The Well; Annette Obrestad

[Annette Obrestad]

A stranger is being shown around a village that he has just become part of. He is shown a well and his guide says "On any day except Tuesday, you can shout any question down that well and you'll be told the answer." The man seems pretty impressed, and so he shouts down, "Why not on Tuesday?" A voice from in the well shouts back, "Because on Tuesday, it's your day in the well."

In this forum, wells will be scheduled events where an esteemed member of our community will answer questions posed by the rest of us. Each thread in The Well will be initiated by a person who has accepted the invitation to answer questions directed at him/her.


Alright my turn, shoot guys. I'll be answering all the questions you have the next couple of days gogogogogo.

Annette

[FirstDonk]

Hi Annette,

1) Do you feel being a woman and a young one at that, that the play at your table still seems pretty aggressive towards you? I hear many women say that they feel uncomfortable at times at the poker table because they feel all the men are trying to take them out.

2) On the note above, being a fairly well known Internet pro and now a live pro (and World Champ!), do you feel you get respect at the tables?

3) You said in your interview on Random Questions with Matt Waldron that you probably were going to buy a house for your mom with your winnings from the WSOPE, did you in fact splurge a little bit more with that huge win?

4) You're story has been told in many forms, about you starting from freerolls and working your way up the levels to winning a complete tournament without looking at your hole cards (well you admitted you did once). How long did it take you to move up the levels and what approach did you use as you did so (bankroll management etc)?

I have millions more, but I'll leave it at that. Thanks Annette!

[m9sw33pr]

HI Annette, thanks for answring questions. I was wondering what type of live tournament you prefer more, turbo tournaments or deep stacked?
Also, as a girl, a lot of times in live tournaments I end up getting called 100% of the time...lol. While this is usually great it can lead to a lot of variance also, do you have any recomendations for playing against guys who will call with anything..do you play tighter or just ship it when you're ahead and hope it holds up?
thanks again

[Annette Obrestad]

Originally Posted by FirstDonk

Hi Annette,

1) Do you feel being a woman and a young one at that, that the play at your table still seems pretty aggressive towards you? I hear many women say that they feel uncomfortable at times at the poker table because they feel all the men are trying to take them out.

2) On the note above, being a fairly well known Internet pro and now a live pro (and World Champ!), do you feel you get respect at the tables?

3) You said in your interview on Random Questions with Matt Waldron that you probably were going to buy a house for your mom with your winnings from the WSOPE, did you in fact splurge a little bit more with that huge win?

4) You're story has been told in many forms, about you starting from freerolls and working your way up the levels to winning a complete tournament without looking at your hole cards (well you admitted you did once). How long did it take you to move up the levels and what approach did you use as you did so (bankroll management etc)?

I have millions more, but I'll leave it at that. Thanks Annette!

1.- I definately relate here. I remember when I played my first big live tournament, which was the aruba poker classic in 2007, I didnt know what to expect when I sat down. I soon realized that most players tag u as the weak link when u sit, and they'll raise ur blinds a lot expecting u to not be a good player, and just in general trying to take advantage of it. Obviously the only way to make them stop is to step up and show them what ur made off by reraising and playing back aggressively untill they stop.

I'm at the point now where I feel like im respected, and ppl see me as a pro, not a female poker player anymore, which is great, and I'm happy I've managed to convince ppl that girls have it in them as well ad that they shouldnt underestimate us. (Altho I wish I had the image i did early on when i could just bluff bluff bluff and always get away with it... good ole days :P)

2.- Sry, see 1.

3.- Yeah, I did buy a house with my mom here in Norway, which is awesome. To be honest tho, I'm not much of a spender. I usually dont buy expensive stuff that I dont need unless its clothes/shoes that r rly hot and I cant help myself, but other than that I've invested some, and put the rest in the bank.

4.- I've always been very nitty when it comes to money. I've stuck to the 100 buy in rule all the time when it comes to MTTs except when I won the $ in my first freeroll. Hard to find that small tourneys lol. I think bankroll management is the most important thing you can do that doesnt relate to the game itself to help u move up.

