A wild Day 1 of Event 51, the $1,000 buy-in Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship is in the books. And all of those who bagged up chips are in the money, too, as the original field of 936 managed to play all of the way down to 117, meaning everyone who returns tomorrow will be sharing in the $842,400 prize pool.
There were a number of familiar faces among that huge field that nearly filled the spacious Brasilia ballroom to capacity, although most would leave us before we reached the night's exciting, bubble-bursting conclusion.
As the day wore on, Monica Hinojosa, Rae Rocco, Lara Boutros, and Delia Jones all took turns at the top of the chip counts as the field continued to winnow away. Then late in the day, Gaelle Baumann of France surged ahead to claim the lead, and more or less kept it right until the night's final hand.
In that final hand, it was J.J. Liu adding considerably to her stack after flopping a flush versus Halli Pinson, with the latter getting all of her chips in on the turn with two pair. The river provided no help for Pinson, and play concluded.
With that one Liu joined Lara Boutros, Anna Lundholm, Myra Thompson, Sofia Lovgren, and Erica Schoenberg in the group just behind Baumann at the top of the counts heading into Day 2.
Players will be returning at 2 PM tomorrow to continue the quest to find who among them will be earning the next WSOP gold bracelet. Come back then to follow along.
On the fourth hand of hand-for-hand play, most of the tables had completed their hands when a big hand developed on Table 4 between J.J. Liu and Halli Pinson.
The board read and about 14,000 sat in the middle. The rest of Pinson's chips were sitting in a column out in front of her, and enough to call those chips were sitting in front of Liu.
Their hole cards were still on their backs, and when the other 13 tables were all finished, the players' holdings were revealed.
Liu:
Pinson:
Two pair for Pinson, but a flopped flush for Liu. The dealer then burned and turned over the river... the . Pinson was eliminated, play was concluded for the night, and the 117 remaining players get to go home knowing they've all earned some share of that $842,400 prize pool.
Most of us first met Leo Margets back in 2009 when she made her deep run in the WSOP Main Event where she finished 27th. Margets moved into the top ten in counts during the early evening and has remained there, continuing to pick her spots carefully as she does.
Just now she limped in from the small blind and her opponent one seat over checked. Both again checked the flop, then Margets led for 700 on the turn. The river brought the , and when her opponent bet Margets let it go.
Soon after Margets had position on the short-stacked player to her right as she watched her raise to 1,300. Margets made it 4,000 to go, and it folded back to her opponent who tanked for a long time before folding. Subsequent banter suggested Margets had a pair of kings while her opponent had folded -suited.
Defending champion Marsha Wolak has chipped up slowly during the afternoon and early evening. Wolak won this event last summer by defeating a field of 1,055 to take the bracelet and $192,344 first prize.
She's outlasted more than 650 players already this year, too, as the field has shrunk below 300. Currently she sitting with just under 9,000 chips, giving her almost an average stack at present.
Gertrude Schimmel limped in from middle position, and it folded around to the big blind who checked. Both checked the flop and turn. When the river brought the , the player in the big blind bet 300, and after holding up her cards to recheck them, Schimmel made the call.
Schimmel held for the straight, better than the of her opponent, and she claimed the small pot.
Schimmel held up her cards because her eyesight isn't so good. Nor is her hearing. But her poker skills are spot on, as the 94-year-old has been playing the game well over 50 years.
Schimmel is a retired deputy chief inspector of the New York Police Department who used to play at the WSOP regularly. She's cashed five times in the ladies event in the past, including final tabling in 1998 when she finished fourth.
Her niece is here assisting Schimmel a bit with reading the board and following the action. She told us how Schimmel hadn't played at the WSOP in a while, but this year had an idea she wanted to come back again and give it another go.
She also explained how her best game is seven-card stud — which used to be the game here in the ladies event up until 2000. But Schimmel seems to be holding her own just fine thus far in our no-limit hold'em tournament.
and about 14,000 sat in the middle. The rest of Pinson's chips were sitting in a column out in front of her, and enough to call those chips were sitting in front of Liu.
. Pinson was eliminated, play was concluded for the night, and the 117 remaining players get to go home knowing they've all earned some share of that $842,400 prize pool.
flop, then Margets led for 700 on the 
turn. The river brought the 
, and when her opponent bet Margets let it go.
-suited.
flop and 
, the player in the big blind bet 300, and after holding up her cards to recheck them, Schimmel made the call.
of her opponent, and she claimed the small pot.