The recent win by Kami Chisholm (drkamikaze1) in the SCOOP Event 4-L Badugi tournament was a first for women in the event and Chisholm’s first SCOOP win. But Chisholm is no newcomer to poker as her second place finish in the 2009 WCOOP PLO8 event for $47,000 and her live event win at the PCA attests (see interview below). But she is thrilled to be doing extraordinarily well overall in SCOOP this year with two final table finishes and an impressive slot on the SCOOP leaderboard.

Her win in the badugi event ($9,003) along with a fourth place finish ($5,900) in the SCOOP Event 10-M Stud tournament gives her an overall ranking of 31-35 on the SCOOP leaderboard. A huge “congratulations” to her, with wishes for even more success to come. And there’s still time to make it an even bigger and better year for women.

That’s exactly what PokerStars was thinking when they decided to offer a $5.50/$0.50 satellite to this Sunday’s Low $109 Main Event with a buy-in that affords even players on a limited budget a chance to get into the action. So there’s still time for you to make your mark in this year’s SCOOP and possibly bring home a championship. You can find the satellite under the tournament number #552603719.

With that in mind, PokerStars Women spoke with Kami shortly after she won the tournament, and posed a few questions about her approach. Reading about her success is sure to fire you up for this Sunday’s tournament, so register now, and start planning your assault.

PokerStars Women: You’ve won a live event at the PCA in Limit Hold ‘Em (2010 PCA Event #26, Limit Hold’em Six Handed), finished second in the 2009 WCOOP PLO8 for $47,000, won the Venetian Deep Stack Horse Event, placed fifth in the WSOP Ladies Event, and now this. You’re a very versatile and dangerous player it seems! Have you made an effort to master a lot of different games, or is that just how it worked out?

Kami: Most people have a hard time with being strong at a lot of games, which is why HORSE tournaments are my favorite, and why I have had the most success in them. I tend to get bored pretty easily, so being able to play a lot of different games keeps me interested and fresh, so I don’t get into a rut. It’s also really fun when a series like SCOOP or WCOOP comes around, because I know I can have a shot at the tournament series leaderboards. It’s much easier for a skilled mixed-game player to cash in a lot of tournaments than for a NLHE specialist (except maybe Isildur!) as the fields are smaller, and with the slow structures of SCOOP and WCOOP, the edge is higher for a versatile player.

PSW: Can you tell us how you decide which events to play?

Kami: My plan has always been to play as many SCOOP events as possible, as I’m a tournament specialist who focuses on the limit games and PLO8. So I am playing all of the medium and low limit events, and as many of the high events as I can as well.

PSW: So why badugi?

Kami: Badugi is not my favorite game, but I do enjoy playing it. I’d like to play it more, but there are very few badugi MTTs that are above micro limits, which I rarely play anymore.

PSW: It’s a difficult game to master and not that well-known. How did you get started in it?

Kami: The same way I learned all the limit games, by just jumping in and starting to play. I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered the game; I don’t even think I’m particularly strong at it. Rather, I think I’m just good at limit MTTs in general.

PSW: What was it like when you realized you had won the tournament?

Kami: Well, I was expecting to win the hand, so it wasn’t a shock. But we were playing heads-up for a long time, and I had been playing for almost 14 hours straight at that point, so I was very happy for it to be over and to have won!

When I’m deep in a tournament, I never look at the prize payouts, as it’s not really about the money to me. Not that I mind the cash of course, but I don’t look because I want to keep the focus on winning, no matter what. Thinking about the prize pool is just a big distraction from that.

PSW: You played in Monte Carlo recently as a PokerStars Women Live satellite winner. What was that like, and what did you think of Monte Carlo?

Kami: I love playing the women’s events, so I was thrilled to win a package. Women are always so much fun to play with, and Monte Carlo itself is a trip. I feel like I definitely got to see how the “other 1%” live! I’m happy to be back home in the real world now though.

PSW: Have you had a specific type of training program in poker?

Kami: I’m pretty much self-taught in the limit games, where I learn mostly through playing and book study. I have had some great NL coaches, and I have watched a lot of videos and done other training for NL. It’s amazing how much I always feel I still have to learn though.

I don’t know that I would say I’m one of the top players at any specific game, but I think I’m above average, which is enough to be a winning player. Remember, you don’t have to be the best player in the world to win, you just have to be better (or luckier) than the folks at your table on a particular day!

For more on Kami’s success this year, see Brad Willis’ earlier PokerStars blog report. And for more on upcoming events, see PokerStars Women.

