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Espen Uhlen Jørstad is a Norwegian professional poker player, based in London, who won the 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event for $10,000,000. He was the first player from Norway to win the Main Event, and he had won his seat through a $1,050 online satellite on GGPoker. Known mainly as an online cash game player before that summer, he won two WSOP bracelets in 2022 and has since moved into the high roller circuit, with deep runs at Triton Poker and the European Poker Tour. [1][3]
Espen Jørstad: key facts
| Full name | Espen Uhlen Jørstad (often written Jorstad) [1] |
|---|---|
| Country | Norway [1] |
| Lives in | London, United Kingdom [1] |
| Online screen names | “Hymn2ninkasi” (PokerStars), “COVFEFE-19” (GGPoker) [1] |
| Known for | 2022 WSOP Main Event champion; online cash games; Twitch streaming [1] |
| WSOP bracelets | 2 (both in 2022) [2] |
| Major titles | WSOP Main Event 2022; WSOP $1,000 Tag Team 2022; Triton London $40,000 Mystery Bounty 2023; EPT Prague €25,000 Super High Roller Warm Up 2024 [3][6][9][12] |
| Live tournament earnings | $19,795,361 as of October 5, 2026 [1] |
Early life and education
Jørstad grew up in Norway. Before poker became his career, he earned a master’s degree in brewing science and worked in the brewing industry for one year. [5] PokerNews gave his age as 34 when he reached the 2022 Main Event final table. [4]
Beginning in poker
He started playing in 2004 as a teenager, inspired by Chris Moneymaker‘s 2003 Main Event win. Between 2006 and 2008 he played semi-professionally, mostly heads-up cash games online, then stepped away from poker for six years to focus on his studies. He returned to the game full time in 2017. [5] “So I’m a dinosaur, I’ve been in it forever,” he told PokerNews in 2022. [5]
Most of his volume came online, on PokerStars as “Hymn2ninkasi” and on GGPoker as “COVFEFE-19”. He also built an audience as a Twitch streamer, was a Unibet Poker ambassador and later became an ambassador for the training tool GTO Wizard. [1] His first notable WSOP results came online: fifth in the 2020 GGPoker WSOP Online $400 Forty Stack for $59,796, and sixth in the 2021 WSOP $5,000 Main Event Online Championship for $603,058. [1]
Playing style
PokerNews describes Jørstad as primarily a cash game player who plays tournaments on occasion. [1] His results are almost all in No-Limit Hold’em, although in 2026 he also finished eighth in a $75,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed event at Triton Montenegro for $191,500. [1] During the 2022 Main Event he described meditating at the table while his opponent took a long decision: “I was trying to focus on my breathing, did some meditation.” [3]
Greatest achievements
The 2022 WSOP Main Event
Jørstad won his $10,000 Main Event seat in a $1,050 satellite on GGPoker. [1] He started the final table in seat 9 with 83,200,000 chips, or 69 big blinds. [4] On July 16, 2022 he won the title from a field of 8,663 entries, the second-largest in WSOP history at the time, beating Adrian Attenborough of Australia heads-up. Attenborough received $6,000,000 and Michael Duek of Argentina took $4,000,000 for third. [3]
On the first hand of heads-up play, Attenborough thought for nearly 20 minutes before folding to Jørstad’s river all-in. [3] On the final hand Jørstad made a full house, deuces full of queens, and Attenborough called with a pair of fours. [7] Jørstad became the first Norwegian to win the Main Event, one place better than compatriot Felix Stephensen, the 2014 runner-up, whom he also passed at the top of Norway’s all-time money list. [3]
First bracelet: the 2022 Tag Team event
Earlier in the 2022 series, Jørstad and Patrick Leonard won Event #55, the $1,000 Tag Team, from a field of 913 teams, for $148,067, or $74,042 each. They came back from an almost 6-to-1 chip deficit at the start of heads-up play against Jamie Kerstetter and Corey Paggeot. [1][6] It was the first WSOP bracelet for both players. Jørstad later said: “Winning the Tag Team event was probably better emotionally.” [5]
Tournament results
| Year | Event | Result | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | WSOP Main Event (8,663 entries) | 1st | $10,000,000 | [3] |
| 2023 | Triton London $200,000 NLH 8-Handed (81 entries) | 3rd | $2,766,191 (three-way deal) | [10] |
| 2024 | Triton Monte Carlo $200,000 Special Triton Invitational (102 entries) | 3rd | $2,255,000 | [11] |
| 2023 | Triton London $40,000 Mystery Bounty (133 entries) | 1st | $639,000 plus bounties | [9] |
| 2021 | WSOP Online $5,000 Main Event Online Championship (GGPoker) | 6th | $603,058 | [1] |
| 2025 | EPT Barcelona €100,000 Super High Roller | 4th | €524,400 | [1] |
| 2024 | EPT Prague €25,000 Super High Roller Warm Up (34 entries) | 1st | €277,500 | [12] |
| 2025 | Triton Montenegro $100,000 NLHE Main Event | 12th | $293,000 | [1] |
| 2023 | PokerStars SCOOP $5,200 NLHE Titans (online, 164 entries) | 1st | $165,317 | [8] |
