Once upon a time there were rumors of a girl from the top of the world who could play online poker without looking at her cards  and still win.  Before she introduced herself to the world with a victory in one of Europe’s most prestigious tournaments Anette “Annette_15″ Obrestad was a legendary online player.  Here are some of the startling stories about her.

She has won millions playing poker but she never once has deposited money on an online poker site.  She started by playing massive freerolls to build up her initial online bankroll.  At times she has over a million dollars on different sites in less than a year.    In July 2007, Obrestad played a $4 180 person sit and go without looking at her cards.  She focused on playing position and observing the other players at the table.  Poker is easy for some of us.

A day before turning 19 years old she won the aforementioned World Series of Poker Europe Main Event.  She won 2.01 million dollars and that was the largest prize won by a woman ever in any tournament. 

Then two years later she turned 21.  Now she no longer has to back her older and inferior friends to get a sweat at the World Series as she’ll be able to back herself.  She has already grown a huge bankroll from just playing freerolls and soon she’ll be able to compete on the biggest stage.

En route to Las Vegas and her World Series coming out party, where she’ll rub elbows with the likes of Annie Duke (who held the former biggest one day pay day by a woman at 2 million in the WSOP Tournament of Champions, 2004), Obrestad took in the Aussie Millions this year.  Despite being more well known for her Texas Hold ‘Em No Limit acumen, it was in Pot Limit Omaha that she won her first of age tournament.

Anette is a No Limit Hold ’Em genius and now apparently she can claim she is an Omaha genius too.  She did battle with a starting field of 160 runners.  She captured the 1.1k Pot Limit Omaha (Event 4 at the 2010 Aussie Millions) this week with the same type of careful observation of position and players as she used to win a $4.00 sit ’n go blindfolded.

Sometimes, the player you fear the most at a final table isn’t the old hand, the grizzled rounder, or the computer geek with an online poker site logo on his height, it’s the unassuming quiet and gracious young lady from Norway that will rob you blind and bully you are the weakest kid in the playground.  The players knew to fear Obrestad bu there was nothing they could do to keep her from capturing the $40,000 AUD first place prize.   

The final table began to shed contestants when Michael Sampieri could not beat Billy Seri and took home $3,200 AUD for his troubles.   Obrestad got into the mix knocking out players when she put Tony Bloom in her sights.  Anette started with AKQJ and improved to top two when the board came out J56K2.  Bloom’s pocket rockets to go with a 5 9 hoped the board would pair the 5 or 6 on the river but the 2 came instead.  Bloom’s booty was 4,800 AUD.

The next to go was the affable Paul Taylor.  He finished the Omaha poker event in seventh place winning $6,400 AUD.  Obrestad eliminated her next victim when  Emad Tahtouh’s KK810  could not overcome Obrestad’s AAKQ.  Tahtouh’s sixth-place finish was good for $8,800 AUD.

The next to go had a lot of pros and cons.  A pro for pro poker player Con Angelakis was that he made the final table.  The con for Con was that he went home in fifth place.  A pro was he made $11,200 AUD. A con was that he didn’t win the 40k first place prize. 

Obrestad wasn’t done kicking people off her final table as she knocked out Oliver Gill (fourth place for $17,600 AUD).  Then it was Ryan Gutch’s turn on the gallows (third place for $22,800 AUD).   Billy Seri might have started off the final table with the first elimination but on the final elimination it was he that was sent packing.   Obrestad held KJJ2 and Seri had Kj98.  The board gave Seri the bad news when Obrestad’s jacks held;  AA9210.  Seri had $31,200 AUD to comfort himself.  

For a youngster who is getting comfortable making firsts, this marked two more as it was her first live PLO title, and she became the first female Aussie Millions Champion.