EVENT #53: $10,000/$1,000 buy-in Ladies Poker Championship (No-Limit Hold’em)
ENTRIES: 795
PRIZE POOL: $715,500
FIRST PLACE PRIZE: $153,876
PLACES PAID: 81
DATES: June 26-28, 2015
Jacquelyn Scott Wins 2015 Ladies Poker Championship
Florida Realtor Tops 795-Player Field and Collects WSOP Gold Bracelet and $153,876
66-Year-Old Part-Time Poker Player Earns Poker’s Premier Prize in First WSOP Cash
MEET THE LATEST WSOP GOLD BRACELET CHAMPION
Name: Jacquelyn Scott
Birthplace: Grosse Pointe Woods, MI
Age: 66
Current Residence: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Profession: Realtor (former nurse and medical supplies reprentative)
Number of WSOP Cashes: 1
Number of WSOP Final Table Appearances: 1
Number of WSOP Gold Bracelet Victories: 1
Best Previous WSOP Finish: None
Total WSOP Earnings: $153,876
Personal Facts: Ms. Scott sold the very first defibrillator in the U.S. as a medical sales representative in the early 1990s.
[Note: All statistics above include the results of this tournament]
The Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship was completed today at the Rio in Las Vegas, following three long days of intense competition.
Of the 795 entrants from all over the country and many nations abroad, Jacquelyn Scott ended up as the last player sitting at the final table, holding all the chips, and triumphant in the biggest and most prestigious poker competition designed for women in the world.
Ms. Scott collected first-place prize money totaling $153,856. She was also presented with her first World Series of Poker gold bracelet, the game’s highest honor.
Things didn’t just go well for Ms. Scott at the final. She essentially dominated play as the finale played down and the field size was reduced. Ms. Scott started off heads-up play with a 4 to 1 chip lead and busted the Hope Williams, who came in second, in relatively quick fashion.
It’s great to win this, especially since I’ve played in quite a few tournaments, so I can appreciate this even more,” Ms. Scott said in a post-tournament interview. “I’m so thankful to win. Not only was this a great tournament it was also a great atmosphere. I was so proud to win this.”
Amazingly, this was Ms. Scott’s first time ever to cash at the WSOP. The realtor from Ft. Lauderdale, FL won the biggest and most prestigious prize of her poker career and joins a rich legacy dating back nearly four decades.
The Ladies Poker Championship has been held at the World Series of Poker each year since 1977, so it has a long history. Three women have won multiple Ladies Poker Championship titles. This elite list includes Barbara Enright, Nani Dollisson, and Susie Isaacs. Isaacs holds another record in this event, which will be difficult to match. She cashed five out of six years in this competition between 1991 and 1997. One of the most famous players ever to win a WSOP gold bracelet won this event in 2005 – Academy Award nominee and Hollywood actress Jennifer Tilly.
With this victory, Jacquelyn Scott now ads her name to a list of notable win who have come to the WSOP and achieved the dream of being called this year’s Ladies World Poker Champion.
“I think the Ladies event is really special,” Ms. Scott said. “I’m used to playing mostly with men back at home, but decided to come out for the first time and play in this. I was so impressed by the way everyone behaves and the kindness you see at the table. We talk among ourselves and really enjoy the atmosphere. Many women make this their one Las Vegas tournament of the year.”
Ms. Scott is 66-years-old and works for Re-Max. She was a former registered nurse. Before nursing, she sold medical equipment and pharmaceuticals to doctors and hospitals. In fact, she sold the very first defibrillator in the U.S. when the technology became available during the early 1990s.
As for poker, Ms. Scott’s home poker base is the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL, where she regularly plays. This was Ms. Scott’s first time to enter the Ladies Poker Championship. However, she did play in the WSOP Main Event six times previously, as well as several World Poker Tour events near her home in Florida. In 2009, she was featured on the same table with former champion Greg Raymer and actor Jason Alexander and managed to survive that Day One, which lasted 11 hours.
Ms. Scott did far better than that this time, surviving the full three days and winning the Ladies World Poker Championship.
“Poker is a sport,” Ms. Scott said. “And what makes it so great is that anyone can play and if the cards go your way, you can win. Age isn’t a detriment as long as you can hold the cards and know what you’re doing.”
There were no former gold bracelet winners among the final table players. Following Ms. Scott’s finish in the top spot, the descending order of results was as follows:
Second Place: Hope Williams, from Tempe, AZ finished in 2nd place, which paid $95,039. She is a graduate student who will be getting her Masters Degree this fall.
Third Place: Amanda Sizemore, from Las Vegas, NV finished in 3rd place, which paid $61,268. She is a realtor, one of three who made this final table.
Fourth Place: Li Fu, originally from China and now from Toronto, ON (Canada) finished in 4th place, which paid $44,883. She is a cash game poker pro.
Fifth Place: Parm Mehmi, originally from India and now from Tampa, FL finished in 5th place, which paid $33,363. Mehmi won a ladies championship back in 2002 at the World Poker Open.
Sixth Place: Lika Gerasimova, from Moscow, Russia finished in 6th place, which paid $25,135. Gerasimova says she met her husband at a poker table. They now have a 5-year-old son.
Seventh Place: Stacie Boehm, from Sheridan, WY finished in 7th place, which paid $19,168 in prize money. She works as a counselor.
Eighth Place: Stephanie Ampelikiotis, from Toronto, ON (Canada) finished in 8th place, which paid $14,789. She is a travel blogger.
Ninth Place: Sandie Morse, from Hudsonville, MI finished in 9th place, which paid $11,533. She works as an office manager.
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS:
Aside from the final table finishers, other notable players who cashed included – Mikiyo Aoki (finished 2nd in the Ladies Championship last year), Lacey Jones (poker media personality), Ebony Kenney (popular female player who appears in many televised events), Debbie Pechac (finished second in Ladies Championship in 2012), and Marsha Wolek (who won The Ladies Championship gold bracelet in 2011).
FUN FACTS:
This event has a $10,000 buy-in. However, females were entitled to and given a 90 percent discount on the entry fee, required to pay $1,000 to enter.
The Ladies World Poker Championship has been played every year at the WSOP since 1977. From that first year through 2003, this event was traditionally played on Mother’s Day. At the time, the WSOP took place during the months of April and May. Accordingly, Mother’s Day Sunday was reserved for ladies. This proved to be a conflict for many ladies who wanted to compete in the event, but who also had family commitments on that day. So, the event was moved to a different day in 2004. Since 2005, the WSOP has been played during the summer months.
During the first two decades of its existence, the ladies played Seven-Card Stud for the title. In 2001, the game was changed to a mix of Hold’em and Stud. The tournament has been a No-Limit Hold’em competition since 2005.
EVENT DIRECT LINKS:
For this event’s results, visit:
For Jacquelyn Scott’s official player profile page, visit:
For photos from this event, please visit:
For the live stream archive of this event, please visit:
(Note: Will appear 48 hours after event concludes)