World Champion Espen Jørstad Adds Norwegian Championship Title to His Collection

The prestigious 25th annual festival took place at Bratislava's Banco, marking the third consecutive year the Slovak capital has hosted the Norwegian poker community's centerpiece event. The Main Event, which featured an €800 buy-in, drew an impressive 786 entries, pushing the total prizepool to €543,284.

Jørstad's First Domestic Title
 

Highlighting the final day was none other than Espen Uhlen Jørstad, who made poker history in 2022 by winning two gold bracelets and the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas, earning a staggering $10 million.

Despite boasting the world's top achievements, a Norwegian championship title had eluded Jørstad until now. "It feels amazing after many attempts," admitted the champion, who expressed immense relief rather than a wild celebration after securing victory with the final hand.

The final table was characterized by a friendly atmosphere, as five of the eight finalists hailed from central Norway, near Trondheim. In the decisive heads-up, Jørstad faced off against the initial chipleader, carpenter and farmer Bjørge Storflor.

Although Storflor began with a chip advantage of 61 million to 18 million, Jørstad's experience and patient play enabled him to overcome the deficit through a challenging and lengthy heads-up battle.

In the final hand, both players went all-in pre-flop. Jørstad held 7 d 7 c, while his opponent had A c 7 h. The board T s 2 h 3 d 6 s 9 h did not deliver the ace Storflor needed, cementing Jørstad's victory. Espen Jørstad thus added the Norwegian championship to his world champion title, taking home €102,000.

Main Event Norges-Mesterskapet Final Table Results:

ATTENTION! We have great news for you. We met with the fresh champion right after the final showdown and prepared an exclusive interview. It will be available on our website very soon!

Sources: Banco Casino, PokerNM, Poker.no