The Festival Series Meets – Rolf Arne Bechstrøm – Norwegian Champion Mystery Bounty!
The first time that I met Rolf Arne Bechstrøm was during our event last year in Malta. Where Franke's Flip 'N Go competition was in full swing, the top of the leader board was all very close to each other. Rolf remained calm, showed his impressive flip-skills, and won a full package for the next live event!
During the Norgesmesterskapet Poker 2024 (NM) in Bratislava, Rolf became champion in the Mystery Bounty tournament. A memorial tournament for two-time WSOP-bracelet winner Thor Hansen, who sadly passed away on the age of 71, back in 2018. In this article, we look ahead of the upcoming Rozvadov event at King's Casino (May 31st - June 9th) together with Rolf, friend of The Festival Series.
Travelling for live poker is not always a given fact for many poker enthusiasts. We are very much aware of this, and try to make our event as approachable as ever before, by hosting numerous of online satellite tournaments on various poker platforms. Recently it has been revealed that iPoker launched an incredible promotion, and by adding the existing qualifiers, players with all sorts of budgets can try and find their way to Rozvadov at a low cost!
Melvin, The Festival: Hi Rolf. A pleasure to have you here! You’ve been recently in Bratislava for the NM. Did you enjoy the event? Any good results made poker-wise?
Rolf: ''Hello, and thanks for having me. Yes, I enjoyed the events very much. I went there first for the mixed games the week before NM and had a blast, even though I didn’t cash in any of the games. But I came close to the money in most of the events. Then during NM I finished 18th in the PLO and 22nd in the fixed limit Hold’em event. And eventually I ended up winning Thor Hansen Memorial (Mystery Bounty). So yes, a very good turnout for me.''
Melvin, The Festival: We've met in Malta during The Festival at Portomaso Casino. What made you start playing poker? And what exactly made you go abroad to travel for poker?
Rolf: ''We have been playing both cards and poker in my family for as long as I can remember. My grandfather was a poker player, so I played a lot with him when I was a kid. Reason I go abroad is because it’s only one big tournament allowed in Norway, and that is the Norwegian version of NM 😊''
Melvin, The Festival: You’ve got a rough period personally from what I know. How is it currently going with you? In what way does it influence your poker?
Rolf: ''Yes, I have terminal cancer and have been given 3 – 5 years starting already last summer. So far it’s fairly painless, but I have to go through chemo therapy on a regular basis to keep the progress as slow as possible. But, that takes a toll on the body for sure. Makes me weak, tired and powerless. Fortunately, I am an eternal optimist and mostly a happy guy, and I am not willing to let the situation define me, so I am going to travel as much as possible and promote support for cancer research as long as I can. So, a bit of an irony that I won that Thor Hansen event to be honest.''
Melvin, The Festival: When The Festival Series comes to mind. You won a package during one of our previous stops in Malta with Franke’s Flips. How and why would you rate our Festival Series, comparing it to other events?
Rolf: ''Well, I think The Festival series have the by far best tournaments after my taste since it has so many various types of mixed games, and especially Sviten Special which I like a lot. The Flip Flop tournament in Malta was just one of many fun variants. Next to Malta Poker Festival and NM both in Norway and abroad, I think The Festival Series is the best ones I go to.''
Melvin, The Festival: Have you ever been to Rozvadov? And when looking at the schedule, which tournaments are you valuing the most?
Rolf: ''I've never been to Rozvadov. Have been thinking of going there several times, but never found the time or occasion. All mixed tournaments are interesting to me. But, I tend to play mostly anything else as well eventually 😊''
