She claims never to have made a single deposit and has built up her bankroll to several hundred thousand dollars from scratch
Annette_15 has caused more of a stir in online poker circles than any other player. Find out why…
Annette Obrestad aka Annette_15 is one of the most talked-about online players in Europe.
Poker cause celebre
Her success, or otherwise, has made her a cause celebre in the online poker community and she probably has more threads on more poker forums devoted to her than any other player.
Many people even criticised the way she was brought up as she admits to being taught seven-card stud by her dad at a very young age, and started playing poker online when well below the legal age.
She says when she started playing online she asked her mum for her credit card details so she could deposit some money but her mum refused. Not to be thwarted she entered a freeroll tourney on UltimateBet and won $9. Since that day she claims never to have made a single deposit and has built up her bankroll to several hundred thousand dollars from scratch.
What isn’t in doubt though is that she’s an incredible player and became one of internet poker’s biggest earners in less than six months.
She played in her first offline tourney – UltimateBet’s showpiece $5,000 buy-in Aruba Classic – and hacked through a field of over 500, eventually finishing 37th (good for another $12,415).
But September ’07 would see her shoot to super-stardom when at the age of 18 she outlasted a field of 362 to win the first-ever WSOPE Europe – good for a cool £1million. It also made her by far the youngest WSOP Bracelet winner in history, a record which may never be broken.
The month after she proceeded to follow this up with 2nd in the EPT Dublin for another $429,181. All in all, her total live tournament winnings exceeded $2,521,408 before she was old enough to even set foot in a Vegas casino.
Asked recently about her playing style, she said: “I remember back when I was building my bankroll and I was playing really tight, not making moves, never bluffed, just played ABC poker all day. That got me to a certain point and I knew I could beat the low stakes games. I had a long period where nothing happened and I just felt like I was stuck.
“I realized that in order to move up and be able to beat the big guys playing the higher buy-in tourneys, I had to change my game. So I started experimenting with raising marginal hands that I usually wouldn’t play and decided to improve my post flop play even if that meant looking like a donk for a while.
After making many funny moves and a lot of mistakes, I finally got the hang of it and I think that’s when I really started winning a lot.”
If you find yourself sitting next to her on PokerStars – watch out!
But wait until the WSOPE is televised – I am never going to be able to get away with a bluff again!
We caught up with nineteen year old legend Annette_15 aka Annette Obrestad in Dortmund for an interview on life, money, poker, Betfair, Poker Manager, and everything else… Lucy: I noticed when we walked together that everyone was looking at you, and I’m sure you did too. Have you gotten used to everybody knowing you since the WSOPE? Annette_15: Yeah! I guess people knew who I was before I played the WSOPE because of my online reputation. Lucy: Is it good to have people wanting to speak to you? Annette_15: It can be kind of annoying sometimes, but you do get used to it. Lucy: Is it not flattering sometimes? Annette_15: Yeah it’s cool all these people want to talk to me when I don’t feel that special – I’ve just won a tournament. Lucy: Yeah, but you should feel a bit special, cos here’s the thing. I’m 19 year old girl just like you. I play poker, but I haven’t won millions of dollars. In fact, I’m probably not even in profit right now. What is it that makes you so successful so young? Annette_15: Erm, I just play a lot. I play a lot of tournaments and I work very hard at my game. I’m always reading books and forums and training sites, and I watch videos. Lucy: Then could anyone devoted to poker really be great? Annette_15: I guess you kind of have to have it in you. But I think if you work hard enough you can definitely be a winning player. It’s not that hard to be honest. So many people play so bad, you just play the right game and try not to make mistakes. Lucy: Do you feel relaxed when you are playing? Annette_15: Now I do. When I started I was a little nervous, sitting with nine guys round the table and I’m the only girl, you know? But it’s kind of the other way around now. Lucy: I think so too. Do you think being a young woman makes them nervous of you? Annette_15: Definitely; especially when I play online. People who have been playing with me online have heard about me. I think I get a lot more respect than I deserve! It is good – they fold too much to me. But wait until the WSOPE is televised – I am never going to be able to get away with a bluff again! (laughs) Lucy: I spotted Daniel Negreanu coming to talk to you – were you nervous