Tags: action | entertainment | ept | facebook | france poker series | italian | italian poker tour | SCOOP | UKIPT | wcoop | World Series of Poker

In some respects, this couldn’t be a more perfect day to host a Women’s Sunday tournament. Sure, it happens every Sunday, but its presence on a day that some countries in the world celebrate Mother’s Day is better than a coincidence. For those mothers who love poker, it’s an ideal way for them to do what they love on their special day.

Rebekah Mercer shared some Mother’s Day thoughts earlier this week in this article, wherein mothers discuss the part that poker plays in their lives. Balancing a hobby and motherhood has its challenges, and PokerStars Women provided a forum for some discussion about that.

While many women were spending today with their mothers or grandmothers, children or grandchildren, or aunts or other special people in their lives, a group of them found their way to the weekly Women’s Sunday. The final numbers are here:

Total players: 221
Prize pool: $11,050.00
Paid finishers: 36

The first hour of play saw two of the Team PokerStars Pros exit the field in succession. Ana Marquez was eliminated in 143rd place, and Vanessa Selbst followed in 142nd place. That left one player with the red space near her name to carry the flag for PokerStars, and Fatima Moreira de Melo did just that.

The money bubble burst at the 2.5-hour mark of the tournament, which saw $TurboPandi of last week’s final table unfortunately out in 37th place this week on that bubble. Snail2009 was the first player to cash for $82.87, and others lined up to collect their payouts as well. Fatima only survived until two tables remained, at which point her [Ac][Td] met up with the [Kh][Jd] of Ira_161 and lost to a jack on the flop. Ira_161 picked up the $50 bounty, and Fatima Moreira de Melo took home $121.55 for 18th place.

After the 11th place elimination of TyForPlayinX, hand-for-hand play led to an all-in move from FranPoker on a [8d][Th][Ah][9h][8h] board with [Ad][7h]. Gustawa was there with [Td][Tc] for the full house, and that was enough to eliminate FranPoker in tenth place with $176.80.

Gustawa goes strong as chip leader

The final table began with these chip counts:

Seat 1: netti.S1984 (44575 in chips)
Seat 2: Lexi4Bet (64253 in chips)
Seat 3: evjersen (65862 in chips)
Seat 4: patawkubakia (47092 in chips)
Seat 5: chelle_can (22103 in chips)
Seat 6: JulieBRIGHT (81279 in chips)
Seat 7: Ö_ö °Mopsi°° (47025 in chips)
Seat 8: Ira_161 (58665 in chips)
Seat 9: Gustawa (232146 in chips)

A few double-ups led things off, as chelle_can did it through evjersen and jilieBRIGHT doubled through Lexi4Bet.

A big hand then began with JulieBRIGHT and Ö_ö °Mopsi°° limping. Gustawa limped as well, but netti.S1984 raised all-in for 43,280 chips. JulieBRIGHT was the only caller with [As][AD], and netti.S1984 showed [Ah][Kh]. The flop of [Jh][9d][3c] changed nothing, though the [Kd] on the turn brought some double-up hope. But the [Th] on the river sent former MicroMillions champion Anett “netti.S1984″ Sandke (http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/micromillions/2012/micromillions-winner-has-her-own-super-n-092170.html) out in ninth place with $209.95.

Ö_ö °Mopsi°° was the next player to move all-in, doing it from middle position with [Qh][8h] and 22,565 chips. Ira_161 reraised all-in to isolate, which worked, and showed [Ac][Kd]. The board came [Th][3d][Ad][3s][Kh] to give Ira_161 two pair, and Ö_ö °Mopsi°° was left with $276.25 for the eighth place finish.

Patawkubakia moved her short stack from the button with [Ad][Jc], and JulieBRIGHT called from the big blind with [7c][6c]. But the board was on the latter’s side when it came [Jh][9h][5d][As][8h] for the nine-high straight. Patawkubakia’s two pair were no good and resulted in a seventh place exit with $386.75.

Lexi4Bet chose the big blind from which to make her push for 13,475 chips. Original raiser JulieBRIGHT called with [Ah][Ac], and Lexi4Bet could only show [As][Qh]. The board of [Ad][2h][4d][5h][8d] brought no hope for Lexi4Bet, who left in sixth place with $497.25.

Two hands later, chelle_can made her move. After being short-stacked for most of the action and relegated to a miniscule stack after some disconnection problems, chelle_can risked her 5,000 chips with [As][9s]. Gustawa had [Kd][3d] but caught the first card on the [Kc][6h][8h] flop. Chelle_can did have a pair of eights and hope, but the [7d] and [3h] finished off the hand with two pair for Gustawa and a fifth place payout of $640.90 for chelle_can.

