10 of Sweden's Finest Poker Exports
For as long as I have been involved in the poker world, it is the Swedish pros who have been at the top of the tree, or at least thereabouts. There is something about "Scandies that make them formidable foes at the poker tables.
This little Betfair Poker Blog entry takes a look at 10 of the best Swedish poker players currently doing the round, terrorising opponents at the felt and hoovering up chips like they are going out of fashion. Without further ado, here's a list of 10 Swedish poker stars.
1.) Martin Jacobson
Martin Jacobson is probably the best of the current crop of Swedish pros and one who is feared and respected in equal measure. He has more than $5.5 million in live tournament winnings and could have many more times that amount because he reached the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event final table and will return to Las Vegas in November to play that out.
2.) Michael Tureniec
Michael Tureniec plays a style of poker that often leaves his opponents perplexed. It's a unique style that has seen him win a European Poker Tour title and almost $3 million in live poker tournament winnings.
3.) Robin Ylitalo
Robin Ylitalo is another Swede who has a European Poker Tour title to his name having won the 2013 EPT London Main Event. Ylitalo has around $1.3 million in live tournament winnings and an additional $4.4 million from his online poker exploits, where he was once ranked as high as third in the world.
4.)Kent Lundmark
Kent Lundmark rose to stardom when he won the 2010 EPT Barcelona Main Event. Since then, Lundmark has won an addition million dollars in the live arena and is certainly crushing online, even if his alias is -- like many Swedes due to taxation laws -- unknown.
5.) Anton Wigg
Look up consummate professional poker player and a picture of Anton Wigg will appear. Wigg is one of the nicest people you will meet in poker and also one of the most talented. He is an EPT champion,having secured the 2010 EPT Copenhagen title. Wigg has $1.7 million in live winnings and more than 4.5 million from his online poker play.
6.) Chris Bjorin
Chris Bjorin has amassed $5.5 million from online poker tournaments and countless more in cash games throughout his long and illustrious career. Bjorin has cashes dating back to 1989 and although he may not play as many tournaments as in previous years, he is still a force to be reckoned with at the felt.
7.) Sofia Lövgren
Sofia Lövgren is best known for her online cash game prowess rather than her tournament ability, but she is working hard to change that. She currently has $133,000 in live tournament winnings and can often be found grinding cash games at major poker festivals around Europe and the U.S.A.
8.) Ramzi Jelassi
In 2012, Ramzi Jelassi won the EPT Prague Main Event and its €835,000 first place prize, by far the largest cash of his career. Jelassi has won more than $2.5 million from live poker tournaments and is apparently a formidable cash game player to boot.
9.) Lukas Berglund
Lukas Berglund became the youngest-ever winner of a World Poker Tour event when he won the 2011 WPT Barcelona Main Event aged 18-years young. Berglund has won $485,000 from live tournaments and almost $4 million from online events and has been ranked the best player in the world during 2014.
10.) Viktor Blom
Viktor Blom is a living legend and one who regularly has swings of $500,000 or more on a daily basis. Blom, better-known to the masses as "Isildur1" plays the highest cash games available and all the different games and against the best players in the world -- he just loves the action.
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Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.