when you first met him? Annette_15: He’s a really good guy. I’ve talked to him some and he seems nice. The first time I saw him and had never talked to him before, it was like, wow, there’s Daniel Negreanu. But after a while you see him at every tournament and you’re like in the same position as him. Lucy: So you are one of the pros now? Annette_15: Yeah, in a way (laughs). It is kind of weird! Lucy: And how has becoming a poker star affected your life away from the table? Annette_15: I wouldn’t say it has affected anything. No, not away from the table. Back home, poker isn’t a big thing so I don’t get recognised when I walk out in the street. I don’t know, I kind of like it. It’s like two different lives. People don’t know who you are. I wouldn’t like to be an all out poker star, like wherever you go you have paparazzi following you. Lucy: I assume though, that back home, your friends know you are successful. Were any of your peers jealous of you when you first won money? Annette_15: I think they were just happy for me. People say they’re jealous but they’re just kidding. Lucy: Do you invest your winnings? Annette_15: I’ve invested a lot of money outside of poker tournaments, yeah. I don’t have to invest in tournaments because of my sponsorship with Betfair. They pay for my entry, they pay for my travel and all the expenses – I’m freerolling for the next five years. Lucy: Wow! Have you invested in Poker Manager? Annette_15: Urm, yeah a little bit I have. Lucy: Are Poker Manager and Betfair connected, and if not, does that affect your Betfair sponsorship? Annette_15: No, they’re not connected. And it doesn’t affect things, Betfair are really just using my name. Lucy: Like a brand? Annette_15: Sort of! (laughs) Lucy: So you get freerolled for being a brand? Annette_15: Yeah – but not because of Poker Manager. I got involved with Poker Manager through my manager. Lucy: When did you get a manager? Annette_15: March last year, it was half a year before the WSOPE. He was trying to get me deals. Lucy: Were you getting approached a lot for interviews too? Annette_15: A lot of people wanted interviews, it was annoying at times but I would just say yes and do it! Lucy: Going back to being a girl – what do you think about womens’ tournaments? Annette_15: I haven’t played in any. They’re just haven’t been any – I can’t play in Vegas. I guess one day I will play one in Vegas – I think the field will be really soft. It’s a good chance to win a bracelet! (laughs) It wouldn’t be as good as winning a normal event, but it’s still money, it’s still good. Lucy: Does it still mean anything to you to when you win money considering the amount you’ve already won? Annette_15: It’s not so much about the money any more. It’s about proving how good I am now and I don’t want to be in the situation where I really haven’t done anything for a year. I don’t want to be like Chris Moneymaker, just win one tournament and never do anything again. Lucy: Well, he PLAYS tournaments… Annette_15: Yeah (laughs), he does. Lucy: Now it’s all about keeping winning? Annette_15: Of course. I want to be the best poker player in the world. Lucy: So if you were to win the World Series main event… Annette_15: That would be so sick! Lucy: …then what would be your next goal? Annette_15: I don’t know. You can’t top it. Win a WPT 5 diamond event? I have no idea. It’s what every poker player wants. Lucy: I’m interested in this, because every time you win, the goals must get higher and higher for you. So say for me, my goal is to win a $50 tournament next week, then the week after, a $100 tournament, then I would think, how do YOU keep finding your buzz of winning? Annette_15: It’s just exciting to play. Like when you make a play and it’s like three hundred thousand dollars if you’re wrong, you know? You just get that feeling. Lucy: Do you like gambling? Annette_15: Nah. I don’t play any table games like blackjack or craps. Lucy: Uh oh, I’m going to have to ask you a standard poker question now, sorry! What percentage of poker is luck? Annette_15: (laughs) That’s hard to answer. If you play ten thousand tournaments, probably 100%. But if you play one individual tournament, any one could win it. It’s just about making less mistakes than everyone else and running good at the right times. Lucy: Do you care about your media image? Annette_15: I’m just being me. If people don’t like it, I don’t care. Lucy: That’s definitely a good thing. But if the attention were to stop tomorrow, would you miss it? Annette_15: Well, maybe a little bit, yeah. Lucy: And what about if you had to choose between the respect you get with winning, and the money you get with winning? Annette_15: I guess respect comes with money… Lucy: You really couldn’t choose? Annette_15: Well I guess the money! (laughs). Lucy: Because you’re made for life right? Annette_15: (smiling) Yeah. Lucy: That’s perfect, thanks. It’s been a pleasure meeting you Annette, and good l uck with everything.
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