Greg Sessler Wins Ladies Championship at Lake Tahoe WSOP Circuit Stop
The latter part of the 2009 calendar has seen at least two Ladies events won by males during major tournament series. During September’s Borgata Poker Open, Abraham Korotki emerged victorious in a $300 buy-in Ladies No Limit Hold’em event. This weekend, Greg Sessler took down the Ladies Championship during the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit stop at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe.
According to a press release distributed by WSOP officials on Sunday, the Circuit’s Lake Tahoe stop has seen more females take down tournaments (six) than any other venue. Over the weekend, the Nevada city saw a male earn the “W” in a Ladies event. How could this happen, you ask? Tournament officials explained, “The WSOP isn’t a political organization and can’t be expected to get involved in debates about sexism, discrimination, or other polarizing issues which may be applicable to poker tournaments.” If males wish to enter a ladies tournament, it is technically within their right to do so. Sessler is a 22 year-old student at the University of California at Davis.
A total of four men entered the Lake Tahoe Ladies Championship, which boasted a $340 buy-in, and Sessler’s victory was worth $9,900. Ninety-six players turned out and Sessler told tournament staff that he entered because he had a day off and wanted to play some cards. The one-day event saw the assembled field erupt into a chorus of clapping when each male was eliminated. Sessler explained after the fact, “I came here because I only had one day and I really like the structures and the payout. This was the only tournament I could play.”
Sessler defeated Mimi Kalem heads-up after Kalem shoved at an inopportune time with Q-6, as Sessler peeked down at pocket queens. Kalem hit a six on the flop for a glimmer of hope, but the board bricked out and gave Sessler the upset victory over the mostly female field. Kalem earned $5,300 for her runner-up showing, about $1,600 more than Corinn “Princess” Ignatieff received for third. Here were the final paydays from the Harvey’s Lake Tahoe WSOP Circuit Ladies Championship:
1. Greg Sessler (Danville, California) – $9,932
2. Mimi Kalem (Cameron Park, California) – $5,308
3. Corinn Ignatieff (Templeton, California) – $3,715
4. Candy Alexander (Cameron Park, California) – $2,626
5. Linda Peverini (Clovis, California) – $2,100
6. Tera Brown (Austin, Texas) – $1,592
7. Persia Bonella (Castro Valley, California) – $1,229
8. Rebecca Burnside (San Francisco, California) – $894
9. Rose Erhart (Ione, California) – $629
Expanding on the tournament series’ stance towards male entrants in female events, the same WSOP press release remarked, “While the WSOP… offers quasi-exclusive tournaments designed to increase female participation in the game, officials generally do not turn away those who want to play in the event based solely on gender.”
The $5,150 buy-in Lake Tahoe WSOP Circuit Main Event kicks off on November 15th and will crown a winner two days later. Over $1.3 million in prize money has been awarded in the series’ 17 events held so far, with more than 2,600 entries recorded. Last November, Ultimate Bet sponsored pro Michael Binger tasted victory in the Lake Tahoe Championship event, earning $181,000 after outlasting Ty Stewart heads-up. A total of 132 players showed up.
Two months ago, Korotki defeated breast cancer patient Nicole Rowe heads-up at the Borgata. Rowe, who could have used the extra cash for mounting medical bills, fell short of the $20,000 first place payday and 269 players entered. In response, Korotki stated that he would donate a portion of his winnings to a charity involving breast cancer.
Related World Series Of Poker News:
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- 2008 WSOP Event #15 $1,000 Ladies World Championship: Gromenkova Wins
- Phoenix resident wins Arizona State Ladies Poker Championship
- 2011 World Series of Poker Day 34: Marsha Wolak Wins Ladies Championship
- Ladies WPT Event at Bay 101
- Kelli Griggs Wins Her Way to a WPT Seat
- Joanne “JJ” Liu wins World Poker Tour Ladies Night IV
- Ladies Lounge: JJ Liu Scores at WPT Ladies Night IV
- Women’s Poker Spotlight: Upcoming Ladies Events
- 2009 WSOP: Bender in Front as Ladies #17 Final Table Set
- The Nightly Turbo: Greg Raymer Sells NBC Heads-Up Shares on ChipMeUp, Davidi Kitai Wins WPT Celebrity Invitational, and More
- Expanded Ladies Package Adds to WSOP
Poker lexicon:
- TO GO - The current betting level, as in "$20 to go" meaning every player must contribute $20 (total) or drop. A $10 raise would then make the pot "$30 to go".
- BET - To put money into the pot, pursuant to the rules of the game, thus maintaining a chance of winning the pot.
- BICYCLE - The best possible low hand: A-2-3-4-5. More common term: WHEEL.
- FIRE - To make the first bet in a betting round. Used to emphasize that the player bet when a check was possible, showing strength.
- FLOORMAN - The casino representative in charge of the card room or a section of a card room. Arbitrates disputes when unusual events happen.
- ON TILT - Playing worse (usually, more aggressively) than usual because a player has become emotionally upset.
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