Ira_161 raised from UTG, and Gustawa reraised on her left. The blinds got out of the way, and Ira_161 rebumped it all-in for 62,244 chips. Gustawa called with [Kh][Kd], and Ira_161′s odds were diminished with [Ac][8h]. The flop of [5c][9c][Kc] only gave Gustawa the set of kings, and the [3s] and [8d] cards finished the hand. Ira_161 had to go in fourth place with $939.25.

Evjersen doubled through Gustawa, and upon losing more chips, doubled through JulieBRIGHT. One more double-up through Gustawa looked promising, but evjersen remained the shortest of the three stacks.

A hand then developed as evjersen and JulieBRIGHT tangled tos ee a [Th][Ac][8h] flop. Evjersen bet, and JulieBRIGHT check-called to get to the [6s] on the turn. The same betting pattern led to the [4s] on the river, which prompted JulieBRIGHT to bet and evjersen to call all-in with [As][9d]. But that top pair was trumped by the [Ad][4h] and two pair of JulieBRIGHT. Evjersen was out in third place with $1,248.65.

Russian vs. Czech

The final two players took their places with these counts:

Seat 6: JulieBRIGHT (414,103 in chips)
Seat 9: Gustawa (248,897 in chips)

The second hand of heads-up play brought this hand that turned the tables completely:

Shortly thereafter, JulieBRIGHT looked down at [Ks][5c] and limped. When Gustawa raised with [Ad][Td], JulieBRIGHT responded by moving all-in. Gustawa called, and nothing about the presentation of the [4d][6d][9s][Qd][As] board changed the outcome. Gustawa only improved to a diamond flush, and JulieBRIGHT had to settle for second place and $1,657.50.

Gustawa of the Czech Republic won this week’s Women’s Sunday nad $2,259.83 in cash. Congratulations!

Women’s Sunday Results for 05/13/12:

1st place: Gustawa ($2,259.83)
2nd place: JulieBRIGHT ($$1,657.50)
3rd place: evjersen ($1,248.65)
4th place: Ira_161 ($939.25)
5th place: chelle_can ($640.90)
6th place: Lexi4Bet ($497.25)
7th place: patawkubakia ($386.75)
8th place: Ö_ö °Mopsi°° ($276.25)
9th place: netti.S1984 ($209.95)

There are many ways to get in on the Women’s Sunday action. Take a look at the home page for information on daily satellites. And join us on Facebook for news and monthly freerolls, and Twitter for the latest information. See you next week!

Tags: 2011 | action | article | European Poker Tour | harrah's | latin-america | micromillions | sunday | tournaments | women's sunday

Mother’s Day will be celebrated this weekend (Sunday, May 13) in 78 countries around the world. Other countries observe the day at various times, but regardless of when it’s celebrated, it’s a special day for moms and those who love them. We know from interviews and comments we get that many of our female players are moms, so it seems like a perfect time to recognize some of the moms who play on PokerStars. We sent a few questions to some of our loyal readers on the PokerStars Women Facebook fan page and got some great responses.

PokerStars Women (PSW): Why is poker important to you?

Hanna Syrayaveva, (ipokergirl13) from Russia, responded with an answer that surprised us. “I love poker because it’s a way to relax and have some fun, while keeping my head sharp. While I play I let go of all the stress, so maybe I can say I find in poker a way to meditate, relax, and still make some money!” Poker as a meditation technique–never heard that before–but if you’re a busy mom as she is (with a seven-year-old daughter) poker could seem very relaxing by comparison.

Another player, Tina Van Thuyl (GigglesVT online) says that poker started as a hobby for her–”something to do at night when the kids were asleep,” but before she knew it she was enjoying playing in the Women’s Poker League. “The ladies that I run into often are some of the most polite and friendliest ladies ever. They have taught me a lot about myself and how I play, and how I can improve.” But poker is apparently not all they talk about. “We are women, we talk about EVERYTHING,” she said with a laugh.

PSW: If you have a daughter, do you plan to teach her the game? If so, why would you tell her it’s important?

Hanna: I have a seven-year-old daughter and she has been around poker from the day she was born. Poker is everywhere around our house. My husband played professionally for several years, so I will quote him, although I share the same thoughts. “Poker teaches you three very important skills to have in life–1) the ability to catch layers, 2) mathematics, and 3) bankroll management.”

Tina: Yes, I’m teaching my daughter to play. I’ve told her it’s a game of fun, numbers, patterns, and a great way to meet new people. Oh, and finally, when mommy does win big she will be able to reap the rewards!

PSW: How do you work poker into the busy lifestyle of being a mom? When do you play?