[Annette Obrestad]

Originally Posted by m9sw33pr

HI Annette, thanks for answring questions. I was wondering what type of live tournament you prefer more, turbo tournaments or deep stacked?
Also, as a girl, a lot of times in live tournaments I end up getting called 100% of the time...lol. While this is usually great it can lead to a lot of variance also, do you have any recomendations for playing against guys who will call with anything..do you play tighter or just ship it when you're ahead and hope it holds up?
thanks again

I like all kind of tournaments because I know how to adjust for the most part, but I definately prefer deep stacked ones simply because they offer more room to play, and there's more interesting dynamics than there is in turbos where all u have to know is good shortstack strategies.

If ur playing against ppl who call a lot, u need to tighten up ur ranges a lot, dont bluff them, and valuebet them to death when u have big hands. If they suck out, they do... and there's nothing u can do about it.

[The 6th Wilbury]

I apologize if this stuff has been discussed in your blogs -- perhaps I should have read through them before posting a question.

1. Right now, you are best known (and self-described) as being a tournament specialist. Do you have any interest in the bigger cash games? Or does tournament poker provide a greater appeal to you?

2. Other than your visit to Las Vegas during the WSOP, how often to you make the trip across the Atlantic to various events at which someone your age is allowed to participate? Along those lines, should we expect to see you at the PCA in January?

3. You are well-known for your no-limit tournament skills and I know you've also delved in the world of PLO (as would be expected for a European-born player). How much interest do you have in becoming a mixed-game expert -- perhaps taking a shot at the 50K HORSE event at a future WSOP?

4. In conjunction with your Betfair sponsorship, how much of a role have you taken in building poker interests in the European markets where the game has not yet taken off? In other words, do you feel have you created an "Obrestad Effect" similar to the boom Chris Moneymaker helped spur some five years ago?

...and of a less serious nature:

5. You are both highly intelligent and a native of Norway. That in mind, give us your best comeback line to Phil Hellmuth's now-famous "idiot from Northern Europe" quote during the Main Event coverage.

On a personal note, I truly appreciate your participation in Barry's Well forum. As a part of my job in collegiate athletics, I am something of an advocate for women's sports. People may argue about whether poker is or isn't a "sport" per se, but you have already demonstrated the same level of poker ambassadorship that I champion in a female athlete who represents her sport well, and I commend you for it.

Thanks!

[Sira21]

1. What times in tournaments are you most likely to fold when it's only slightly plus chip EV to move in, call etc... (examples if you can, pretty please =))
2. Do you play any different outside of normal adjustments in stack size, antes, and the type of players at your table/in the tournament in:
Larger Tournaments vs. Smaller Tournament
Deep Stacks vs. Turbos
3. Do you ever sacrifice chip EV to "go for the win" when you are getting close to or at the final table. (examples please)

[DurkaDurkaDurka]

- What were your first thoughts when approached by Daniel to join PokerVT?
- How would you describe your tournament style compared with Daniel’s ‘small ball’ approach?
- Were you offered a stake in the start-up PokerVT and more importantly, did you get a signed contract!?!?
- How was the experience of playing on TV in the ‘Premier League’?
- Is Phil Hellmuth as douchey away from the camera is he is when the little red light goes on? How many times were you berated?




TD

[theboybarnes]

Hey Annette

I'm just beginning to run through your videos on PokerVT now, so will hold off from some questions in case they are covered there - but one query I have already is, have you had to adjust your online play since winning the WSOPE? I know a lot of players have said that they have had to tighten up in live play because lesser opponents just want to take them down all the time. Have you adjusted, and do you feel it has made you a better player or do you feel that your game/action has suffered as a result?

Cheers

LB

[Jofeljoh!]

Do you already have plans for the future? With that I mean: are you planning to keep poker all your life if you could, or do you have other ambitions? What would be reason for you to stop playing poker?

What would you be doing now if you weren't as successful as you are?