| 2022 | WSOP Event #55: $1,000 Tag Team (with Patrick Leonard, 913 teams) | 1st | $148,067 (team) | [6] |
In July 2023 he won the $40,000 Mystery Bounty at Triton London by beating Phil Ivey heads-up, his king-jack holding against Ivey’s king-deuce. [9] At the same series he entered the final table of the $200,000 NLH 8-Handed event as chip leader and finished third for $2,766,191 after a three-way deal with David Yan and Nacho Barbero. [10] In November 2024 he was third in the $200,000 Triton Invitational in Monte Carlo, won by Patrik Antonius, after Vladimir Korzinin eliminated him three-handed. [11] His first European Poker Tour title followed on December 8, 2024 in Prague, where he won the €25,000 Super High Roller Warm Up from a €807,500 prize pool. [12]
World Series of Poker record
His WSOP.com profile lists 2 bracelets, 6 final tables, 64 cashes and $11,028,086 in earnings, a total that includes WSOP Online and partner events shown on that profile. [2] He cashed in the 2024 Main Event, finishing 1393rd for $15,000. [1] He did not play the 2025 summer series in Las Vegas, and returned to the tournament circuit at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas in December 2025. [13]
In his own words
- “Obviously it’s the dream. Getting it in as the biggest favorite that you can be in the biggest tournament and the biggest spot of your life, feels pretty good.” After winning the Main Event, 2022. [4]
- “She was crying and had trouble speaking. She’s my biggest fan, so it was kind of emotional.” On calling his mother after the win, 2022. [3]
- “My goal has been to reach into the High Roller scene and play more $25,000 tournaments.” 2022. [3]
- “Playing heads up against Ivey, the biggest legend of the game in my opinion, just makes it even more special.” Triton London, 2023. [9]
- “Poker isn’t everything. There are other things in life.” On skipping the 2025 WSOP. [13]
Iconic hands and moments
From a GGPoker satellite to $10,000,000 (GGPoker)
GGPoker’s own video on the Main Event run that started with a $1,050 online satellite. [14]
FAQ about Espen Jørstad
How old is Espen Jørstad?
No exact birth date is confirmed by a primary source. PokerNews gave his age as 34 when he reached the 2022 WSOP Main Event final table. [4]
Where is Espen Jørstad from?
He is from Norway and lives in London, United Kingdom. [1]
What is Espen Jørstad’s net worth?
There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $19,795,361 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews. He is mainly a cash game player, and cash game results are not published. [1]
How much did Espen Jørstad win in the WSOP Main Event?
$10,000,000, for winning the 2022 Main Event from 8,663 entries. [3]
How did Espen Jørstad qualify for the Main Event?
He won his $10,000 seat in a $1,050 online satellite on GGPoker. [1]
How many WSOP bracelets does Espen Jørstad have?
Two, both won in 2022: the $1,000 Tag Team with Patrick Leonard and the Main Event. [2][6]
What is Espen Jørstad’s screen name?
He plays as “Hymn2ninkasi” on PokerStars and “COVFEFE-19” on GGPoker. [1]
What did Espen Jørstad do before poker?
He earned a master’s degree in brewing science and worked in the brewing industry for one year before returning to poker full time in 2017. [5]
Related Poker Legends
Read more about Chris Moneymaker, whose 2003 Main Event win drew Jørstad to poker, Phil Ivey, his heads-up opponent at Triton London, and Patrik Antonius, who won the 2024 Triton Invitational in which Jørstad finished third.
Sources
- PokerNews, Espen Jorstad player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- WSOP.com, Espen Uhlen Jorstad player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- PokerNews, Espen Jorstad Wins 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event for $10,000,000, July 2022.
- PokerNews, 2022 WSOP Main Event Final Table Profile: Espen Jorstad, July 2022.
- PokerNews, Norwegian Gold Part 1: Espen Jorstad’s Road to Winning the 2022 WSOP Main Event, September 8, 2022.
- PokerNews, Patrick Leonard and Espen Jørstad Win 2022 WSOP Event #55: $1,000 Tag Team, June 2022.
- CBS Sports, Norway’s Espen Jorstad wins 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event, July 18, 2022.
- PokerNews, Espen Jorstad Gears Up for WSOP Main Title Defence with Huge SCOOP Victory, May 2023.
- PokerNews, Former World Champ Espen Jorstad Beats Phil Ivey to Win Triton Poker London Event, July 2023.
- PokerNews, David Yan Takes Home $3,052,002 Following $200,000 NLH 8-Handed Triton Poker Victory, August 4, 2023.
- PokerNews, Patrik Antonius Hits New Heights with $5.1M Payday in $200K Triton Invitational, November 10, 2024.
- PokerNews, Main Event Champ Jorstad Gets First EPT Title in €25K SHR Warm Up, December 8, 2024.
- PokerNews, ‘Poker Isn’t Everything’: Why Champ Espen Jorstad Skipped This Summer’s WSOP, December 9, 2025.
- GGPoker on YouTube, Espen Jorstad Wins $10,000,000 from GGPoker Satellite (x10,000 ROI)
Last verified: October 5, 2026. Figures that change over time, such as career earnings, are given with the date they were checked.
