2024 Norwegian Poker Championship Draws Scandinavia's Top Poker Pros; Vebjørn Monstad Victorious
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The 2024 Norwegian Poker Championship took place recently in Norway with nearly 4,000 participants and ten new national champions crowned.
There were plenty of notable Norwegian players present, including high-stakes pro Kayhan Mokri, 13-time WCOOP champion Tobias Leknes and former WCOOP POY Mikal Blomile, who took down a Deepstack event for 360,000 NOK (around $32963 USD).
A total of 3,693 players participated in the series, making for over 11,500 entries across 29 tournaments. Non-Norwegian participants included France's Dominick French, Switzerland's Maureen Bloechlinger, Germany's Lars Jurgens and Scotland's Andrew Leathem.
"The result was a 100-table poker venue full of people every day and evening, with most tournaments seeing record-breaking fields," organizers said in a press release.
Read More About the Norwegian Championship!
Champions Crowned in Norway
PokerNews wrote about the Norwegian Poker Championships in August, noting that the series was about more than poker and would feature a rib tour and an opportunity to experience the famous Norwegian fjords in a rib boat.
The series was a big success and resulted in record-breaking fields, including 2,162 players in the Main Event, which was a freezeout tournament. Vebjørn Monstad topped the record-breaking field to win 1,217,500 NOK.
"Getting so many players in a flight without re-entries is almost unheard of, and it's great to see so many wanting to compete in these tournaments," said organizer Thomas Udness.
The series attracted young participants with an "Under 25" tournament that had 359 entrants. Jon Holtan Øverbø took down the event for 84,000 NOK.
"Poker organisors are usually biased towards running Seniors events, but all potential senior players come to play anyway," said Udness. "We want new players to have a shot at a title amongst friends. This is the third year we have ran this event and it grows tremendously each year and helps us greatly with recruitment."
One of the most successful players at the festival was Kayhan Mokri, who has built up $6.7 million in Hendon Mob earnings since his first cash in 2016. Last month, the Norwegian won the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller in Barcelona for the second year in a row, this time winning €1,372,420.
Mokri was interviewed on the PokerNews Podcast last year and talked about pulling multiple six-figure bounties in the Bahamas.
Kayhan Mokri's Meteoric Rise to Poker's Highest Stakes
Other winners at festival included Åge Spets (ML 8-Game - 150,000 NOK), Alfredo Molina (PL Omaha - 237,700 NOK), Kai Gimre (NLH Highroller - 550,000 NOK) and Ladies Event winner Marthe Sterten Lyngvær (65,000 NOK).
A list of the winners from this year's Norwegian Poker Championship is available in the table below.
2024 Norwegian Poker Championship Winners
| EVENT | ENTRANTS | WINNER | PRIZE (IN NOK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NLH Main Event | Vebjørn Monstad | 1,217,500 NOK | |
| ML 8-Game | Åge Spets | 150,000 NOK | |
| NLH U25 | Jon Holtan Øverbø | 84,000 NOK | |
| NLH Deepstack | Mikal Blomlie | 360,000 NOK | |
| PL Omaha | Alfredo Molina | 237,700 NOK | |
| NLH Heads Up | Øyvind Aas | 100,000 NOK | |
| NLH Turbo | Thomas Didriksen | 550,000 NOK | |
| Level of Each (PLO/NLH) | Vemund Hasnes | 225,000 NOK | |
| NLH Highroller | Kai Gimre | 550,000 NOK | |
| NLH Ladies Event | Marthe Sterten Lyngvær | 65,000 NOK |
*Photos courtesy Norwegian Poker Championship
