Peter Jensen

Peter Jepsen (born 1982) is a Danish poker player who entered the game by coincidence after returning from military service in Iraq with the Royal Danish Army. He started playing online with friends as a pastime but quickly became convinced he could succeed professionally, despite initial losses.

Jepsen's greatest live achievement came in March 2007 during the third season of the European Poker Tour in Warsaw, Poland. He won the €15,000 No Limit Hold'em event for a first-place prize of zł1,226,711 ($415,679). He beat Frenchman Farid Meraghni heads-up with a pair of sevens. This victory, along with a third-place finish in the Caribbean Poker Classic in St. Kitts ($165,000), pushed his live tournament earnings to over $600,000.

Despite his live success, Jepsen is perhaps best known for his online exploits. In September 2008, he set a world record for the largest online poker pot, winning $499,037 against Tom Dwan in a $500/$1,000 NLHE cash game. The record has since been eclipsed.

Jepsen's career took a dark turn when he was convicted in 2019 of using a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) to spy on opponents' hole cards. He sold infected laptops to fellow players and installed spyware during live events in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Las Vegas, and Berlin. The scheme dated back to 2008 and affected at least eight Danish players. During the trial, witnesses testified that Jepsen confessed to the scam. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison (reduced from three due to delays), fined $118,000, and had $3.86 million confiscated. He appealed the verdict. Among his victims were Viktor "Isildur1" Blom, though Jepsen later refunded Blom's losses under pressure.

Jepsen was known for a patient and disciplined style, often waiting for strong hands and reading opponents well. His approach combined solid fundamentals with aggressive adjustments when he had an edge, though his cheating tainted his legacy.

Peter Jepsen's career is a cautionary tale of talent overshadowed by fraud. While his EPT win and online record marked him as a skilled player, his conviction for high-tech cheating damaged his reputation and led to a significant prison sentence.