One of the most boisterous events of the summer is upon us at the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the form of Event #51: $1,000 Tag Team, a tournament that never fails to draw an exciting roster of teams looking for the rare chance to win two bracelets in a single event.
Hundreds of teams packed into the Paris ballroom on Day 1 on June 22 as partners would tag out of the tournament to either grab a bite to eat or stick around on the rail. Those teams included several spearheaded by women looking to become the first female bracelet winner of the summer.
If a woman-led team goes deep in the Tag Team event, it wouldn't be the first time. Back in 2021, daughter-father duo Amanda Botfeld and David Botfeld finished in third place for a total score of $35,542, while the spousal team of Holly Babbitt and Michael Babbitt finished seventh for $14,494.
And just last year, the team of Jamie Kerstetter and Corey Paggeot finished second in the 2022 Tag Team event to Patrick Leonard and future Main Event champion Espen Jorstad for the beloved poker commenter to be denied her maiden bracelet. Meanwhile, the duo of Mackenzie Kraemer and Jon Schiller finished in fifth place for $34,299.
Jamie Kerstetter and Corey Paggeot in the 2022 Tag Team event
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As is the case most years, the Tag Team event attracted a larger percentage of women than other events. Some have argued that women not feeling comfortable at the table is a barrier preventing them from getting into poker, and playing alongside a trusted friend or loved one is one sure way to get comfortable.
The Tag Team alliances on Day 1 came in several forms. First, there were the poker power couples, including last year's Ladies Event championJessica Teusl and her boyfriend and fellow Austrian Stefan Lehner, as well as 2012 Main Event runner-up Jesse Sylvia and longtime girlfriend Ashley Sleeth, who was on the rail a decade ago when her Tag Team partner won $5.3 million. Herself an accomplished player, Sleeth is looking to add to her $327,220 in live earnings.
Jessica Teusl in the 2023 Tag Team event
Other poker couples on the Tag Team felt included Brazilian wife-husband duo Natalie Ramos and Felipe Ramos (who earlier in the series finished second in Event #12: $5,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed for $401,460), the partnership of high-stakes pro David Peters and poker socialite Hayley Hanna, and the French couple Tom Jarry and Sarah Herzali, who has made the deepest run of any woman at the 2023 WSOP so far as she finished third in Event #15: $1,500 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em for $207,720.
Next, there were the content creator alliances, including vloggers Ashley “PokerFaceAsh” Frank and Andrew Neeme and content creators Ebony Kenney and Justin Kelly, who despite running kings into aces during Level 7 managed to stay afloat.
Ebony Kenney
There were a few teams featuring two women, including Team Hudson consisting of Kami Hudson and Women in Poker Hall of Famer Maria Ho, who made a big fold during Level 4 as she laid down ace-king before her opponent tabled Rockets. Another was the team of Poker Power instructors Sarah Stefan and Kyna England.
There were also the teams that featured a member of poker media, like poker photographers Rachel Kaye Miller and Katerina Lukina and their respective partners Brian Frenzel and Chris Conrad.
Rachel Miller
Most touching of all was the father-daughter duo of content creator Marle Spragg and her dad. "This is our year," Spragg tweeted with a picture of the two side-by-side.
Less than 300 teams bagged at the end of Day 1 after 11 levels of play. Those teams will return today for Day 2 on their quest for the two bracelets that await the winning team.
With 1,282 entrants, 193 teams will be paid and each of those will be guaranteed a minimum payout of $801 split between the two players. That's just a fraction of the $95,331 that awaits the eventual winning team.
Only time will tell whether a team of one of two women will run deep in the Tag Team event and end up winning a pair of bracelets.
Read about last week's WSOP Featured Female, Poker Hall of Famer Jennifer Harman, who talked about her memories at the original WSOP and with the late Doyle Brunson.
Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for three Global Poker Awards for his writing.
