Former Cook Winner at the World Series of Poker Las Vegas Main Event

World Series of Poker Main Event, held in Las Vegas, has its big winner and his name is Martin Jacobson. The 27-year-old Swede is no stranger to big poker tournaments, but he has never won one until now. He shared that he started playing online poker after his night shifts in a restaurant. Jacobson wanted to become a chef and to move to Barcelona, where he was promised a job at a local restaurant. When his arrangements fell apart, he decided that he should engage more seriously in poker.

What is more, Jacobson travelled to the USA when he was 21, aspiring to participate in the WSOP Las Vegas Main Event. However, he failed. Little did he know that only some years later he would not only enter it, but also win it.

It took 12 hours for the final three players to be determined and they all turned out to be Europeans. This has never happened before in the history of World Series of Poker’s Texas Hold ’em Main Event. Another interesting fact is that all three finalists currently reside in London.

In order to face each other in a head-to-head play at the final stage, Jacobson and the 24-year old Norwegian Felix Stephensen ousted the professional player Jorryt van Hoof from the Netherlands. Despite the fact that he started as a chip leader, he finished third and was sent home with $3.8 million of the total prize pool. Van Hoof shared that he found playing with his younger opponents quite enjoyable. He also said that the winner needed to buy him a dinner.

Jacobson did not lose his composure even for a moment during the two days of the event. Unlike his opponents, he did not wear neither sunglasses, nor a cap, so as to hide his reactions. Quite the contrary, he was reported to stare at the other players persistently, looking calm and relaxed.

In the final minutes of the head-to-head play, Stephensen’s [Ah][9h]

just could not stand a chance against Swede’s pocket tens and when the board showed another ten, the winner was clear. The twenty-four-year-old Norwegian won $5.1 million for his second position. He shared with interviewers that he felt disappointed to be so close to the title, but to have the odds against him. He also added that he found the final table quite challenging.

Martin Jacobson took $10 million of the total prize pool and a WSOP gold bracelet for his first place. He commented on the tournament as not being exactly “perfect”, but at least it was quite close to perfection. A day before his big win, the Swede wrote on his Twitter page: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Considering his latest achievement, Mr. Jacobson was well-prepared, it seems.