The countdown to the 2026 WSOP starts here. 100 bracelets. The world's best players. And PokerOrg will be on the floor from start to finish.
Annette Obrestad won the first WSOP Europe event in 2007 and became the youngest player ever to win a bracelet. That record remains to this day.
You recently went deep in the first major tournament you’ve played in over 10 years at the WSOP Europe in Prague. Were there any moments where you thought, ‘I could win this'?
I guess it was when I was at the feature table. I won a big pot with eights against sevens. It was the first time that I was an above-average stack, and I remember thinking, ‘Holy shit, this could actually happen again.’
That would have been insane, wouldn't it? The tournament didn’t feel real until then.
How are you preparing for your first summer grind at the WSOP in over a decade?
Probably just playing – I just want to have a good time. I have other things going on during the summer, too. I have a Scrabble tournament coming up at the beginning of June, and I'll be gone for three days for that. Let’s see what happens. I’ll play whatever I feel like and not force anything.
Is the mental preparation for the Scrabble events you compete in similar to your approach to poker?
I'm not someone who likes to overly prepare for anything. By that point, you’re not going to learn much anyway – you might just confuse yourself.
Is there one particular event at the WSOP you're most looking forward to?
I'm actually looking forward to the very first event, the Mini Mystery Millions. That's going to be fun. I love the idea of there being a $1M bounty in a $500 tournament. That's sick.
Annette Obrestad defeated John Tabatabai heads-up to win the first WSOP Europe Main event and became the youngest player ever to win a bracelet.What ESPN’s return could mean for poker
How do you recharge on your days off?
My number one priority is to get enough rest. Sleep is very underrated. Some people think they can be totally okay on five hours of sleep for two weeks straight. That’s just not the case at all. Your brain doesn’t work properly without rest and recovery. For me, sleep is the most important thing I do to recharge.
If you could get one superpower to employ at the WSOP, what would it be?
Good question. That's a tough one because they all come with downsides. I would love to know what everyone is thinking at all times.
That’s a good one for poker.
Yes. But would I really want that power, though? Because a lot of bad things could come out of that. You could go crazy hearing everyone's every thought. But it would also be such a nice skill to have. It’s not cheating if you know what they're thinking, right?
What kind of impact do you expect from ESPN’s return to the WSOP?
I think it's a good thing. It means more eyes on the game, and maybe more people will start playing again.
It would be really cool if someone like Chris Moneymaker won the Main Event again or at least if it wasn't a pro. I mean, I'll volunteer. The impact ESPN has will probably depend on who reaches the Main Event final table.
Annette Obrestad: The quickfire round
The 2026 WSOP starts on May 26 and runs through August 5, when the Main Event champion will be crowned.
