Things are getting very busy at the WPT World Championship Festival at the Wynn, with the Prime Championship and the $5M ClubWPT Gold invitational freeroll entering their final stages. Among all that craziness, another important event has just started: the $1,100 WPT Ladies Championship.
With a buy-in of $1,100 and a big guarantee of $250,000, the tournament was always going to attract some of the biggest names in poker, alongside many ladies who simply enjoy playing the game and look forward to tournaments such as this one.
At the time of writing, the field has over 400 entries, and there is still plenty of time left for late registration. The guarantee has already been well shattered, though, and if things continue at this pace, the final number could well reach half a million.
Friendly Atmosphere but Pulling No Punches at the Tables
Although the atmosphere in the poker room is friendly and cordial, no punches are being pulled on the felt. After all, with hundreds of thousands up for grabs and the prestigious title on the line, building a big stack is the first order of business for everybody.
It’s a big player field, with quite a few familiar faces in the crowd. One of them is Lynn Gilmartin, a longtime WPT anchor and a member of the WPT Talent team. Working hard on and off the tables, Lynn is not the one to be afraid of some competition:
There is a special energy about the Ladies Championship. There is camaraderie at the table, everyone’s really friendly, and it’s like a friendly battle. But once we’re in a hand, the smile all disappear and poker faces come back on!
Although it is a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere, the WPT Ladies Championship is a poker tournament, at the end of the day, and one with quite a prize pool to fight for at that. So, Lynn and everybody else have their eyes set on the prize – they just try to be more relaxed about it, at least when not involved in a poker hand.
A Lot of Poker Talent in One Place
Lynn may have an official WPT Talent title, but she is just one of many talented and accomplished players in the field.
Not surprisingly, the WPT Ladies Championship attracted many players with great track records, including the likes of Caitlin Comeskey, Jamie Kerstetter, and Kyna England.
Also in the field and battling it out with the rest of the ladies is Kathy Liebert, a member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and one of the most accomplished female players with $7,000,000 in live tournament earnings, one WSOP bracelet to her name, and many other impressive results, including a runner-up finish in the 2009 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star.
It’s still early days and chips are moving back and forth, so it’s hard to pinpoint any favorites at this time. The only thing that is certain is that whoever the last lady holding all the chips turns out to be, she’ll be pocketing a sizeable amount for her efforts!
