Early Life and Background
Niklas Åstedt (born October 21, 1990) is from Partille, a suburb of Gothenburg in southwestern Sweden, where he still lives. He first encountered poker in his mid-teens through home games and online freerolls during the post-Moneymaker poker boom. At 17, he borrowed his mother Lena's credit card and opened a PokerStars account in her name to make his first deposit.
He dropped out of school two years before graduation to pursue poker professionally. At 20, he moved out of his parents' house and has since supported himself entirely on poker earnings. His early career included cash games at high and micro-stakes, swinging between them before committing to no-limit Hold'em multi-table tournaments at age 24 in 2014.
Online Dominance: Lena900
Playing as Lena900 on PokerStars, Astedt has accumulated more than $50 million in career online tournament cashes as of 2025, the highest all-time total across any platform. The Lena900 handle comes directly from his origin story: Lena is his mother's name, and the account he eventually played under was the one he had registered using her details at 17.
He also plays as PayandPlay on PartyPoker and Drulitooo on Bwin. He has more than 50 documented online cashes of $100,000 or more.
His championship record on PokerStars:
- 14 SCOOP (Spring Championship of Online Poker) titles
- 12 WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker) titles
He won two WCOOP titles within a single hour in September 2024.
He spent 97 weeks ranked number one on the PocketFives global online poker rankings, the most of any player in the site's history. That includes 33 consecutive weeks from May 2018 to January 2019. He was PocketFives Player of the Year in both 2018 and 2019. In a 2021 PocketFives community poll, he was voted the greatest online tournament player in history.
On the subject of the WSOP Main Event's reputation for difficulty, Astedt has put it in perspective: "Piece of cake compared to SCOOP — try 20 tables for 40 days during SCOOP."
On GGPoker, his single largest online cash came in April 2021 when he won the GGPoker Super MILLION$ for $1,096,000. His total on GGPoker and GGNetwork platforms adds substantially to his PokerStars figures.
2024 WSOP Main Event: Chip Leader at the Final Table
Before 2024, Astedt had no WSOP bracelets and modest live results relative to his online standing. That changed in July 2024.
He navigated a field of more than 10,000 players across the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event and reached the nine-handed final table starting third in chips with 94.2 million (59 big blinds). As play narrowed to three-handed, he held the chip lead. He was, by virtually every observer's account, the most technically capable player at the table.
The hand that ended his run came in a three-bet pot against Jordan Griff. Griff flopped a set. Astedt held a gutshot and two overcards and called the continuation bet. The turn paired Astedt, giving him top pair. Griff shoved all-in. Astedt tanked for several minutes and called. The river bricked, Griff's set held, and Astedt was eliminated in third place.
The payout was $4,000,000, his largest single live cash and the result that, for the first time, placed him on the broader public's radar.
Jonathan Tamayo won the event for $10,000,000. Jordan Griff, who eliminated Astedt, finished second for $6,000,000.
Playing Style and Approach
Astedt is identified as a GTO-trained specialist with layered exploitative adjustments applied on top of a theoretically balanced baseline. He is known for endurance, composure under pressure, and disciplined game selection: he plays when he wants to play and does not chase volume he does not feel positioned to win.
He has commented on the difference between live and online: the core game theory is identical, but live play requires adjustments in read-gathering and timing that online does not develop automatically. His WSOP Main Event performance demonstrated that those adjustments are within his range.
When asked whether he is the best online tournament player in the world, he is characteristically careful: "I don't think anyone knows who the best player is. I think I'm one of the best." The same directness appears in how he talks about the game itself: "No one has solved poker. It's too complex to be solved."
Personal Life
Astedt is married to Eva Slovikova. He lives in the Gothenburg area, where he grew up. He does not maintain a Twitter, Instagram, or any public social media presence. He does not give interviews and has not appeared on poker podcasts. His personal website, niklasastedt.com, exists but contains minimal information. His hobbies include traveling and food.
In rare public appearances, he is consistently described as relaxed and accessible. He will not refuse a request for a photo at a tournament. Outside dedicated poker communities, he is almost entirely unknown despite holding the most documented online tournament cashes in the history of the game.
When he has been asked about poker's place in his life, his answer is simple: "Poker has given me a lot."
Tournament Results Highlights
| Year | Event | Finish | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2021 | GGPoker Super MILLION$ | 1st | $1,096,000 |
| Sep 2024 | WCOOP (two titles, same day) | 1st × 2 | ~$100,000 combined |
| Jul 2024 | WSOP Main Event ($10,000 NLH) | 3rd / 10,000+ | $4,000,000 |
Career Summary
As of May 2026, Astedt holds zero WSOP bracelets and has approximately $9.08 million in live tournament earnings, anchored by the $4 million 2024 WSOP Main Event finish. Online, he has exceeded $50 million in career cashes across all platforms, the highest all-time total in the history of documented online poker. He has 14 SCOOP titles and 12 WCOOP titles on PokerStars, 50-plus individual online cashes above $100,000, and was voted the best online tournament player in history by his peers in 2021. He held the PocketFives number one ranking for 97 weeks. He is 35 years old.
Earnings current as of May 2026. Sources: Hendon Mob, WSOP.com, PocketFives, Wikipedia, niklasastedt.com, SoMuchPoker.
