Annette 'Annette_15' Orbrestad
Friday, 17 July 2009
Alex ‘Pickleman’ Rousso caught up with 2007 WSOPE Main Event winner Queen Annette who, despite still being underage and unable to compete in the WSOP, travelled to Vegas nonetheless to soak up the atmosphere and scout out her future prey…
My first question for you is when do you turn 21? Because the funny thing is that you are in Vegas….
I don’t think it’s funny, no I don’t think it’s funny at all… (laughs) No I turn 21 in 3 months time, on September 18th
So is it frustrating being in Vegas?
It’s pretty frustrating, but you know I came here and knew what to expect. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to play so I can’t really be mad about it. Instead I came to Vegas to have a good time meet with my friends and just hang out and do whatever I feel like. It’s just like a holiday for me.
How long are you here for?
Till July16th
Wow, ok so you are here the whole time
Yeah
So what have you been doing whilst you are here, just having a holiday?
Well this is the second time I have done the Academy, so I have been doing that and hanging out at the Rio. I have so many good friends - we go see shows, we go out to dinner every night. So yeah just having a good time.
So what are your plans when you turn 21, will you come out to the US more often?
I probably will but because I am contracted to Betfair I have to play European tournaments and they are probably not going to buy me into too many US ones because they don’t really get anything back from that. So I’ll be playing the EPT for the next three years I guess and I’ll still be going back and forth to the States playing big tournaments - like I played the Bellagio 15K in December and also the 25K in December.
So basically you are sponsored to do the EPT. Are you going to do them all?
Yeah I‘ll do most of them, but I will also try and play a lot here in Vegas if I can, just because I love Vegas and I’d love to come back.
What do you love about Vegas?
I don’t know just everything, I just love it here.
What are your favourite clubs?
I can’t get into clubs…
Oh yeah of course, woops, strike that conversation box off. So you are basically going to explode next time you come to Vegas.
Yeah but I might bring my mum
Oh really? After all that waiting?
Yeah but I’ll still play a lot of poker
You played in the televised PartyPoker Premier League, how was that?
That was awesome, so much fun. I did alright but I was running like shit the entire time and I felt like I was playing the best I could with the cards that I got and it just wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t even make the final table out of 12.
Yes but there were some decent players there…
Yeah but they were not that good at the format we were playing, they are much better at deep stack poker, which is why I thought that I would have an edge on that field and I still think I do.
Well you do probably have an edge on that kind of field, especially as a lot of them are stuck in an old school way of thinking. One of the things I am worried about, considering the way poker is going with all the new internet pros knowing the odds and everything, is that when you have these formats with bad blind structures, there is only so much skill…
Yeah it’s sort of likes sit n go’s online now. If you are playing the $500 sit n go, it’s all going to be just regulars, with everyone playing each other the right way, everybody shoving with the correct range, everybody calling with the correct range – I mean you can’t really make a profit. So they just end up circulating the money and paying rake.
But that won’t happen in live tournaments, because there are always going to be bad players and players that don’t care and just want to have fun.
Well this is the first time I have been to the WSOP since 2007 and it seems as if there are much more cash games going on and generally just a lot more people. I get the impression people are migrating from online, because they are getting pissed off with online poker for various reasons, be it collusion or players generally just getting better.
Yeh, well I came last year and the year before and I think it’s about the same if not a little busier. But that’s how it should be. It’s good. It shows there are still people who play the game…badly. (Laughs)
Talking about the WSOP, what events are you looking forward to playing? What is your game of preference?
I would be looking to play all NL hold’em events, all PL Omaha events, all half hold’em half Omaha I’d play. Probably all limit hold’em events. I’d also maybe play limit Omaha hi lo. But no stud games, I don’t play stud.
And how come Limit, do you not think it gets a bit…
It can get a little boring playing limit, but I think it can also be fun to play and it’s more of a social game. You can sit there and have fun, and you don’t have to think.
It’s more like taking a day off where you can sit and relax. You don’t have to focus so much as you would if you play NL hold’em tournament as you have to pay much more attention in those. It’s also a good chance to win a bracelet because the fields aren’t that big.
So what kind of tournaments or games are you playing regularly? Are live NL tournament your bread and butter?
Yeah I play that, as well as PL Omaha online – cash - and also some online tournaments on Betfair
Do they have a good Omaha game on Betfair?
They actually do, but there are still a lot of regulars and the games are crazy, so there is high variance, but its fun to play.
Do you think the overall standard of online players has improved over the last few years?
Oh no doubt. Everywhere. All games.
My last question is a bit of a naff one, but I am genuinely interested. What players out there do you respect and why?
Not many.
That’s because you are young
It is because I am young I guess, I mean I obviously respect some old school guys, like Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu. They’re cool guys, they’re good players and they are good for the game and everything but…. I probably respect people’s online games a lot more. I mean come on, durrrr, he’s a hero, he’s a sicko - he really is.
Also anybody who makes videos for online sites, like the high stakes players, are really really good. I definitely respect those guys. Like I have seen Phil Galfond’s videos and they are amazing.
So you are more of an internet schooled player?
Yeah because I play the same way and I can relate to what they are talking about and how they are thinking. It’s just much easier for me to relate. For example if I was talking to Phil Hellmuth about strategy and I asked him why I would want to play a hand like that - and he would be like; “well…that’s how I play, you have to do it like that.” But no I wouldn’t do it like that. We just disagree on so many different things. I still respect his game but I wouldn’t be able to play the same way.