Norway’s Espen Jørstad claimed the WSOP Main Event title in a quick-quick-slow victory against Adrian Attenborough heads-up in Las Vegas for $10 million on Saturday night. The final table was a quick one, taking under two hours to complete, but in two huge tanking hands, it also took plenty of time to play out with two key hands the difference between winning and losing.
Jørstad came into play with the lead and ended up taking the title, but that doesn’t nearly tell the story of a pulsating period of play that decided the destiny of the 2022 world championship. Michael Duek was the short stack coming into play, and he lasted just 20 minutes as he moved all-in with 
on a board of 
, but Adrian Attenborough had the easiest call with the nut straight, holding 
.
Heads-up, the stacks had evened out, with Jørstad leading with 284.5 million to Attenborough slightly behind with 235.5 million. Attenborough worked his way into a marginal lead, but the most pivotal pot of the tournament was about to put the Norwegian into a 3:1 lead. On a board of 
, Jørstad shoved with 
and went into a meditative state. Attenborough, holding 
, simply couldn’t work out what to do and the poker world went crazy during that 20-minute period.
Doug Polk was worried about the hour-long delay meaning the hand would catch up with the stream in real life.
Where is the floor? If this hand goes much longer it's gonna pass the delay
— Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) July 16, 2022
Phil Galfond admitted that he would already have made the wrong call.
I would’ve called and been in my car already.
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) July 16, 2022
Erick Lindgren took the opportunity to help some neighbors out.
Poker in 2022. Heads up in the main event I tune in for hand 1. I watch 1 min of hand. Neighbor comes and has me help move a couch down the street to another house. I Come back in the house and the hand is still going…
— Erick Lindgren (@EdogPoker) July 16, 2022
Eventually, Attenborough made the right fold, but down 3:1, he had lost his momentum, and Jørstad had taken it without needing to show his cards. It wasn’t long after that Attenborugh faced a very similar situation, holding on a board of 
. Once again, Jørstad was the aggressor, moving all-in on the river having made a full house with 
, deuces over queens more than good enough.
Attenborough, however, wasn’t sure. Going back into the tank for eight minutes, eventually, the Aussie made the wrong call this time, as after wearing himself out mentally thinking about it, cursed, smashed a pile of black chips onto the felt and called to his own doom. Jørstad, cool as ice, turned over his cards, and Attenborough’s reaction told him everything he needed to know – that he was the world champion.
Attenborough went to his rail to tell his friends of his bad call, soon to be enveloped by commiserations. Jørstad, in the moment of his life, placed his hands together in peaceful thanks to his rail before hugging his friends.
Remko Rinkema’s interview with a proud yet crestfallen Attenborough was one of the most charmingly real moments of the final table.
Adrian Attenborough is the 2nd-place finisher in the 2022 @WSOP Main Event.
He catches up with @RemkoRinkema and walks him through the two hands where he was holding jack-four, explaining his reasonings. pic.twitter.com/NYa1mYedRT
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) July 17, 2022
After winning the Main Event, a delighted Jørstad stepped away from the table with his Main Event bracelet to ask his Tag Team bracelet-winning partner and friend Patrick Leonard his thoughts about the result.
How do I feel about that Espen? Fucking proud bro. #WSOPMainEvent pic.twitter.com/wSCPyy8FXn
— Patrick Leonard (@padspoker) July 17, 2022
After 8,663 players entered this year’s WSOP Main Event, Norwegian pro Espen Jørstad is the 2022 world champion! Congratulations to him and all the players who reached the historic 10-handed final table on an incredible achievement.
WSOP 2022 Event #70 $10,000 Main Event Final Table Results:
- Espen Jorstad – $10,000,000
- Adrian Attenborough – $6,000,000
- Michael Duek – $4,000,000
- John Eames – $3,000,000
- Matija Dobric – $2,250,000
- Jeffrey Farnes – $1,750,000
- Aaron Duczak – $1,350,000
- Philippe Souki – $1,075,000
- Matthew Su – $850,675
- Asher Conniff – $675,000
Official photographs courtesy of PokerGO, the home of live-streamed action throughout the 2022 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
