Niklas Astedt Ready to Have a Lot of 'Fun' Again
Niklas Astedt is back inside the Horseshoe Event Center for the first time since his 2024 WSOP Main Event run ended with a third place finish.
One year ago, Niklas Astedt was in a position that every single poker player, whether amateur or professional, dreams of: three-handed in the World Series of Poker Main Event with the chip lead and $10,000,000 on the line. That chip lead, combined with one of the most impressive online poker resumes in history, made Astedt the betting favorite heading into the final day.
Back inside the Horseshoe event center playing the 2025 WSOP Main Event on Day 1B, Astedt has one thing that he remembers most about his run last year.
“My bustout hand,” Astedt said.
He’s joking in that dry, understated sense of humor that Swedes are known for. But he’s also probably telling the truth.
It was just the ninth hand of three-handed play and Astedt had already lost the chip lead to Jordan Griff when he was dealt Ks Jd on the button. The next few minutes went by quickly and viewers at home may have been confused as to why they were suddenly watching a car crash instead of a poker tournament. All of the chips - all 430 million of the 600 million in play - went in on the turn with Astedt dead to one of four queens to fill his gutshot straight draw. The river was the Kh and Astedt was out in third place for $4,000,000.
Throughout his ascension in the online poker rankings, Astedt typically avoided the spotlight and didn’t like drawing attention to himself. Making the WSOP Main Event final table makes it impossible to hide. Astedt looks back at the 10 days he played on poker’s biggest stages under the bright lights as one of the best experiences of his career.
“I had a lot of fun. I didn't mind it, honestly,” Astedt said of the attention he received during his run. “It's a grueling experience, playing that many days and trying to play good, but it was the most fun I have had playing poker for sure.”
Most players who make the WSOP Main Event final table talk afterwards about how exhausted they are. The long days add up and most try to find ways to relax that don’t involve poker. Not Astedt. He was back playing his normal online schedule just a few days later. He wasn’t trying to blast off through some tilt, but just wanted to get back to doing what he loves.
“I kind of enjoy playing on Sundays, you know? And there was the next Sunday and I didn't have anything to do, so I played online. It was nothing more than that,” Astedt said.
His Day 1B appearance marks his first WSOP tournament of the year. He stayed in Europe to attend a good friend’s wedding in Monaco and arrived in Las Vegas just a few days ago.
The 34-year-old, who has made millions online, thinks there might come a day when he antlers his playing schedule but not his summer plans.
“Online once a week, maybe, but to come out and play the World Series, I think I will always enjoy it and try to (play),” Astedt said. “(Last year) was an amazing experience and I think I'm always going to try to be able to have that again.”