Another event at the WPT World Championship Festival is in the books. Yesterday saw a conclusion to the Ladies Event, a tournament that saw an impressive turnout of 485 entries and nearly doubled its original $250k guarantee.
Emerging victorious after two days of play was Tirza Sanders, who picked up $90,432 for her victory, allowing her to end the year on a high note after a rough patch over the past few months.
In some ways, it was perhaps destiny, as Sanders admitted that she doesn’t play many women’s event. Her friends convinced her to join the action at the WPT, though, and she is probably quite happy that they were convincing enough.
Non-Stop Action on the Felt
The WPT Ladies Event saw 485 entries, but, despite the friendly atmosphere in the room, the action was fast and furious on the felt. When it was the time to bag for the day, only 60 players remained in the chase for the title.
Those 60 returned yesterday to play down to the winner. There was still plenty of play left, so it took another 12 hours or so to go from 60 to just one.
The massive field in the Ladies Event saw a great mix of familiar faces and recreational players, as the affordable buy-in of $1,100 and a sizeable guarantee made the tournament appealing to those from both sides of the poker fence.
When things got down to nine players, a final table was set up, and although another final table, that of a $5M ClubWPT Gold, was stealing the spotlight, there was a decent crowd gathered around the remaining contenders, mostly consisting of friends and supporters, but also featuring some casual onlookers.
Tirza Sanders Breaks the Rough Patch
When the final table kicked off, Sanders, a resident of Tuscon, Arizona, was sitting on a middling stack, not in danger of being eliminated quickly, but still with quite a bit of work ahead if she were to go all the way.
At one point, it looked like a rough year was about to continue, as a series of bad cards saw her dwindle to just four big blinds. Yet, confirming the old “chip and a chair” adage once again, Sanders managed to score a couple of back-to-back double-ups to get right back in the game.
From there on, her luck turned, as she managed to pick up some big poker hands at the right time, eliminating several opponents along the way. This included the last obstacle before the final skirmish as she ousted Sinead Davenport in third place to start the heads-up play.
To claim the title and pick up over $90k in prize money, Sanders only had one opponent left to outlast in Jana De La Cerra. Although she started with a chip lead, it was still a tough battle as De La Cerra wasn’t going down without a fight.
After chipping away at her for some time, though, Sanders finally managed to get in a position to win the whole thing, with her K♣Q♣ up against A♥9♠ of her opponent. King on the flop gave Tirza a decisive lead as De La Cerra failed to improve by the river, and it was all over.
| Position | Player | Payout |
| 1st | Tirza Sanders | $90,432 |
| 2nd | Jana De La Cerra | $58,987 |
| 3rd | Sinead Davenport | $45,803 |
| 4th | Sara Ralston | $35,833 |
| 5th | Jenny Ding | $27,318 |
| 6th | Krisha Augerot | $20,770 |
| 7th | Mikiyo Aoki | $15,522 |
| 8th | Camille Brown | $11,449 |
| 9th | Shannon Fahey | $8,346 |
The 2024 WPT Ladies Event is one to remember for many things, but Tirza Sanders will be walking away with the fondest of memories, as this year-turning victory was also the biggest cash of her poker career thus far.
