Norwegian Politician v PLO Pro $170k Challenge Match Starts December 7
Key Takeaways
  • Heads up PLO specialist Ola “Odd Oddsen” Amundsrud publicly offered to play against any Norwegian politician to prove that poker is a game of skill.
  • Progress Party politician Erlend Wiborg accepted the challenge and the match will start on December 7.
  • Beyond promoting the cause of legalizing online poker, Amundsrud has offered $170k if he loses.
  • The match can be followed on PokerStars.

The heads up challenge match between PLO specialist Ola “Odd Oddsen” Amundsrud and Norwegian politician Erlend Wiborg is set to start on December 7. NKR 1m ($170k) goes to Wiborg should he win the Pot Limit Omaha match.

The match arose from a challenge Amundsrud laid down to Norwegian politicians to demonstrate that poker is a game of skill. The new Norwegian government recently announced that it will seek to liberalize gambling laws. Both Amundsrud and Wiborg hope the match will drum up support for the reform.

Progress Party politician Erlend Wiborg accepts that he is a massive underdog, but in the event that he does win the match, his winnings will all go to charity.

The match will start with a live session at the Oslo conference centre, and be completed online at PokerStars. Wiborg and Amundsrud have agreed to rules that promise a minimum of 120 hours play between December 7 and May 7 next year—with a 20 hour a month minimum.

Play will take place on at least two tables simultaneously, and each table will close once one stack is 300 big blinds deep. The match will be refereed by Frode Fagerli Sigurd Eskeland and Andreas Torbergsen. Railbirds will be able to follow play on PokerStars.