Hanna: This is the tricky part; sometimes it’s complicated to make the time to play. It’s especially hard because I prefer and do better playing MTTs. So I have to choose weekends and holidays to play this format. Other days I may play after dinner or play some SNG’s or Hyper Turbo Satellites. But now with PokerStars Mobile I will be able to play a bit more. There is time for everything if we plan right.

Tina: I’m fortunate to work for my husband and his small business, so my work schedule is flexible. I play mainly at night though, once my daughter (the youngest) is asleep. I have a deal with the kids that they let me play one Sunday afternoon a month.

Another player Sheri-Lee Yarema responded: I’m still trying to figure it out myself! But online play and multitasking makes it at least possible for me.

Gill Kerr says that poker and kids is “easy as pie” to manage. “Mobile poker is the way forward! I love the PokerStars Mobile App!

And here’s a solution that is the answer to every busy mom’s desire to have just a few hours to herself once in a while–Berta Simonenkovaite has the answer. “We solved the problem in our family by getting a summer cottage where I spend a few days a week just playing poker. We have three kids between the ages of 3 and 9, and with two moms in the family it works perfectly. They never have to live without one.” A summer cottage where you can get away to play poker sounds like a dream come true–let’s put that one on the wish list. Sounds like a perfect way to spend a big cash on PokerStars!

PSW: How much do you play online as opposed to live?

Hanna: I play much more online than live. I still feel a little intimidated when playing live. Too much testosterone! I need more women. That is something I’m working on.

Tina: 99.9 percent of my play is online, but I’m looking forward to gaining experience in live play.

Have you ever played a PokerStars Women Live event?

Hanna: Sadly, no, but it must be so much fun. We always follow the EPT on the PokerStars blog, and all the girls seem so friendly, fun, and skilled. Maybe next year!

Tina: Unfortunately no, but I’m trying to catch up to my husband who won his way through a satellite in the LAPT in Uruguay last August, and also got to play for Team Canada in the America’s Cup of Poker (Robert “SintBest” Van Thuyl).
And finally, a comment from Alyson Parker sums up what it’s like to be a busy poker playing mom. “My kid is grown (25) but when she calls on the weekend she does say “Are you in a hand?” a lot. We’ve probably all heard that one a few times!

Multitasking or meditating, moms on PokerStars today seem to know how to make it work. Hats off to them and to moms everywhere as they celebrate their special day. And if your mom is a poker player, think about giving her the gift that keeps on giving–time to play a tournament or two. You never know–she might take you on that next big trip she wins!

Tags: business | delicious | european | house | italian poker tour | kids | lapt | news | planets | wbcoop

Kami “drkamikaze1″ Chisholm is no doctor, but she can operate on just about any kind of battlefield. While all the ear-nose-throat folks are cutting up the nosebleed no-limit hold’em games, Chisholm is chiseling away at whatever game she can find. Need proof? Hereya go:

Chisholm’s top three online cashes are a second place $47,000 finish in a WCOOP PLO8 tourney, a first in a HORSE event for $32,000, and her first SCOOP title in this year’s SCOOP Event 4-L Badugi event for $9,003. In short, pick a game, and Chisholm can operate.

That flexibility has served her well. Not long after the Badugi finish, she placed fourth in the SCOOP Event 10-M Stud event. The result: Chisholm is currently tied for fifth place on the overall Player of the Series leaderboard.

“I never give up on a tournament, no matter how short stacked I am,” she said. “I have come back from only having 1-2 big blinds more times than I can count to win the tournament!”

The one-time resident of the USA is no fulltime poker pro. She plays 10-20 tournaments on weekends, and spends the rest of the week in a state of being that she calls “self-employed.” In recent months, Chisholm and her partner picked up and moved to Canada. It was a move she’d been planning long before April 15, 2011.

“I was ready for a major shift in my life, and I have gotten it. Which, probably not so coincidentally, has been great for my poker results,” she said.

Though she’s on a roll now, the year didn’t start that way. Her personal life took a tough turn in the first couple of months of the year, and she ended up taking a full month off poker to get her life together. The break served her well.

“it was the best thing I could have done,” she said. “My first weekend back playing, I took first in the Stars weekly HORSE.”

She also won two satellites for the €1,100 PokerStars Women Live event in Monaco, where didn’t cash, but had a great time. She had only been home a week when she hit SCOOP with everything she had.

So, keep it all in mind when you see Dr. Kami on the tables for the rest of SCOOP. She may not be a real doctor, but she’ll cut you up just the same.

