Annette Obrestad signs as Venetian Poker Room ambassador
Written by
Pete - Tuesday, February 2, 2016,
Live poker
Surely anti-online poker campaign leader Sheldon Adelson wasn’t in the know about his venue’s new signing?!
In a truly bizarre turn of events, former online poker superstar Annette ‘Annette_15’ Obrestad has recently signed on to become the new ambassador for Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas based Venetian Poker Room.
Obrestad, who remains the youngest ever player to have won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet after her famous World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event title back in 2007, made her name through the game’s online format while playing underage.
She was only 18 years old when she took down that WSOPE title in London for a cool $2M pay day. That same year she somehow managed to win a 180-man SNG online without looking at her hole cards.
Plus, despite not booking a live five-figure cash since a deep run in the WSOP Main Event of 2013, Obrestad remains Norway’s second most successful live tournament player of all time behind only 2014 WSOP Main Event runner-up Felix Stephensen.
However, she dampened her formerly glowing reputation by continuing to act as the face of shamed online venue Lock Poker for some time regardless of being in the know about its players struggling to withdraw their bankrolls.
Adelson, chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, is reportedly worth over $28 billion and has gone on record stating that he would “spend whatever it takes” to stop “cancerous” online poker returning across the US.
One of his primary “concerns” about the online game is that it’s too easy for those underage to sign up and get involved in the action. Another is over the integrity of online poker and some of its providers, given the numerous scams that have gone public in the past.
Seems like a match made in heaven…