Drop out's a poker ace at just 20, with millions in the bank, by Michael Lallo - The Sydney Morning Herald - 14th January 2009

Among a group of men huddled around a poker table in Crown Casino sits a 20-year-old Norwegian woman named Annette Obrestad.

She is short, confident and stylish; her hot-pink leggings and shiny black boots stand in stark contrast to the T-shirts and beer bellies of her competitors.

And if things go her way during the month-long Aussie Millions Championship, she will leave our shores a couple of million dollars richer.

Obrestad is a poker phenomenon: a high-school drop-out and under-age gambler who has become a record-breaking champion.

"I realised I was talented after I started winning more through poker than my mum was earning in her job," she says during a short break from play. "I've made lots of money. I'm not going to say how much, but it's quite a bit."

According to some reports, she has won at least $US3.3 million, including $US2 million in the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOP) tournament and $US500,000 from various Pokerstars online tournaments.

Obrestad got her start after seeing an advertisement for an online poker website.

"It sounded like fun, so I played a few games and did pretty well," she says. "I was only 15 at the time, so I guess what I did was technically illegal. But I never deposited the money, so I don't feel like I did anything wrong."

At 18, Obrestad became the youngest ever winner of the WSOP Europe tournament, and her $US2 million prize is the biggest single-event payout to a female player. She has since won several other live and online tournaments. Not bad considering she can't even compete in WSOP events in the United States until she turns 21.

"I dropped out of high school when I was 17," she says. "I just didn't see the point of getting a degree. All it would have done is stopped me from doing what I really want to do for another three years."

Not surprisingly, nearly all her competitors are men.

"You're lucky if one in 10 players are girls. The women I've played are much older. They only come to the casino because their husbands drag them along. And to be honest, most of them suck."

Obrestad says she prefers playing online, even though she cannot gauge her competitors' physical reactions.

"I find it easier because I first played online," she says. "You notice other players doing the same things with certain hands. And a lot of them have taught themselves on poker training websites. Often, they all end up using the same tactics, so it's not that hard to beat them."

Given Obrestad scored her first payout of $US9 in a tournament with no entry fee, she claims she has never gambled any cash she hadn't previously won.

"I'm pretty good with money," she said. "I obviously have to risk what I've earned to win more, but I've never lost more than I've won. My only big purchase is the house that I bought for my mum. Apart from that, I got some new clothes and invested the rest."

Obrestad's tournament entry fees are paid by her sponsor, an online betting agency, and she allegedly pays her own travel and accommodation costs. But anti-gambling campaigners warn against others being tempted to emulate her good fortune.

"Most people gamble in the belief they will make a quick buck," says Mark Zirnsak, chair of the Interchurch Gambling Task Force. "But that's a false belief. The odds are always stacked against you."

Zirnsak says anyone who gambles should set a limit and stick to it, gamble only what they can afford to lose, leave their bank cards at home, and always attend gambling venues with a friend. (Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)

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