Ken Lennaárd Gets Sweden’s First Cash in the 2012 World Series of Poker

The 2012 World Series of Poker (WSOP) started in Las Vegas this weekend, and we have already seen a Swedish money winner. The controversial Ken Lennaárd finished in 74th place in Event 2, and took home $5,261.

The WSOP consist of around 60 events in total and reaches its climax with the $10,000 No-Limit Holdem Main Event - the unofficial poker world championship.

Up until the start of the main event on July 7th, preliminary events will be running at the casino Rio in Las Vegas, and the winner of each one will get a coveted gold bracelet along with the prize money.

Event 2 of the 2012 WSOP is a No-Limit Texas Holdem tournament with a $1,500 buy-in. 2,101 players entered the event including three Swedes. Only of the Swedish players made the money; Ken Lennaárd who got $5,261 for his 74-place finish.

Lennaárd is one of Sweden’s most famous poker players, known for his skill at the table as well as the controversy surrounding him.

In 2005 Lennaárd won the reality show “Riket” on Sveriges Television, and after that he asserted himself as the spokesman of Swedish poker. He had a weekly column in Aftonbladet, acted as commentator on Swedish poker TV shows, and was elected chairman of the Swedish poker federation.

After cheating allegations blossomed against Lennaárd in the fall of 2006, he resigned from the poker federation and stepped out of the poker lime light.

Lennaárd later admitted to planning a scam against another Swedish player, but the plans never became reality.

Lennaárd claimed he had a change of heart, others claimed that his plan simply had failed.

Throughout all this, Lennaárd kept on playing poker, and with good results. He has won over $1.5 million in poker tournaments world-wide, with his biggest score coming from the 2009 WSOP, where he finished 2nd in a $2,000 No-Limit Texas Holdem tournament and collected $360,439.

His most prestigious victory came in the 2005 Five-Star World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, which gave him $241,920 in prize money.

Lennaárd has never won a WSOP event, but his score in Event 2 was his 15th cash in total at the World Series of Poker.


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