Tags: Asia Pacific Poker Tour | european | gambling | general-surgeon | italian poker tour | napt | news | SCOOP | tcoop | world cup of poker

You could say Team Pro Victoria Coren had a good trip to Monaco. She began the Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final with an historic win in the €5,000 Heads-Up tournament over specialist Melanie Weisner. A few days later, Coren was heads-up yet again, this time for the PokerStars Women Grand Final title. Although Spanish pro Leo Margets prevailed, Coren impressed and amused by live multi-tabling the final table of the Women’s Event with the concurrent tournament of champions, a freeroll she qualified for from winning the 2006 EPT Main Event in London.

In this interview, Vicky talks to PokerStars Women about why Melanie Weisner reminds her of herself, changing her mind on women’s events and how she plans to spend the €60,000 she pocketed with her heads-up title.

PokerStars Women (PSW)- Congrats on your EPT Heads-Up Grand Final title! You ended up playing HU specialist Melanie Weisner in the final. What was that match like?

Victoria Coren (VC)- It was really fun with Melanie. I was slightly embarrassed that at one point on the PokerStars blog they ran up a thing going “Oh Vicky and Melanie are talking about boys, and love and what’s the right age to get married.” I was like, “Brilliant, we’ve been playing for four-and-a-half hours and someone walked by at just the bit when we were talking about that kind of thing. And people will be rolling their eyes saying “For heaven’s sake–women in any context . . . Maybe in a women’s boxing match . . . they say in between blows ‘Do you have trouble with commitment?’, ‘I have trouble with commitment.’”

We genuinely did talk about love during a very tough match. It would have really freaked me out earlier in my poker career to try to maintain that level of interesting concentration with that difficult of a game.

PSW- Tell us about one of the most interesting hands against Melanie.

VC- There were a few. There was one where I almost felt sympathy for her. It was her button, she raised pre-flop, I called with [Qh][Th]. The flop came with two hearts. I check-raised, she called and the turn brought the flush. She only had 4500 and I bet 4000. She reminded me of myself when she talked about the agony she was in. She told me she had a pair of queens and knew I either just turned a flush or I didn’t have anything. I loved that Melanie was doing that because I’ll do the same thing. I’ll do it either as a sign of respect for my opponent or to get a tell from them. I genuinely felt sympathetic for her in that situation–there’s no way of knowing, you’re just tossing a coin. You’re either throwing away the huge hand you’ve been dealt as it’s not easy to get queens heads-up, or you’re paying off an exasperating value bet. She did call and that was a turning point in one of the matches. Though we took it in turns to get very low in chips and fight back I remember thinking during that hand “she’s so like I am.”

She is like me in other ways too. She’s in poker because she’s competitive and stubborn and very bright and funny. (I’m not saying I am) but I recognize her way of dealing with the world. She’s flirty, combative, difficult and likeable, and doesn’t like to be pushed around. She plays aggressively, almost to make a point about the World. And in that hand, watching her with queens and not sure what to do, was like looking in a mirror.

PSW- So how cool was it that two women ended up heads-up in a mixed field event, especially in a game type that’s particularly associated with poker skill?

VC- Poker players are obsessed with statistics so in addition to thinking about winning my second EPT event and my first live heads-up tournament win, I was musing that it might be the first time in history that a final table in a major mixed event has been all-female. I know there’s only two of us, but with two or with ten, have there ever been any all-female tables where it’s not a women’s event? I don’t think so.

PSW- Looking back, which was your toughest match overall?

VC- I played Annette (Obrestad) who is obviously very aggressive, but not in a way that’s easy to play against. And Melanie, of course is one of the best H-U players there is. She’s brilliant.

A Finnish guy called Juha Helppi played a style of H-U that I found difficult to play against. He makes very small pots, small raises, even limps the button occasionally. He absolutely won’t put a huge amount of chips in as a big mistake. You’re not going to find him putting in 4000 when you have the nuts. You have to keep concentrating all the time, and outwit him in small pots.

Then I had Dori Yacoub. He’s an older gentleman. He’s the kind of player that I’m grateful that at EPTs, the heads-up tournaments are best of three. It’s not like you play seven or eight hands and figure out “he’s this kind of player,” so it helped that I had more than one match to figure it out.

PSW- How do you describe your own heads-up style?

VC- I try to play in the same style as Juha Helppi, the Finnish guy. That’s why I found it hard to play against him. I try to play more and smaller hands. That’s effective against players who play very aggressively. But if you play someone who plays in the same way, your brains are constantly churning over these small pots. You can feel like you run a marathon.

PSW- It’s tougher for women to get experience in live heads-up because the tournaments tend to be very expensive, I’m sure in part because of the cost of paying the dealers.

