tour named Frankenberger the Season IX Player of the Year in his first season. He went on to win one WPT title and a brace of WSOP bracelets.
Frankenberger tweeted he had retired in September 2018. “I’m heading back to Wall Street”” After an exciting, rewarding 8 years playing poker, I decided to rejoin my former bank as an equity derivatives trader. I’ll miss playing poker regularly, but don’t be surprised to see me on the felt. Poker players never really “retire,” do we?”
He didn’t stay retired for long. Frankenberger finished 12th in the $10K LA Poker Classic for $78,040 in march 2019. He also cashed in the same Borgata tournament Selbst did when both temporarily pretended they weren’t retired!
Doug Polk
Doug Polk is one of the few players that has remained retired, at least for now. Polk managed to win more than $9.4 million from live tournaments, helped by a trio of WSOP bracelets. He completed a $100 to $10,000 bankroll challenge in September 2018 and chose that moment to retire.
Annette Obrestad 2020
Polk said he may play poker again in the future, but is happy producing content on YouTube for now. The 30-year-old has a popular YouTube channel plus founded poker training site Upswing Poker.
Fedor Holz just can’t stay retired
Fedor Holz is living proof poker players never stay fully retired. Holz is a legend of the game despite only being 26-years-old. The incredibly talented German racked up more than $32 million in cashes during a six-year career.
Annette Obrestad Instagram
Holz “retired” in 2016 after an incredible year that saw him win $16,093,401. He didn’t stay retired long and won another $12,625,952 during the next two years. Holz didn’t register a single cash in 2019 and says he has no plans for playing poker in 2020. Don’t be surprised if you read about yet another Holz victory in the coming months then!