Poker news | Jul 19, 2022
Espen Jorstad wins 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event for $10,000,000
By RTR Alex
Jorstad first hit poker news headlines when he won Event #55: Tag Team alongside Patrick Leonard for $148,067, but he is lighting up the scene once again after topping a field of 8,663 players, the second-largest in WSOP history, to win the Main Event. The Norwegian pro put on a stellar performance throughout the tournament and closed out the event by defeating runner-up, Adrian Attenborough, in tough heads-up play to take home the first place prize of $10,000,000.
Though the final table upset may have been a disappointment for the Australian Attenborough, he was still able to cash in a whopping $6,000,000, while third-place finisher Michael Duek won $4 million.
Jorstad makes history as the first Norwegian ever to win the WSOP Main Event. The closest a Norwegian poker player has come to the prestigious gold bracelet, is the 2014 runner-up Felix Stephensen who now falls to second place on Norway's all-time money list.
The question now is... what will he do next?
It seems Jorstad has his plans already laid out:
My goal has been to reach into the High Roller scene and play more $25,000 tournaments and stuff like that. I've dipped my toes, but now I have a bigger bankroll to take some shots in those tournaments. I need to get in the lab and make sure I'm good enough to play them... And make some very sensible investments — cryptocurrencies and tech stocks, probably.
She was crying and had trouble speaking. She's my biggest fan, so it was kind of emotional... It feels really good.
Final Table Results
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (USD) |
| 1 | Espen Jorstad | Norway | $10,000,000 |
| 2 | Adrian Attenborough | Australia | $6,000,000 |
| 3 | Michael Duek | Argentina | $4,000,000 |
| 4 | John Eames | United Kingdom | $3,000,000 |
| 5 | Matija Dobric | Croatia | $2,250,000 |
| 6 | Jeffrey Farnes | United States | $1,750,000 |
| 7 | Aaron Duczak | Canada | $1,350,000 |
| 8 | Philippe Souki | United Kingdom | $1,075,000 |
| 9 | Matthew Su | United States | $850,675 |
| 10 | Asher Conniff | United States | $675,000 |
The tank heard around the world.
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) July 16, 2022
Espen Jorstad strikes first in heads-up play after moving all in on the river and putting Adrian Attenborough in the cage with his bluff catcher.
▶️ - Stream is live. Watch here: https://t.co/niEDphYWiO pic.twitter.com/Ano6cgCaYX
Funnily enough, Jorstad revealed to Attenborough that he was the one player he did not want to face heads-up for the title and admits he "just got better cards than him today."
In a post-win interview Jorstad commented on the tank:
"How long was he tanking? It felt like an eternity... I was trying to focus on my breathing, did some meditation. I've been [meditating] on and off for an eternity. You focus on different body parts, focusing on each finger and just chilling in my zone."
Unlike the 10 hour heads-up stint we witnessed in 2018, it took the Norwegian just 20 minutes to be crowned champion. Jorstad forced another deep tank from Attenborough on the final hand, where the soon-to-be victor landed a full house on the river.
I was curious how the match was going to go... The heads-up was almost finished in one hand which was kind of absurd. It went as expected. He's a really tough opponent, plays aggressively and finds good hero calls... He's a very tough opponent so it went as expected."
I ran really good and definitely don't deserve to win $6,000,000, I was just along for the ride and it sucks. Such a big mistake at the end, but it's ok. I'm super proud.