Espen Jorstad memorably won the WSOP Main Event in 2022. But the victory, which netted him $10 million and a gold bracelet, didn’t come without some difficult decisions.
The champion, in a GTO Wizard video, broke down the ICM implications of his decisions along the way at the final table four years ago. And what better time than now to bust out that video as we are just days away from the start of the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table, which airs on ESPN and ESPN2 from Aug. 3-5.
Tough Spot Right Off the Bat
Jorstad was the chip leader at the start of the 2022 final table with 88,600,000 chips and the blinds at 600,000/1,200,000 with a 1,200,000 big blind ante. That chip lead was put to the test immediately, however.
Jeffrey Farnes, in early position with 35,350,000 effective, began the action with a raise to 2,400,000 with 4♦4♣ from an early position. Action folded around to Jorstad, who was on the button with 10♠10♣. He opted to just call, and explained in the video he didn’t expect Farnes to “open this wide.”
The heads-up flop came out 4♥7♠9♦, a brutal flop for the chip leader. Farnes continued for 2,800,000 with bottom set, which received a call from the button before the J♠ appeared on the turn.
That card made things a bit interesting as it gave Jorstad some straight outs. Farnes decided to check this time, which induced Jorstad to bet 3,100,000. A check-raise to 7,900,000 ensued, leaving the eventual champion in a tough spot.
Jorstad, drawing to six outs, made the call to see the uneventful 3♥ on the river. With 29,200,000 in the pot and 22,300,000 behind, Farnes fired one last barrel of 7,100,000, only about one-fourth the size of the pot. Jorstad would eventually make the call to find out the bad news, and he surrendered his chip lead.
“I don’t know how I feel about calling turn and river here. I don’t know, it feels like the sizing was way too small. I just need to be right so rarely,” Jorstad said.
Jorstad Checks Middle Pair
Jorstad found himself in another interesting spot a bit later at the final table, still with the big blind at 1,200,000 and his stack at 68,400,000. He made it 2,400,000 to go from under the gun with A♣10♥ at a nine-player table.
“I think it’s pretty standard,” Jorstad said when asked if his raise was a standard open. “It’s definitely close. I would have a very easy fold with ace-nine, very easy open with ace-jack.”
Jorstad said there’s “a lot of ICM pressure” given a few other stacks behind him that are similar, including Michael Duek, who called from a middle position with K♣J♣. Aaron Duczak, who started the hand with 55,400,000 chips, also called from the big blind with 8♦5♦.
The flop came out 2♥Q♥10♠, and Duczak, who completely missed that board, checked. Jorstad, whose stack was almost identical to Duek’s, decided to check middle pair. Duek, however, went for a bet of 4,500,000 with an open-ended straight draw. His opponent made the call.
The 6♠ hit on the turn, which didn’t improve either hand. Both players, as Jorstad agreed, made the right move by checking it back. The 3♥ on the river brought about a potential flush. Jorstad decided to check again, and he said “I don’t think there’s much value in going for a block.” He explained that he felt he could only get value from small pocket pairs.
Duek, who missed his draw, wasn’t about to just surrender a pot that had 15 big blinds in the middle against an opponent who hadn’t shown any aggression. He ripped off a bet of 7,000,000, a size that seemed more like a value bet than a bluff. Jorstad then made a bold move, check-raising to 35,000,000. What does Jorstad think of the raise, in hindsight?
“I’m not sure, honestly,” he answered. “It’s tempting to just call now, looking that I can see his hand. It is a spot where maybe I felt like the 10 of hearts was actually a better bluff than the ace of hearts, thinking that he was going to barrel a lot with the nut flush draws, while he might be inclined to check back with king-10 of hearts, for exaample.”
Duek, of course, had only one decision to make and that was to fold.
Sims Say to Min-Raise
This next hand, still nine-handed, was a bit different, but it was a bit of a setback during Jorstad’s run to glory. With the big blind up to 2,000,000, Jorstad was sitting on nearly 50 big blinds with 98,750,000 chips.
He was on the button with A♣Q♦ and action folded around to him preflop. The blinds were both short stacks, one at just 12 big blinds and the other six. It was a clear raise situation, but the question he faced was to just jam or make a standard min-raise. Jorstad opted to make it 24,000,000, enough to cover both blinds, and a move that he said was not GTO approved as the sims say he’s supposed to min-raise in that spot.
That said, Philippe Souki had a junk hand in the small blind and folded. But Adrian Attenborough, the big blind, called his final 10,000,000 in with K♥J♦. Jorstad was out in front, but Attenborough would hit a king on the turn to stay alive. He was still stuck on 11 big blinds at the time, but he would spin it up and finish runner-up to Jorstad.
