Norway's one permitted championship reaches its final day: 62 left from 608 in the Main Event
The Norgesmesterskapet i poker finishes today at Thon Congress Gardermoen after ten days of play. The organisers report a Main Event field of 608 entries cut to 62 survivors during Saturday's play, with the final day also crowning champions in the Ladies Event, the Mystery Bounty and the High Roller. Ian Gjerland and Lars Erik Anderssen each took a first national title on 3 October, in the Level of Each and the Turbo respectively.
Norway allows exactly one tournament poker championship a year on its own soil, and the 2026 edition closes today, 4 October, at Thon Congress Gardermoen beside Oslo Airport. The organisers' own daily bulletins give the shape of the week.
The Main Event, which costs NOK 5,000 to enter, drew 608 entries. The organisers report that Saturday's play cut that field to 62 players, who return today for the final day. Two further national titles were settled on 3 October: Ian Gjerland won the Level of Each PLO/NLH event and Lars Erik Anderssen won the Turbo, each described by the organisers as a first NM title, and each of them beating what the organisers call a record field. Anders Berg had taken the Cashout event the day before.
Today's programme crowns the rest: the Main Event final day, the High Roller final day, the Ladies Event, the Mystery Bounty, Team Poker, a one-day turbo run by the Norwegian poker federation and an Open Face Chinese Pineapple event capped at 81 players.
Why there is only one
Norwegian law permits a single national championship in tournament poker each year, which pre-approved nationwide non-profit organisations may apply to host. For the 2026 to 2030 term the permit is held by Gynkreftforeningen, Norges Doveforbund and Blodkreftforeningen. The permit sets hard ceilings: at most 5,000 entrants in the main event, a cap of NOK 20,000 on what any one player can lose across the series, and a maximum first prize of NOK 2 million.
A 608-entry Main Event is a useful measure of how far those ceilings actually bind. The entrant cap is eight times the field that turned up, so the legal limit is not what keeps Norwegian live poker small — the single-event-per-year rule is. The prize cap is the one that bites: it fixes the top of the payout structure regardless of how large the field becomes.
That is also why the Norwegian names on our all-time money list earned almost all of it abroad. A country with one permitted tournament a year does not produce domestic earnings; it exports players.
This is general information about how the Norwegian permit works, not legal advice.
Read the original at Norgesmesterskap i poker — Forside →
Frequently asked questions
How big was the 2026 Norwegian Main Event?
The organisers report 608 entries in the NOK 5,000 Main Event, reduced to 62 players during Saturday 3 October.
Who won titles on 3 October 2026?
Ian Gjerland won the Level of Each PLO/NLH event and Lars Erik Anderssen won the Turbo. The organisers describe both as first NM titles.
Why does Norway hold only one poker championship a year?
Norwegian law permits a single national tournament poker championship annually, hosted by pre-approved nationwide non-profits. For 2026-2030 the permit is held by Gynkreftforeningen, Norges Doveforbund and Blodkreftforeningen.
Is there a limit on the first prize?
Yes. The permit caps the maximum first prize at NOK 2 million and limits a player's total loss across the series to NOK 20,000.