The much-hyped challenge match between Norwegian politician Erlend Wiborg and his countryman, poker professional player Ola “Odd_Oddsen” Amundsgård is about to commence December 7, but it will be a long drawn out affair, scheduled to end only in May next year.
The objective of the challenge is to demonstrate that poker is a game in which skill plays a significant role, a key argument in establishing its lawfulness in many countries.
At stake for the winner is a million Norwegian kronor – about $170,000 – offered by Amundsgård to launch the challenge to best him over 10,000 hands or 120 hours of play before the 7 May 2014.
The challenge rules call for an initial live clash (clearly for publicity and photo-op purposes), with the action then moving online at Pokerstars, where a minimum requirement of 20 hands a month must be met. The two players will confront each other across a minimum of two tables, starting with 10,000 chips each.