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When Espen Jorstad took his seat at the 2022 WSOP Main Event final table, he held 88.6 million chips and a clear chip lead. But the path to the $10 million bracelet was anything but smooth. In a GTO Wizard interview, Jorstad unpacked the ICM-driven decisions that defined his run — from a brutal set-over-pair on the flop to a bold 35-million check-raise on the river. Here is a hand-by-hand breakdown of the spots that tested his strategy and secured his place in poker history.
Hand 1 — A Brutal Set Traps Jorstad's Pocket Tens
Jorstad opened the final table with 88.6 million chips against blinds of 600,000/1.2 million and a 1.2 million ante. Early-position player Jeffrey Farnes raised to 2.4 million holding pocket fours. Jorstad, with pocket tens on the button, chose to call rather than re-raise — a decision he later attributed to Farnes' unexpected opening range.
The flop came 4♠ 7♥ 9♣, giving Farnes a set. He continued for 2.8 million. Jorstad, with six outs, called. A jack arrived on the turn; Farnes check-raised to 7.9 million. Jorstad called again. The river brought 3♠ — Farnes bet 7.1 million (roughly a quarter-pot sizing) and Jorstad called once more, only to find his chip lead had evaporated.
"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." — Espen Jorstad — (see original)
Hand 2 — ICM Pressure Turns Middle Pair into a 35-Million Check-Raise
Later, with a stack of 68.4 million and blinds at 1.2 million, Jorstad opened from under the gun with A♣ 10♥. Michael Duek (K♣ J♣) and Aaron Duczak (8♠ 5♠) called from the big blind.
The flop fell 2♥ Q♥ 10♠, giving Jorstad middle pair. He checked — citing ICM pressure from comparable stacks behind him. Duek, holding an open-ended straight draw, bet 4.5 million; Jorstad called. Both checked the 6♠ turn. On the 3♥ river, Jorstad checked again. Duek bet 7 million. Jorstad responded with a 35-million check-raise, forcing Duek to fold.
"I'm not sure, honestly." — Espen Jorstad — (see original)
Hand 3 — When the Simulator Says Jam but You Min-Raise
- •Action: Jam all-in
- •Maximises fold equity vs short stacks
- •Minimises ICM leakage
- •Action: Min-raise to 24M
- •Attenborough called with K♥J♠
- •Attenborough hit king on turn, finished runner-up
With 98.75 million chips on the button and A♣ Q♠, Jorstad faced a 2-million big blind — one of the shortest stacks at the table — and a six-big-blind small blind. GTO Wizard simulations recommended jamming all-in. Instead, Jorstad min-raised to 24 million.
Philippe Souki folded from the small blind; Adrian Attenborough called with K♥ J♠. Attenborough later hit a king on the turn and survived to finish runner-up. The hand illustrates how even a small deviation from GTO recommendations can carry significant ICM consequences when stacks are shallow and prize jumps are large.
ICM Lessons from a Champion
Jorstad's final table run shows that chip leads are only as safe as the decisions protecting them. A large stack does not exempt a player from ICM pressure — it merely shifts the nature of that pressure. His willingness to check middle pair on the flop, execute a 35-million check-raise on the river, and deviate from GTO on a min-raise all reflect the delicate balance between equity preservation and timely aggression.
Simulations provide a baseline, but Jorstad's experience shows that real-time judgment — informed by, but not chained to, GTO models — can be decisive in high-ICM spots. For aspiring tournament players, his breakdown offers a practical roadmap: quantify the ICM impact of every action, protect your stack with passive lines when comparable stacks are behind you, and deploy check-raises when they amplify ICM pressure on opponents.
Summary
Espen Jorstad won the 2022 WSOP Main Event for $10 million by navigating three critical ICM spots: absorbing a full-stack loss on a set vs. overpair (Hand 1), converting middle pair into a 35-million check-raise that took the pot without a showdown (Hand 2), and min-raising instead of jamming against short stacks (Hand 3). The overarching lesson is that ICM awareness — not chip count alone — determines tournament survival and success at the highest level.