Alida Veliu had been employed in customer service in a bank until she was traumatized by a robbery and decided to do something else. A recreational poker player, she began to play seriously three years ago, scored a second in a Borgata ladies event last year, and badly wanted to win the WSOP Circuit ladies event here at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City to "prove to my family that this is what I do for a living." She did just that, and even though she listed herself as a pro on her bio sheet, she said afterwards she was just joking. Then she had second thoughts when someone pointed out that she doesn't do anything else. "All right, I'm a pro," she agreed, adding that she plays like one..
Pro or not, she won an official $17,107 for first (she actually chopped the prize money when she was heads-up with Cortney "Cort" Scheiner), along with a stunning pendant trophy for proof of her accomplishment..
Veliu, 42, lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey with her husband and two children, ages 16 and nine. She first began playing poker with her family, and now plays only tournaments because "you can lose a lot less and win a lot.more." .She describes her play as aggressive -- "all over the board." Tonight she was down to 3,000 chips about six hours into the tournament before rebounding. Her poker idol, she said, is Daniel Negreanu.
This one-day event, the ninth in this Circuit, and a day before the start of the championship, drew 178 ladies who generated a $53.400 prize pool. The final table of nine was reached at 10 p.m. after Sadef Onder, down to a couple of chips, was all with 5-2 and lost to Helen "Sexy Lexy" Ellis' pocket kings. (Amazingly, the next two players to leave would also fall victim to pocket kings.) Ellis was chip leader at that point with 231,000. After one hand, blinds were 8,000-16,000, 2,000 antes, playing 30-minute rounds.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Cortney Scheiner 100,000
Seat 2 Donna DiCrescento 92,000
Seat 3. Patricia Killian 33,000
Seat 4. Jennifer Sherwood 89,000
Seat 5. Carmen Huggins 40,000
Seat 6. Tricia Anderson 29,000
Seat 7. Helen Ellis 231,000
Seat 8. Lisa Strippoli 171,000
Seat 9. Alida Veliu 88,000
These ladies were not timid, and "All in!" was the cry of the night, saeemingly on almost every hand. On the first hand of the new level, Carmen "Hunbunny" Huggins put in all her chips with A-7, losing to Scheiner's kings when the board came Q-8-5-9-6. For ninth, she earned $1,056. Huggins, 60, is a telecom manager from Queens, New York who started playing in home games three years ago. Reading and traveling are her other hobbies.
After two more all-ins, one un-called, the other won by Patricia Killian's pocket 5s, one more lady went out. Tricia Anderson pushed in with A-9. The pocket kings this time were held by Lissa "I Stripp" Strippoli. No ace came to the rescue, and Anderson finished eighth, which paid $1,584. Anderson, 39, is from Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, married with two children and she started playing poker with her family five years ago.
Immediately after, there were three more all-ins (what else?), and the third time there was a call. Jennifer Sherwood moved in with A-3 for 21,000 and Scheiner, in the big bind, called with Q-7. A queen hit the river, and Sherwood was out in seventh place, which paid $2,112.. Sherwood, 20, lives in Newport News, Virginia and this is her first Circuit try.
More of the same, but this time nobody went broke, and the level ended. Blinds were now 10,000-20,000 with 3,000 antes. It actually took a few more minutes to lose another player. This time it was Ellis, holding 7d-6d. Veliu called with Qh-10h. Ellis seemed to be in good shape when the flop gave her two pair with only one heart. But then runner-runner hearts gave Veliu a flush, and now four were gone. Sixth paid $2,640. Ellis, 38, is a writer from Alaska now living in New York City who learned poker from her father when she was eight. She has a second in a Gold Strke WPT ladies event this year.
Right after that, it was Strippoli who held the Qh-10h when she called with her last chips after Donna DiCrescento moved in. But DiCrescento, wth pocket queens, was an 83 percent favorite. The board came A-K-6-8-4 and Strippoli took home $3,168 for fifth.
Strippoli, 39, is an executive assistant/office manager from Lindenhurst, New York who entered 30 Circuits since she started playing five years ago. In 2006 she won the ladies event at Foxwoods. She also noted on her bio sheet that she is a very hard worker and a very good friend. Horseback riding is her other hobby.
The ladies went on break and resumed play with blinds of 15,000-30,000 and 4,000 antes. Next out was Patricia Killian. She moved in for 72,000 with Q-J. Veliu called with pocket 10s and they held up when the board came 53-9-4-8. By now Veliu had accumulated close to half of the 835,000 chips in play. Killian, winning $4,224 for fourth, is a business manager from Richmond, Virginia who's been playing for five years. She is married with two children and this is her "pretty cool" poker highlight..
The match got heads-up after DiCrescento raised with her last 75,000 holding K-7. Veliu called with what she said was her favorite hand, Ad-9d. The favorite hand won when the board came 6-8-2-9-7, and we were heads-up. Third paid $5,280. DiCrescento is from Staten Island, New York, and started playing three years ago.
The two finalists weren't that far apart and Veliu proposed that they chop the money and play for the pendant, After four hands of play, Scheiner moved slightly ahead. Then Scheiner raised with pocket 4s and Veliu moved in with Ad-5d. Veliu won when a 5 flopped, and Scheiner was down to 7,000. She doubled through once, but went out on the next hand after blinds went to 20,000-40,000 with 5,000 antes. Scheiner had A-10 and busted out to Veliu's Qd-6h after the board came 8-8-Q-4-8. Second paid an official $8,976.
Scheiner, 29, is a recruiting manager fromWest New York, New Jersey. Her mother taught her to play two years ago. "I learned from the best," she said. This is her first final table.