Norwegian Annette Obrestad became the youngest bracelet winner in World Series of Poker history early today by winning the main event at the first-annual World Series Of Poker Europe, presented by Betfair.com.

The 18-year-old online poker prodigy from Norway outlasted 361 other players at the five-day £10,000 no-limit hold'em event in London's Leicester Square.

"I never expected to win," said Oberstad, who turns 19 this week. "I'm speechless. I really don't know what to say."

Obrestad - better known by her online alias Annette_15 - recently agreed to a sponsorship deal with Betfair.com, which will see her become a constant presence on the live-tournament circuit.

"This might be a cause of some dismay to many of the top pros that she knocked out in this tournament," said Betfair's Head of Poker Ben Fried. "She is a fearsome poker player and commands great respect at the table. It is fantastic to have her as a member of Team Betfair."

Her victory over 22-year-old John Tabatabai of London came when her three sevens beat his two pair.

Obrestad won the £1 million (or $2,013,102) first-place prize and the WSOP bracelet. Tabatabai earned £570,150 (or $1,147,770) for second place.

With her performance, Oberstad's payday broke two records held by poker pro Annie Duke. The first was Duke's one-day-old record as the first woman to exceed $1 million in official WSOP winnings, thanks to her 21st place finish in the WSOP Europe main event. Duke's £30,770 (or $61,943) payday saw her edge just over the $1-million-earnings mark. Duke also held the single-event record win for a woman with her $2 million winner-take-all victory in the 2004 Tournament of Champions.

Matthew McCullough, the last-remaining American in the main event, finished third after going all in with top pair on the flop. The hopes of the 33-year-old New Jersey resident for a WSOP bracelet were dashed when John Tabatabai, who called with middle pair, matched his ace kicker for a two pair that eliminated the full-time anaesthetist. McCullough collected £381,910 for third place.

Norwegian Oyvind Riisen, 22, won £257,020 for finishing fourth and Johannes Korsar, 20, of Uppsala, Sweden, got £191,860 for fifth place.

Dominic Kay, 30, from London, finished sixth to earn £152,040, while 24-year-old Magnus Persson of Gothenburg, Sweden, received £114,030 for seventh place. Copenhagen's Theo Jorgensen, the oldest player at the final table at age 35, won £85,070 for his eighth-place finish.

James Keys, the 21-year-old Londoner who began the day with the lowest number of tournament chips, was eliminated in ninth. He collected £61,540 for his efforts.

The 10th- through 36th-place finishers received from £41,630 to £27,150, depending on their final positions. The total prize pool for the main event was £3,676,990.