What's up with Swedish/Norweigen players???

[Indiana]

They are winning the top few places every week in the stars tourney. This is very unusual as they make up a small % of the contestants. They must be incredible players over there to overcome such variability and fare so well week after week.

Unreal,

Indy

[MonkeeMan]

FWIW, a British player I met in Vegas believed that they are masters of on-line collusion.

[CardSharpCook]

If you lived in that landof ice and snow, you'd play a lot more poker. And you'd take it much more seriously too, because poker may be your ticket out of there. Don't Swedes have a redicullus tax rate too? Perhaps gambling income isn't taxed? Scandanavian players who see this, can you tell us about your tax situation?

[Indiana]

I'm not sure how much more poker I'd play with all those hot swedish girls walking around. This effect though, is incredible given how few of them there are and how much variance there is in an online tourney like this. I'm suprised that there aren't posts everywhere and further investigations into this. They are either running an excellent school of poker over there or they are big cheaters. I'm just not sure.

Indy

Ok, here is the word from a swedish.

Why are we so good? It's in our nature. We have always been one of the tops in whatever we do. As for poker, thats not an exception. Soon enough, one of us will take down a big tournament that isn't online. For Norwegian players... I have no idea... Nah...

From my point of view this could simply be that the tournaments are held in perfect times for us, from 8 in the evening and forward which means really few distractions if any at all. No phone calls, no door bell going off, nothing... at all. I think that really helps out alot of players, I am one of them that plays alot better when I focus 100% and dont have any distactions in my poker room.

The interest here in Sweden have really exploded too lately because of a massive tv interest with WSOP, Nordic Bet 24 Poker and Pokermiljonen showing weekly on TV and alot of ads on TV makes people go online and since the tournaments are on such suitable times, I ain't surprised to see alot of us do good in these.

About the tax thingys, yes they are at around 30% and even more for some off us and Poker ain't taxable here so thats a big plus.

The awesome chicks is the only problem that keeps me from winning the ME tho.

[Indiana]

Heaven,

Even if you guys are much better than other players, you must admit that not that many scandanavian players enter the tourney so overcoming the variance and making 3-4 out of 9 FT spots every week is mathematically suspicious.

Indy

[A_C_Slater]

I don't think they make up such a small percentage as you think. Just check out the last completed Stars $215. You see them all over the place. Not just in the top spots.

[Sabrazack]

Seriously, colluding in a big MTT doesn't really give a big edge does it? You are extremely unlike to end up at the same table right? I really don't think swedes cheat more than other nationalities. I know alot of pokerplaying friends, none of whom cheat. All of whom are winning players. (except this one pathetic guy :P)

[jusander]

Scandinavian countries have very high standards for education and that sort of stuff. People are not superstitious and religions have rather small part. Scandinavian people understand the point; you want to be good, you have to train.

And this goes for all scandinavian countries, poker is just so much bigger in Sweden than in Finland or Norway, so that's why Swedes are little a head now. In Finland poker is just starting to grow (WPT started this autumn) and if I'm not totally wrong (I very well may be), poker is illegal in Norway.

[twang]

Sweden may be a tiny fraction the world, but it has produced quite a few successful hockey players, soccer players, tennis players, golfers, directors, actors, authors, models, rockbands, car brands and what have you. And the Nobel prize. FFS, we've even had a heavyweight boxing champion.

Sweden doesn't outmuscle anyone, but it has a long tradition of using all available resources to the fullest. Plus, a high % of the swedes are overeducated and underpaid which probably is an important incentive to re-read SSH yet another time.