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May 14, 2004
Four women reign as poker champsPVT In the first 20 events completed in the 35th annual event being contested in Binion's Horseshoe Casino, four have been won by women. Cyndy Violette of Atlantic City, N.J., was the first. A veteran professional player, Violette won the $2,000 buy-in 7-card stud hi-lo split title, beating 223 rivals May 1 to pocket $135,900 of the $412,600 prize pool. Last weekend, three of four tournament championships were claimed by the ladies. • On May 7, Kathy Liebert, who won a $1 million jackpot in a poker cruise tournament, beat 399 opponents in the $1,500 limit hold'em event. The Las Vegan earned $110,180 of the $331,200 jackpot. • On Mother's Day, Crystal Doan of San Diego won $58,530 by outplaying 200 rivals in the $1,000 Ladies Limit Hold'em World Championship. The prize pool was $182,910. • The next day, Annie Duke, one of poker's best players regardless of gender, won the $2,000 no-limit hold'em shootout. Duke, from Portland, Ore., took home $137,860 of the $430,560 prize pool. The World Series of Poker drew 6,549 entries to the first 20 events, which paid out $12,392,480. The $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker World Championship event begins May 22 and runs through May 28. A field of 1,500 is expected to compete, which would make the first-place payoff worth a record $3 million. In 2003, Chris Moneymaker of Spring Hill, Tenn., beat 838 rivals to earn $2.5 million. |