VC- It’s tough for anyone to get experience in live heads-up. In the next season of EPT, season nine, the heads-up tournaments are going to be €1000. Of course I know that’s still very expensive if you’re a recreational player but it’s a lot less than €5,000. Anyway, practicing heads-up on the Internet is perfect. Online poker is for two things: 1.) You can play for any amount you want, and 2.) You can play in your pajamas drinking a martini. And this is something I know women appreciate. Get the practice in and the heads-up games you play live will not be as tough as the heads-up you play online.

PSW- You wrote an article about a year ago on your change of heart about Women’s Events. How did that come about?

VC- I’m definitely still of two minds about women’s events. Right at the beginning, when I was a novice player, I loved them. In 2001 I went to Vegas and played the ladies event there–it was a different universe. When the players arrived for the ladies, somebody announced “Let’s have a round of applause for the ladies who are all looking so lovely.” And everyone applauded and we were all given a flower. It was ridiculous but hilarious and I loved it.

Later on as more women came into poker through the Internet, I decided I didn’t like women’s events because I thought it was patronizing to suggest that women needed some sort of handicapped event. My mind was changed by two things. Firstly by a few women writing to me and posting on my blog, “Listen it’s not about thinking we can’t play against men. It’s about the fact that these live tournaments are all male. They said ‘We’re shy. We don’t want to turn up late at night in a room full of men, and have people thinking we’re weird.’” So just for people starting to play live tournaments, women can think of it as a social occasion, a fun way to get started and then play the mixed events later. So I thought “Well, no harm in it, but I won’t play because I don’t need that kind of reassurance, I’m very confident.”

Then I was at the PCA one year, and a Brazilian woman came up to me and said, “Are you insane? Why wouldn’t you play this tournament? Any restricted field you are eligible to play in you should play as it’s bound to be easier.” And a professional player should just think about where they are more likely to win. So I thought, why I didn’t think of that–a dumb obvious thing, I need to get over myself. It’s not just about the politics and the feminism.

So two sides of my brain do battle. When I’m not actually playing, one of the things I do as a writer, as a Team Pro and a commentator, is to encourage women into the game, reassure them not to be scared. So the other side of my brain is thinking “Well after having encouraged all these recreational players to get started, why I don’t sit down and try to take their money?” I’ve played a few since then and thought they were good fun. I played in three and cashed in all three (four after placing 2nd to Leo Margets in the EPT Grand Final Ladies Event).

PSW- That’s a stellar record! I agree that no one should criticize women for playing these events, whether for fun or for value. Besides, the more women who are thinking like you are, the tougher the fields become. At the PCA I had Vanessa Rousso and Ana Marquez to my left. In another I played with Vanessa Selbst and Liv Boeree, and people like Melanie and Xuan always play. You may even find yourself at a tougher table than in an ordinary 1K!

VC- That’s how times change, isn’t it?

PSW- Is it hard for you to find time to write during your poker schedule and keep up with deadlines?

VC- Yes, I have a weird life. I started writing about poker for a Chinese magazine. People who live in Hong Kong are often keen on gambling. I like this idea of a market hungry for poker stories. I was really late with it and was thinking, “How can I write it here, how can I concentrate?” Fortunately, after the heads-up I was so adrenalized by the win that I woke up after four hours sleep. So I found myself sitting out on the balcony at six in the morning, writing this article with another tournament to play at Noon. Probably not the best thing for my game, but good for keeping all the balls in the air.

PSW- So you won €60,000 with the heads-up title. When you have a big score, do you buy something nice for yourself or does it just go into the bankroll?

VC- I generally try to buy something nice, but coincidentally enough the day I won, I had an email from my best friend reminding me that I had to buy a wedding dress, which I keep forgetting about cause I find the idea of a full-length white dress so embarrassing. We were meant to go shopping for one next week, and I told her I was in Monte Carlo. And I thought, “I guess I won this money, it doesn’t have to be a 100 or 200 pound dress from Oxfam. I’m not going to spend €60,000 on a dress, I’m not insane!” But having shouted at my friend that I’m not going to spend a fortune on a dress you wear once and never again, maybe I’ll throw a little more money at the problem.

PSW- Oh yes, congratulations on your engagement (to David Mitchell). Does your fiancé play any poker?

VC- He does not, I am pleased to say. He once played in a charity poker tournament and he found it baffling. It’s kind of perfect; for me it wouldn’t work to marry a poker player. But he’s now at the stage where if he’s sitting next to me watching TV and I’m playing poker, he knows enough to sympathize if I get knocked out of a tournament but not enough to say “If you raised on the flop that may not have happened,” which is just about perfect.

Tags: archives | charity-poker | facebook | interview | lapt | monte-carlo | pca | planets | politics

Tournament poker is a tough way to make a buck. It can be a brutal game with players sitting on a knife’s edge, knowing that their tournament life could be over at any moment with the lethal strike of the fall of an unlucky river card.

