BY TOM SOMACH

So just who is Annette Obrestad, who won the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event and is the world’s newest instant celebrity?

She is an 18-year-old girl from Norway who cut her gambling teeth playing online poker.

In fact, she’s been playing online since she was 15, and has won thousands of dollars in Internet poker rooms using the online moniker “Annette 15.”

She’s not too shabby offline either.

Prior to winning the WSOPE Main Event and its $2 million top prize, she had moneyed in four offline tournaments, earning almost $40,000.

Those offline tournaments include finishing 18th at the Barcelona Open in Barcelona, Spain, last month, a pot-limit Omaha tourney that’s part of the European Poker Tour (EPT), and earning $3,539; finishing 13th at the Paddy Power Irish Open in Dublin, Ireland, last April, a pot-limit Omaha tourney, and earning $1,704; finishing fifth at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, Monaco, last March, a no-limit Texas hold ‘em tourney, and earning $20,747; and finishing 37th at the 2006 Aruba Classic, a no-limit Texas hold ‘em tourney, and earning $12,415.

Online, she won $68,000 last May just playing in ring (cash) games.

In addition, last month she moneyed in an online tournament hosted by Internet poker room Poker Stars (www.pokerstars.com) and last year she moneyed in an online tourney hosted by I-poker room Full Tilt Poker (www.fulltiltpoker.com).

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)