Espen Jorstad in Action, Ready to Defend World Championship
The champ has arrived. Espen Jorstad, who entered Day 1c, announced "shuffle up and deal" to kickstart Wednesday's session of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event one year after taking down this same tournament for $10 million.
In 2022, the Norwegian poker pro took down the second largest Main Event ever (8,663 players). This year's tournament appears to be on pace to crack the 2006 record of 8,773 entries, won by Jamie Gold.
Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2023 WSOP is here.
PokerNews caught up with the reigning champ while he registered. He said he doesn't feel any added pressure in the Main Event being the defending winner, but he admits he could run into one issue this year.
"I just know that I can't bluff this year," the WSOP App Thrill Team member said with a laugh, acknowledging that many players in the field will want to take out the defending champion. "They want to tell their story to their friends back home."
Poker Champ Off and Running
At around 12:30 p.m. PT, Jorstad took his seat inside Horseshoe Las Vegas and was dealt the first hand in his title defense. He said his mindset entering the Main Event as the champion hasn't changed compared to last year on Day 1.
"It's not like I'm especially good in this tournament, I just happened to run really good last year," the always humble Jorstad continued. "The odds of doing that again are miniscule."
Jorstad, like Gold, predicts the 2023 WSOP Main Event will set a record for attendance. Days 1a and 1b combined for 2,158 players, a huge spike compared to the 1,780 last year. The WSOP is preparing for a massive turnout on Day 1d (Thursday) and there is a potential that the early stages will be played 10-handed to accommodate demand.
There were a number of big name players already seated for the Day 1c session at the time of publishing, including Phil Laak, Joe Stapleton, Stephen Chidwick, and Justin Bonomo. Two other past winners - Ryan Riess (2013) and Koray Aldemir (2021) — have also been spotted at the Shoe.
Registration will remain open until the conclusion of Level 7, the second level of Day 2d (Saturday).
In this Series
- 1 The 2023 WSOP Main Event is Underway: Jamie Gold Ready for Record to Be Broken
- 2 Agony of Defeat: Poker Player Runs Kings into Aces Twice Vs. Same Opponent, Busts Main Event Day 1
- 3 Espen Jorstad in Action, Ready to Defend World Championship
- 4 July 5, 2019: Reliving the Craziest Day in WSOP Main Event History
- 5 Poker Boom 2.0: 2023 WSOP Main Event Officially the Largest Ever
- 6 Two Players Bust on the First Hand of 2023 WSOP Main Event Day 1D
- 7 The Greatest Show: Hellmuth and Jungleman Make Grand Entrance into 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 8 Ex-Manchester City Striker Sergio Aguero Makes Surprise Entry into 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 9 Would You Fold Kings Preflop on Day 1 of the WSOP Main Event in This Spot?
- 10 Alexandra Botez & 888poker Ambassadors Make Day 2 of Main Event
- 11 Rapper Hoodie Allen Abandons Chips in Poker World Championship for Friend's Wedding
- 12 Online Poker Pioneer Isai Scheinberg Plays WSOP Main Event for the First Time
- 13 Phil Hellmuth Coolered Out of WSOP Main Event by Nicholas "Dirty Diaper" Rigby
- 14 2023 WSOP Main Event Registration Closes w/ 10,043 Entries & $12.1M to Winner
- 15 Tom Dwan Busts WSOP Main Event; What Would You Do Here?
- 16 Popular Rapper Returns in Time for Poker World Championship...And Gets Aces Cracked
- 17 The Muck: Was the WSOP Main Event Payout Structure Absurd?
- 18 Queen on the River Dashes Nicholas Rigby's WSOP Main Event Title Dreams
- 19 Pollster Nate Silver's Chances of Winning 2023 WSOP Main Event are Now 0%
- 20 Nicholas Rigby Busts Chance Kornuth in a 200 Big Blind Pot on Day 5
- 21 Moneymaker, Hachem Bust Day 5; All Past WSOP Main Event Champs Out
- 22 Nicholas Rigby Talks "Dirty Diaper" Strategy in the 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 23 Nightmare Runout Knocks Alexandra Botez Out of the WSOP Main Event
- 24 Father & Daughter Make the Money of the 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 25 Kings Lose to Aces on the Bubble of the 2023 WSOP Main Event
- 26 Do You Know Which Poker Player Just Set the Record of Cashing Seven Consecutive Live WSOP Main Events?
- 27 2023 WSOP Main Event Hands of the Week: Royal Flush Twice in 4 Hands; Miracle Running Kings
- 28 Would You Rather Get a WSOP Main Event Seat for Life or $200,000?
- 29 Alexandra Botez Wants the WSOP Main Event Stream to Be Free; Do You Agree?
- 30 Can Some Fool's Gold Help Adam Walton Capture the 2023 WSOP Main Event Bracelet?
- 31 Jones, Weinman and Walton to Battle for 2023 WSOP Main Event Title
- 32 Pros vs. Jones: One of These 3 Players is Hours Away From Poker Immortality
- 33 Adam Walton Jams 80 Big Blind Stack Into Pocket Aces, Busts WSOP Main Event
- 34 Daniel Weinman Wins Record-Breaking 2023 WSOP Main Event for $12,100,000
- 35 How Much Money Players at 2023 WSOP Main Event Final Table Really Made