It gets even worse when you’ve been playing poker for two days and you are eliminated within a breath of making the money. That elusive cash that you’ve been chasing all tournament. It’s heart-breaking stuff as many of our players experienced today at the ANZPT Perth Main Event.

We started with 136 players and quickly they dropped away. After seven full levels we stopped at 40 players and just four eliminations from the money. Some of those to fall during the day included Kristina Griffith, Brian McAllister, Josh Barrett, Aleks Lackovic, Tony Tartaglia and Australian Poker Hall of Famer Leo Boxell.

At the other end of the scale, the story of the day was again the duelling between roommates Didier Guerin and Anthony Aston for the chip lead. It passed hands on several occasions throughout the day, with Aston taking control with a flopped set of jacks before losing a late pot to slip from the top spot.

Guerin also had a day to remember. Pocket queens were again favourable to Guerin as he collected a massive three-way pot with the ladies for second time in two days. After getting himself up to 430,000 at one point, Guerin ended with a stack of 304,000 which was good for the chip lead.

It’s a bit of a log-jam at the top with the top dozen players all sitting within 100k of each other. With plenty of chips at the top, that also means there’s quite a few short stacks. Tomorrow there will be 15 of the 40 players starting with fifteen big blinds or less. That means that once our bubble bursts, there’s likely to be a fair rush of eliminations as the shorties look to double up or bust.

It should provide us with plenty of action to report here on the PokerStars Blog, with play kicking off once again at 12:30pm (GMT+8). We look forward to your company then!

Tags: entertainment | European Poker Tour | events | festival | france poker series | harrah's | italian | planets | russian poker series | SCOOP | season 4

Women made a huge impact in Season 8 of the European Poker Tour with remarkable accomplishments that included a first-ever final table finish for a woman at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final Main Event. PokerStars qualifier Lucille Cailly made history when she became the first female to do so, but that was just the beginning of an illustrious finish for the French player’s charge at the final table. She would up netting second place in the heads-up battle against Mohsin Charania when her ace-king went down in flames against his pocket queens. Her incredible run netted her €1,050,000 and a standing ovation from onlookers that included the entire field of the PokerStars Women Live Women’s Event and her highly visible and vocal rail bird supporters (mostly male) who donned blond wigs in her support.

But that was only one of the highlights for a whirlwind of significant triumphs for women this season. Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren, and Friend of PokerStars Charlotte Van Brabander garnered victories this year. In addition, there were many other noteworthy successes including those of Leo Margets, Melanie Weisner, and others.
Vicky Coren scored another groundbreaking first for women when she won the €5k Heads-Up tournament at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final, against Melanie Weisner who came in second. The match made history when the two women went head-to-head in the first-ever all female heads-up final battle at the event. It was also significant that all three women who entered the first round (Ana Marquez also played the event) made it into round two, with two of them battling it out for first in the final.

Vicky also finished second in the €1k PokerStars Women Live Women’s Event, with a cash of €10,950 for her efforts. She eventually lost to Leo Margets of Spain, in a volatile heads-up match, but cashes for both events earned her an impressive €69,850. Leo won €16,850 for her championship in the women’s event. She was the last woman standing at last year’s World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing in 27th place with a cash of $352,832. She is a pro player who is a familiar face at tournaments around the world. Other players with strong finishes in the women’s event included Jan Combes, who finished third after a win at the PokerStars Women Live EPT London event last October.
Friend of PokerStars Charlotte Van Brabander made a splash this year won the EPT Berlin €300 Ladies Event in April, besting a field of 27 for a first-place finish worth €3,240. She also did well in the Main Event there with a cash worth € 11,000.

Another player who is getting lots of attention this year is Xuan Liu. She had a great EPT year with her final table finish at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January with a fourth place finish and a cash of $600,000, which catapulted her live poker earnings to over $1,000,000 in a little over one year.

And who could forget the “take no prisoners approach” of Melanie Weisner this year as she powered through EPT Copenhagen and EPT Madrid Main Events with in-the-money finishes (28th place in both) and a second place finish in the heads-up event at the Grand Final? Weisner was awarded recognition as Heads-Up Player of the Year at the EPT Season 8 awards ceremony that rounded out the Grand Final in Monaco. Look for her again in the upcoming first event of Season 9 in Barcelona, as her award included a full package to the Barcelona event.

Overall, it has been an incredible year for women in poker. We look forward to reporting on more achievements by women in the months to come, so keep up with all the developments by following us here at PokerStars Women.

