Women's Poker Spotlight: Women's News Briefs

LIPSTour Event at Southern Poker Championship

Action on the LIPSTour resumes with an event in January's Southern Poker Championship series. The LIPSTour event will start at 11:00 AM Jan. 10 at the host Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. The ladies-only event carries a $340+$40 buy-in and sits midway in the SPC schedule, which runs January 2-17, 2009. More information on LIPSTour events is available at lipstour.net.

Veliu Claims Pendant at WSOP-C Atlantic City

Alida Veliu captured the title in the $300+40 Ladies Event at the recent World Series of Poker Circuit stop in Atlantic City, NJ. The December 13th tournament drew 178 entrants for a total prize pool of $53,400. The payouts were as follows:

1. Alida Veliu - $17,107
2. Cortney Scheiner - $8,980
3. Donna Dicrescento - $5,280
4. Patricia Killian - $4,224
5. Lisa Strippoli - $3,168
6. Helen Ellis - $2,640
7. Jennifer Sherwood - $2,112
8. Tricia Anderson - $1,584
9. Carmen Huggins - $1,056
10. Sedef Onder - $845
11. Judith Specht - $845
12. Pasini Coxsey - $845
13. Lynne Mitchnick - $739
14. Jenny Chang - $739
15. Pamela Knox - $739
16. Christina Nadeau - $634
17. Yana St. John - $634
18. Rita Ciccorone-Brown - $634

Other women with deep runs at the Atlantic City Circuit stop included Alicia Spencer in Event #4, $560 NLHE (4th, $10,920), and, as previously reported, Joanne Monteavaro's 11th-place run ($13,874) in the $5,150 Circuit main event.

Belcore-Zogman Heartland Player of the Year

Mary Jo Belcore-Zogman was crowned the Heartland Poker Tour's 2008 Player of the Year after three deep runs in HPT events, including winning "The Grand Series" at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in late September. Belcore-Zogman's win was worth $85,724, and she added sixth- and 14th-place finishes in two of the final three 2008 HPT events for total winnings of $104,429. Her 1,400 total HPT POY points easily topped the year's field, and earned her satellite entries into all 2009 HPT events.