The Aussie Millions still has events after the main event for some reason, and the results from the Head’s-Up event, Team event and Short Table event are in. The $5000 Heads-Up was won by Jeff Garza of Norfolk, MA. He won an even $100K AUS after taking down Masaaki Kagawa of Japan. Kagawa won $60K AUS for being runner-up. They outlasted red-hot Roy “The Oracle” Winston, who is coming off of two WPT wins last fall.
The $145,800 AUS first prize for the $2000 Short Table event was won by Felix Berglund of Sweden. He was able to outlast Canadian Joe Le who won $89,910 for second place.
The Teams event was dominated by Aussies who took down the top four money spots. Alex Williamson and Ross Stewart won $29,925 each, and the title. In second place were Steven Gilmore and Justin Watson, each earning $17,100 AUS.
The World Poker Tour has created a new league for the female players on tour which will be called the World Poker Tour Ladies (WPTL). The tour will have five events on the season, with buy-ins ranging from $300 to $1,500 plus entry fee. Cities and casinos included on tour are:
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa – Atlantic City, NJ
The last date at the Bellagio will be the $1500 championship, running from April 13-14, 2008. The event will be broadcast on the Game Show Network where the WPT has found a new home. The WPTL will also donate 15% of the championship event towards finding a cure for breast cancer. Players will also have the chance to donate to the cause at each WPTL event.
Women in Poker Hall of Fame
If you’re a fan of women and poker, February 2nd will be a day to celebrate! The new Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHOF) will induct its first women at a ceremony to be held at Binion’s Casino in Las Vegas.
“It’s definitely time for the woman in poker to have their own Hall of Fame to recognize their amazing contributions to the poker world. Unlike today, women weren’t always welcome in poker rooms. In the 1950’s, Las Vegas had fewer than 20 poker tables and women weren’t even allowed to play the game” said Lupe Soto, founder of the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS Tour).
For the first inaugural year 4 woman have been chosen – Barbara Enright, Susie Isaacs, Linda Johnson and Marsha Waggoner. To be considered for this honor one must have been an active player industry during a period beginning at least 15 years prior to election. They mush have contributed to the world of poker in some significant way be it through wins/cashes or by making contributions to the poker industry. Finally they also must be a proponent of women’s poker.
- Barbara Enright, Togel Singaporeplayer was the first woman to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame and also the first woman to sit at the final table of the WSOP main event. She is also the first woman to win 3 WSOP bracelets and has generated more than 1 million in career cashes.
- Susie Isaacs is best known for being the first woman to have won the WSOP ladies championship back to back and also ranked 10th in the main event at the WSOP.
- Linda Johnson also known as the “First Lady of Poker” is the studio announcer for the World Poker Tour. She has won a gold bracelet at the WSOP, is a writer on the game of poker and is also the co-founder of the World Poker Player’s Conference, the World Poker Industry Conference and the Tournament Directors Association.
- Marsh Waggoner, or as some like to call her “the Grand Dame of Poker” has cashed in 19 WSOP events. Her tournament winnings are close to 1 million dollars and she currently hosts many poker tournaments around the world.