Sigurd Eskeland

An early education schoolteacher and doting father of two young daughters, Sigurd took the invaluable experience he gained with a world championship career playing both Diplomacy and Magic the Gathering before setting his sites on the game of poker.

He has already played and cashed in several WSOP Events, including the 2008 Main Event, but TheBigViking’s life as a poker player have been anything but dull. Since he began playing five years ago, Sigurd has not only encountered poker’s most intimidating players, but has also endured some frightening experiences in his quest to play the game he loves.

“A couple of years ago, I was in the final table of a large Norwegian tournament. There were only five of us left and out of nowhere, two men entered the building and held us up.” Although he escaped unharmed, the terrifying incident kept Sigurd from playing live poker in Norway for well over a year.

The stories of armed robberies at poker clubs in Norway are now legendary, and as a sponsored player, Sigurd hopes to open up discussions about the dangers he and his fellow Norwegian players once faced. But it did not take armed robbery to make Sigurd appreciate the things he treasures most in life.

“I have never felt unlucky,” he says. “Luck is impossible to measure. I do not ever complain about anything. I have a good life — I am able to do the thing I love AND get paid for doing it.”

The lifelong gamer is determined to win a WSOP bracelet and hopes being a member of the Live the Dream Team will help him further evolve into a truly dominant player.

“Playing at Everest gives you a good gut feeling, even just the way players talk to one another in chat. I hope to tie bonds with other players, and to learn from them,” he says. “I hope the Live the Dream Team will challenge one another and always do whatever we can to help each other become better players.”