James Obst, the Australian teen who's won $1.5m in online poker from his bedroom
NOT many people can say they've earned more than a million dollars sitting in bed.
But that's the case for Australian teenager James Obst, who has become a high stakes poker player after taking up the game at just 14.
Now 19-years-old, Obst has won $1.5 million playing online tournaments in his bedroom.
"Mostly I'm in bed on my laptop,'' said the teenager.
"I've made seven figures in tournaments and I've lost a chunk of money here and made a chunk of money there.
"It's not nearly as glamorous as it might seem. It's harder to think of a more stressful job.''
Obst is a former chess champion who represented Australia at three world junior chess championships in Greece and Georgia.
Friends introduced him to poker during a Victorian chess tour, and he would soon be playing up to 10 hours a day online.
He was in just Year 8 at St Peter's College in Hackney, Adelaide, when he was able to sign up to poker gambling sites.
"They were never too stringent. I think I even made my account in my own name which was pretty stupid, but you just had to say you're over 18," he said.
"As long as you don't become, I guess, well known you get away with it.''
Underage players too young to have credit cards can get money transferred into their accounts through friends on the sites.
Obst started by borrowing as little as 20c at a time and chose the online name AndyMcLEOD after his idol, the Adelaide Crows footballer.
His first major tournament win came at 15 when he won a $10 "rebuy'' tournament, netting him $17,000.