Sunday was the day of the Queens of poker, known and unknown, in the Amazon Room at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. A total of 1,060 ladies started the day by announcing all together “Dealers, shuffle up and deal,” to kick off Event #17, the 2009 World Series of Poker Ladies No Limit Hold ‘em World Championship. 117 ladies will earn back their $1,000 buy-in plus some change. The 2009 Ladies Event champion will take home $195,390 and a new piece of jewelry, a WSOP bracelet.

The Ladies Event has evolved along with the WSOP since it was first played in 1977. For the first 22 years it was not even a Hold ‘em event at all, the ladies played Seven Card Stud. In 2000 the games switched to Limit Hold ‘em and in 2005 became No Limit Hold ‘em. In 1977 the buy-in was $100 but as more and more ladies turned out to play throughout the years the buy-in grew along with the size of the field. “It started out as mostly card club ladies. It was held on Mother’s Day, the women got flowers, it was almost akin to the Kentucky Derby,” said WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla.

The original WSOP Ladies Event champion was Jackie McDaniels, who took home $5,580. Three ladies have won the event twice, Barbara Enright in 1986 and 1994, Susie Isaacs in 1996 and 1997 and Nani Dollison in 2000 and 2001. Issacs is the only one to make a run at a third Ladies Event bracelet this year. Enright has played in the event for the last 22 years but was deep in Event #16 ($1,500 Seven Card Stud). Stud was the game played when Enright took home the winnings and bracelets in the event.

2007 Ladies Event winner Sally Boyer will not be added to the list of two-time ladies champions this year. Other lady pros who will not join the ranks of Ladies Event champions include Liv Boeree, Lacey Jones, Katja Thater, Nancy Todd Tyner and Sabyl Cohen-Landrum.

2008 winner Svetlana Gromenkova stacked up her chips early on. Not long after sitting down she shoved all-in on a Queen high flop, holding pocket Aces. An opponent called and turned over pocker Queens, Gromenkova caught an Ace on the turn and knocked out the unfortunate lady who played a set of Queens. The reigning champion doubled up soon after when she check-raised all-in holding pocket Kings on a board of [10c] 7 6 K, another player called holding A 8. The river only gave the caller a pair of eights.

Gromenkova, Maria Ho and J.J. Liu were in the top of the field for most of the day. Ho won herself enough chips to climb to the top spot holding A 9 when an opponent pushed all-in on a board of 2 2 9 6. Ho called and the opponent showed 7 7, the J landed on the river and the one more lady hit the rail. Ho managed to amass enough chips that when she lost 5,200 to an opponents pocket tens she was still the chip leader.

Shirley Williams, mother of David Williams, Maridu Mayrinck and Karina Jett had some fun at their table late in the night. Everytime a tablemate with a short stack moved all-in, the table would erupt in cheers that could be heard throughout the Amazon Room.

146 ladies remained when play ended for the night. They will return tomorrow at 2 p.m. to play down to the final nine. The leading ladies at the end of the night are:

1. Tamara Tibbles – 129,7000
2. Svetlana Gromenkova – 62,800
3. Patti Zarosky – 51,000
4. Thuy Beltran – 49,000
5. Lisa Parsons – 46,3000
6. Lauren Kling – 44,200
7. Anh Le – 40,000
8. Melissa Verrett – 39,000
9. J.J. Liu – 38,300
10. Brett Abarbanel  – 35,500

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Related posts:

1. WSOP: Cash Game Player Hamilton Wins Ladies Title Lisa Hamilton is the latest winner of a World Series...
2. WSOP: Sidsel Boesen Takes Chip Lead to Ladies Final Table Love them, hate them, think they’re a joke, think they...
3. WSOP: Controversy Clouds Ladies Championship Friday’s  $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship is an annual event...
4. WSOP Top Tweets: The Ladies’ Event Take Over the Tweets Each day at the Rio we spend hours scouring over...
5. WSOP End of Day: Hellebuyck Wins Ladies, Chow Leads Omaha Vanessa Hellebuyck wins the first bracelet for France. The World...