It felt like the entire poker world

It felt like the entire poker world was rooting for Norwegian female poker player Elisabeth Hille in the 2012 WSOP Main Event.

She was down-to-earth, charming and a rather good player by all accounts. It’s safe to say the WSOP wouldn’t have minded having an attractive, marketable female at the final table but alas it wasn’t to be and Hille fell in 11th place.

Since then Hille actually went back to her job as a waitress in Norway and hasn’t touched a penny of the $590,000 she won in the Main Event (she’s saving for an apartment).

PokerListings caught up with Hille on the Sam Remo Stop of the European Poker Tour to see what she’s been up to since coming 11th in the 2012 WSOP Main Event.

By Christian Henkel

PL: Elisabeth, two years ago you appeared as a sensation on the last two tables of the WSOP main Event and got busted on the 11th place. You’re now playing EPT Main Events. Is poker still naive fun or hard work?


EH: I always thought that it was hard to play these major tournaments. Even so I played the main event as a pure amateur.

Competition is very tough, but I love playing big fields and that makes it fun. If you make it far, the further and further you get the more exciting it is. I could play these tournaments for the rest of my life.

PL: Can you afford to play a €5000 Tournament?

EH: I am not really good with bankroll management. Otherwise I never could play a EPT Main Event. I play when I can afford it. But I have to earn the money in poker, because I never touched the $590k from the WSOP Main Event.

It is stashed away in my mattress and is saved for an apartment. By the way I actually wanted to come to Vienna, but I couldn’t. And so it is San Remo now. Both are venues where I said: for a real poker life you have to play both events.

PL: Do you play online?

EH: I never played much online or won much online for that matter.

PL: In Norway, it is not possible to play live, so if you don’t play online that much, where do you play then?


EH: Of course there are some illegal poker clubs. But I don’t want to say something about that. I’m coming from the Norwegian Championship that was held in Dublin this year. There was a total of 1260 players in the €800 Main Event.

It’s a completely different experience of a poker tournament. If you compare that with an EPT Main Event it is a huge party. Here people with headphones are concentrating from the first moment.

In Dublin there was this guy at my table who would order shots for everybody siting on the table every 20 minutes. It is good poker and a lot of fun in the same time.

PL: Are you still together with your boyfriend Harald, who bought you into the WSOP Main event?

EH: He won two satellites and gave me one. But yes we live in Bergen. But he unfortunately doesn’t like to play in major live tournaments, like I do.

PL: Will you play the WSOP Main Event?

EH: Of course. It is my favorite tourney of the year. The numbers of players, the structure. As long as I play poker, I will play the big one.

PL: You are Norwegian. Your famous predecessor was Anette Obrestad. An inspiration?

EH: I wasn’t playing poker, when I read her story in the newspapers. I started right after her success in London. So she is THE inspiration (laughs).

PL: There are still few women in the fields of major tournaments. What's the skill level like for female poker players?

EH: I hope that other players think I am good. I still make a lot of mistakes of course, but I gave Greg Merson, for example, a really hard time in the 2012 WSOP Main Event. But I think I am still far away from female players like Vanessa Selbst, who is my personal poker idol.

PL: And a male player to be feared?

EH: Yngve Steen. I met him in the heads-up final in Dublin and he absolutely owned me. I don’t want to meet him again at a poker table.

PL: Only NLHE?

EH: And Open Face Chinese. I love to play it.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Rasanya seperti seluruh poker dunia rooting untuk pemain poker wanita Norwegia Elisabeth Hille di 2012 WSOP Main Event.Dia adalah membumi, menawan dan pemain yang lebih baik oleh semua account. Hal ini aman untuk mengatakan WSOP tidak keberatan memiliki laki-laki yang menarik, dipasarkan di meja final tapi sayangnya itu tidak menjadi dan Hille jatuh tempat 11.Sejak itu Hille benar-benar kembali ke pekerjaannya sebagai seorang pelayan di Norwegia dan belum menyentuh satu sen $590,000 dia memenangkan dalam acara utama (dia tabungan untuk apartemen).PokerListings tertangkap dengan Hille on Sam Remo berhenti dari tur Poker Eropa untuk melihat apa yang telah hingga sejak datang 11 di 2012 WSOP Main Event.Oleh Christian HenkelPL: Elisabeth, dua tahun yang lalu Anda muncul sebagai sensasi pada tabel dua acara utama WSOP dan punya rusak pada 11 tempat. Anda sekarang bermain EPT utama peristiwa. Apakah poker masih naif menyenangkan atau kerja keras?EH: saya selalu berpikir bahwa itu adalah sulit untuk memainkan turnamen besar ini. Bahkan jadi aku bermain acara utama sebagai amatir murni.Persaingan sangat sulit, tapi aku cinta Bermain ladang besar dan membuatnya menyenangkan. Jika Anda membuatnya jauh, lebih jauh dan lebih jauh Anda mendapatkan lebih menarik. Saya bisa memainkan turnamen ini selama sisa hidupku.PL: Dapatkah Anda mampu untuk memainkan sebuah turnamen €5000?EH: saya tidak benar-benar baik dengan bankroll manajemen. Sebaliknya aku tidak pernah bisa bermain EPT Main Event. Aku bermain ketika saya mampu membelinya. Tapi aku punya untuk mendapatkan uang di poker, karena saya tidak pernah menyentuh $590k dari WSOP Main Event.It is stashed away in my mattress and is saved for an apartment. By the way I actually wanted to come to Vienna, but I couldn’t. And so it is San Remo now. Both are venues where I said: for a real poker life you have to play both events.PL: Do you play online?EH: I never played much online or won much online for that matter.PL: In Norway, it is not possible to play live, so if you don’t play online that much, where do you play then?EH: Of course there are some illegal poker clubs. But I don’t want to say something about that. I’m coming from the Norwegian Championship that was held in Dublin this year. There was a total of 1260 players in the €800 Main Event.It’s a completely different experience of a poker tournament. If you compare that with an EPT Main Event it is a huge party. Here people with headphones are concentrating from the first moment.In Dublin there was this guy at my table who would order shots for everybody siting on the table every 20 minutes. It is good poker and a lot of fun in the same time.PL: Are you still together with your boyfriend Harald, who bought you into the WSOP Main event?EH: He won two satellites and gave me one. But yes we live in Bergen. But he unfortunately doesn’t like to play in major live tournaments, like I do.PL: Will you play the WSOP Main Event?EH: Of course. It is my favorite tourney of the year. The numbers of players, the structure. As long as I play poker, I will play the big one.PL: You are Norwegian. Your famous predecessor was Anette Obrestad. An inspiration?EH: I wasn’t playing poker, when I read her story in the newspapers. I started right after her success in London. So she is THE inspiration (laughs).PL: There are still few women in the fields of major tournaments. What's the skill level like for female poker players?EH: I hope that other players think I am good. I still make a lot of mistakes of course, but I gave Greg Merson, for example, a really hard time in the 2012 WSOP Main Event. But I think I am still far away from female players like Vanessa Selbst, who is my personal poker idol.PL: And a male player to be feared?EH: Yngve Steen. I met him in the heads-up final in Dublin and he absolutely owned me. I don’t want to meet him again at a poker table.PL: Only NLHE?EH: And Open Face Chinese. I love to play it.