Tags: belgian poker series | entertainment | eureka poker tour | events | facebook | napt | pca | pokerstars | SCOOP | Super Tuesday | wbcoop

Spaniard Leo Margets took down the title at the EPT Grand Final Ladies event here in Monte Carlo this evening after beating Team Pokerstars Pro Victoria Coren in a heads-up which saw the chips swing backwards and forwards. The top two finishers made a deal prior to heads-up play to flatten the payouts. It all came down to the final hand where Vicky’s A-9 did not improve against Leo’s A-Q.

The day started with 12 players but within half an hour a final table of nine was reached after Maya Geller, Coralie Nauder and Melanie Weisner were eliminated. Play slowed down considerably as they moved closer to the money. Vanessa Selbst, who started the day as chip leader, had a string of unlucky hands before she busted out without a money finish at the hands of EPT London Ladies Champion Jan Combes.

Jan had played a strong tournament and was chip leader in the latter stages but she was sent to the rail by Leo and had to settle for fourth place. Vicky then knocked Nicole Kotrinas out in third after her A-Q held up against Nicole’s A-7.

Leo, 28, lives half the year in London and the rest in her native Barcelona as well as travelling the world playing poker. She started playing in 2008 but by the following year she had turned pro after finishing in the WSOP Main Event in 27th place cashing $352,832 and was also the ‘last woman standing’.

Prior to discovering poker she studied in London and then worked as a Player Relations Manager and Interpreter at all the tennis Grand Slams and then went to work for sport’s giant IMG.

She was thrilled to win the title today as well as the gigantic trophy and said it rounded off a great week for her as she also cashed in the main event. She is reinvesting her winnings in her bankroll in preparation for the WSOP this summer.

Final table results
Results based on two-way deal

1st: Leo Margets €16,850
2nd: Victoria Coren (Pokerstars Team Pro) €10,950
3rd: Jan Combes (EPT London Ladies Champion) €6,380
4th: Nicole Kotrinos €4,560
5th: Ingrida Klassen €3,650
6th: Darya Hulyk €3,200

Tags: 2011 | archives | ept | estrellas poker tour | eureka poker tour | italian | napt | planets | russian | SCOOP | team pokerstars pro | tournaments

We’re back for Day 2 of this €1,000 NLH Women’s event and cards are now in the air. There are 12 players left, each fighting for the first prize of €16,850. The top six are paid and the blinds are at 600/1,200.

Team PokerStars Pros Victoria Coren and Vanessa Selbst are sitting side by side and Vicky is effectively multi-tabling as she is also playing in the Tournament of Champions running alongside this event in the tournament hall. Melanie Weisner, who was runner-up to Vicky in the €5k Heads-Up event is also at the same table.

Expect the action to be fast and furious down to the money as some players are booked on flights late this afternoon!

Table 1
Melanie Weisner 36,600
Anouk Aletrino 39,100
Darya Hulyk 30,300
Ingrida Klassen 15,100
Victoria Coren (Team Pokerstars Pro) 32,600
Vanessa Selbst (Team Pokerstars Pro) 90,200

Table 2
Leo Margets 63,100
Maya Geller 38,500
Coralie Nauder 15,700
Jan Combes 33,000
Celine Bastian 35,400
Nicole Kotrinos 27,600

Tags: 2011 | australia | belgian poker series | estrellas poker tour | france poker series | gambling | monaco | planets | russian | tournaments

We are now down to 12 in the €1,000 NLH Women’s event here in Monte Carlo. After much discussion on how many levels to play this evening we have finished after level 9 but still six off the money.

Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst has a tremendous lead after some dominating play. She is sitting on just over 90,000 while her closest contender, Leo Margets, is some way behind on 63,100. Former poker dealer Anouk Aletrino is sitting in the third place on just under 40,000.
In the middle of the pack Team PokerStars Pro Victoria Coren, Maya Geller and Jan Combes have been fighting it out for many hours on the same table. The short stacks tomorrow are Coralien Auder-Renaud and Ingrida Klassen.

Play restarts at midday tomorrow and there will be a redraw for seats.

Chipcounts
Vanessa Selbst, Team PokerStars Pro, 90,200
Leo Margets 63,100
Anouk Aletrino 39,100
Maya Geller 38,500
Melanie Weisner 36,600
Celine Bastian 35,400
Jan Combes 33,000
Victoria Coren, Team PokerStars Pro, 32,600
Darya Hulyk 30,300
Nicole Kohlmow 27,600
Coralien Auder-Renaud 15,700
Ingrida Klassen 15,100

Tags: ept8-monaco-25 | European Poker Tour | monte-carlo | napt | news | pokerstars macau | pokerstars women | portugal poker series | UKIPT | wbcoop