Being female myself it always makes me proud to see a fellow female doing exceptionally well in a male dominated environment, and from the small town of Sandnes in Norway, we find Annette Obrestad. This young woman has become a poker playing phenomenon and she goes by the online poker alias "Annette_15". Initially the mere mention of the name "Annette_15" in online poker circles had players believing she was some sort of virtual female, something approaching the probability of Simone. This is not however in the slightest bit true and contrary to popular belief; Annette is a real live person, although she is no longer the teenage phenomenon.

The way this girl played online poker, it is hardly surprising that other players believed she was a machine; she is one of the most successful and talented players to come online on the scene ever. Her alias suggests, either that she started playing poker when she was 15, or that there are 15 Annette's playing poker at the same site as she, who chose their alias' before she did. This is not true, but the former is, she did start playing poker at tender age of 15.

It took a couple of years to get to the top of tournament leader boards, but this name began appearing more and more, at not just one site, but at many! It was hardly surprising to find her there; she has enjoyed the most incredible success.

It all sort of started on Pokers Stars in 2006 when after finishing 5th in a $109 Tournament plus re-buys, she kept going and there seemed to be no stopping her. All of a sudden she was popping up everywhere, as one writer puts it, like the "Energizer Bunny", she just kept going and going. Her playing records show that between the month of September 2006 and the same month in 2007, Annette Obrestad finished first or second in 20, $109 plus and $55 plus re-buy tournaments and this was only her records at Poker Stars. Most often she cam in first and had loads of first places in other events at other sites.

In 2006, just after her 18th birthday she finished 37th after playing in the 2006 Ultimate Bet Aruba Classic – this marked her transition into live poker action. During this year Annette_15 placed in a variety of European land based poker events and a few days shy of her 19th birthday she won the World Series of Poker European Championship – the flagship game. This took place in London in September 2007 where she outlasted 361 players including Paul Wasicka, Annie Duke and Jennifer Harman – all on the final table, to win £1,000,000. This was the £10,000 buy-in, No Limit Main Event! On winning she remarked "this is my first TV table" and Duke responded with "don't worry, it won't be your last".

This made her the youngest player to ever receive a WSOPE bracelet, remember she had not turned 19 years old yet! In fact we believe that she is the youngest player ever to receive a bracelet.