Bjorkland gets pizza the action in poker cruise

Norway’s Eirik Bjorklund has served his last slice of pizza after carving up a 342-strong field to win the main event on the Ladbrokespoker.com Caribbean cruise.

Bjorklund claimed more than £200,000 (€291,613) in prize money after a four-day battle during the cruise, making short work of the final table on Sunday.

The 22-year-old from Tromso plans to quit his temporary job in a pizza restaurant and spend his winnings on a new car and a trip to Las Vegas this summer to play in the famed World Series of Poker.

Lancashire’s Jon Kalmer, who goes by the online name of ‘Skalie’ was the chip leader going into the final table but, after eliminating a player on the very first hand, lost a crucial pot to Bjorklund.

Kalmer held KK, Bjorklund QQ and another short-stacked player A9 when all the money went in, the flop coming A 9 3 all diamonds. Bjorklund, whose online name is ‘norflush’, was the only one to hold a diamond and appropriately made his flush on the turn to vault into a massive chip lead.

“I don’t think I played that hand right,” he admitted. “But I had to call with QQ in a five-handed game. Skalie was capable of going all-in with AK or a smaller pair and I got a bit lucky.

“I was nervous of course, it was my first major tournament, but once we started playing the nerves went away. This is by far my biggest win in poker so far. The best before now was only US$7,000 (€5,763).”

Skalie was eliminated in third place, claiming around £95,000 (€78,207), leaving Bjorklund to battle Sweden’s 19-year-old Adam Eskola for the title.

The heads-up contest was over in a matter of minutes, Bjorklund trapping superbly with a pocket pair of aces and Eskola unable to fold his pair of queens.