Breast Pumps, Check Raises and Check Blouses -Part II

Anything you would like to Know - please Email to chris@pokerpages.com or post on the forum - see home page link

Wednesday, 27th of July 2005 10:38 PM

More Women's

But go to the bottom of part 1

Tuesday, 26th of July 2005 11:05 PM

Attempt Two

OK I've lost enough playing 10-20 Holdem against the good old boy network so I'll have another go at this report.

I will post it in segments so it doesn't disappear once again.

The event this year attracted 161 ladies of which only 11 did not rebuy ( including the winner ). The prize pool  totalled $31,100 with the winner to receive $9,050.

My association. Not  that you need a reason to watch a room full of ladies playing poker but my association with this event stems from helping the then official tournament reporter Mike Paulle cover this event in 1999. As now, this tournament was run concurrently with an open event, 7 card stud today ( see my effort in a previous BLOG) .  In 2000 an aussie lady Di Kane made the final table so the reporting had a strong bias as she is a friend. In the original year one Daniel Negreanu was sitting in the back of the room sweating someone along with other friends/boyfriends/husbands and fathers. The numbers are bigger now and I suspect the knowledge of the game more developed - mine certainly is.

After getting knocked out of the 7 Card Stud event I made around the room trying to pick the "real" poker players to see if I could find the winner. I was off to do some other things quickly calculating when to get back to see the action. I decided on after dinner and I arrived at 9:30 pm to see only 33 left.

This was where the conversation had shifted on table 2 to "nursing". Nicole was giving the bad beat story of the century a run as she described the effort she had to undertake to keep herself going between breast pump usages - as she had a newly born child at home. Others were agreeing recounting their own lactation stories - I was off to safer table, I'm not paid enough to listen to the gruesome breast stories which were being told.
Ironically Nicole got moved to the table I was watching and promptly proceeded to dowse everyone at the table by openning an agitated bottle of plain soda water. She was eliminated soon after for her sins.

The game changes to 1500- 3000 Limit holdem when there are 22 left - 18 to be paid. The final two out  were both eliminated  in the Big Blind both all-in for the BB by the Small Blind limping in. As they were on different tables they split 18th money. Off to the big ballroom then for the remaining seventeen. Another timeout for me as I dash off to watch my friend Joe Hachem on the Jay Leno show. He aquits himself quite well setting up some good straight lines for the host to make the most of.

I get back at 12:45 to see Stephanie Shoten at the payout table getting her money for a 10th placing. Now the attractive Stephanie had been chatting to me earlier and if you hadn't  guessed is the daughter of player Charlie Shoten, author of the book, No-Limit Life. Stepahanie had mentioned she only plays 3-4 times a year devoting her time more to the family, husband and 4 children at home.

The run down of the final table to follow

Part two

I had been button-holed by a lovely lady from Washington state when there were still 28 left, she had filled me in on the group from that state who all supported each other - there still being four left at that time. At the final table one , Wanda  Galington still remained and there the girls were. Equally as supportive and looking extremely ferocious were the Michigan Wolverines ( I inquired as to whether they knew what a wolverine looked like, they said they did ). Their sweatee was Sandra Spiteri from Livonia.
The betting limits had clicked over to 4,000 - 8,000 average stack being 30,000.
Sandra a short stack soon came under pressure and her all-in force with 9 2 was no match for Maryjo Rippe and an Ace Jack, an Ace flopping. 9th and $520 for Sandra

 Maryjo seemed determined to win this, pushing at every opportunity. Eventually Megan Moore showed resistance with King King and all-in and Maryjo has about 26,000 removed from her stack.
Thirty minutes had slipped by so the game became 6,000-12,000 limit holdem. After Wanda triples up her last 3,000 Kate Tomchik attempts the same with a forced BB of 3,000. Sandra Castro pairs her eight on the flop and Kate takes home $790 for her 8th placing.
Maryjo , short now, pushes her last in with Ace 8 , Barbara VanAlstine takes the pot odds and calls with her Jack 4 from one of the blinds and a board of K 9 4 5 5 has Maryjo heading towards Chris and the payout table to collect $1,055 for 7th.

Wanda is forced all-in next with Sandra and Megan calling a small raise. A small contoversey errupts when Sandra suggests she would be happy to check it all the way if Megan wants to. Megan does not respond before there are objections from some other players. The flop of Q 9 5 is dealt, and Sandra immediately bets. The objections start again and Chris the presiding Tournament  director allows the bet; Megan  calls the 6,000 , a turn King brings two checks and Sandra again bets the river of a 9, Megan folding. She shows pocket Queens to beat Wanda's all-in part of trhe pot. Wanda has $1,510 more to invest as she sees fit, as she collects her 6th place dividend.  
Barbara flops a set of Jacks against Megan a few hands later when Meagn had invested her last 14,000 pre-flop. We don't see her  hand ( or it was too quick for me to see, more likely ) and we lose Meagn in 5th place , her reward $1,960.

Some sort of split was suggested but as it wasn't  unanimous we play on.
Tonya Click triples up with pocket nines taking her to 40,000.
Sarah Casey who had been hit badly by an Ace Jack play vs Tonya's Queen Ten, Queen and Ten on board about 10 hands before, finds herself all-in with Queen Jack already behind Barbara's Ace Ten. The board came down A K Q 2 5 and we lost Sarah in 4th place, but collecting $2,415 for her days effort.

Barbara and Sandra took a one hand shot to eliminate Tonya but her 6 4 prevailed against Ace 3 the board coming 9 9 6 6 7.

A new deal was suggested - easy one really , everyone get $6,225 and Sandra the chip leader the trophy and is officially declared the winner.

As long as I am in town during this event I will always be in attendance. I met a delightful cross section of women players, I learnt more than I will ever need to know about breast pumps, I saw some clever plays and some tricky plays and some ..............., well lets not go there eh?

Congratulations to all the placegetters

CU Soon

The Barracuda