Sally Anne Boyer wins the WSOP Ladies Event

Filed in archive Tournament News on June 29, 2007

Cyndi Violette, Jennifer Harman, Annie Duke are few of the fairer sex's major poker players who have broken gender and bracelet barriers for the current onslaught of women invading the World Series of Poker. As a saw while trolling the cash side games in the massive Rio Conference Room, women are starting to become more prominent at the tables.

But, most serious women players resent the fact that a separate event is held just for women to compete in. A further argument is that even though the event is "especially for women" the feel of the tourney is second-tier compared to similarly priced open events. Could you imagine awarding a TV reality series make over to Greg Raymer? The winner of this event gets just that along with the specially designed WSOP bracelet and a not-too-shabby $262,077 payday.

Vanessa Selbst and Pokerstars.com pro Katja Thater headlined a final table that saw Poker Academy alumni Sally Anne Boyer take home the scoop of prizes for her win.

Here's the final few hands of the Ladies Championship from PokerNews.com and final table cashers:

After being quiet early, Frauke Ritter von Sporschill suddenly sprang to life. She crippled Mindy Trinidad when her pocket treys stood up against Trinidad's , then played the next several hands without opposition. Trinidad then went on a run, doubling up several times and making it to the dinner break. The dinner break also brought a new chip leader as Katja Thater made a 100K bet with pocket tens. Sally Anne Boyer, a recent graduate of the WSOP Ladies' Academy, found pocket kings and moved all in. Thater called, and when no ten arrived, Thater went from first to fifth of the remaining players and Boyer took over the chip lead.

After dinner, the pace picked up. Mindy Trinidad's run ended at the hands of Randi Calabro's pocket jacks when Trinidad attempted to steal with . Trinidad flopped an open-ended straight draw but couldn't complete it, finishing in seventh place and taking home $28,086.

The bustouts increased as the blinds began to encroach on the players' stacks. Ritter von Sporschill made a move with A-6 off and ran into Anne Heft's pocket Jacks; with no help from the board, Ritter von Sporschill was gone in sixth place ($37,448). Then Katja Thater, who dominated the early play, moved in with A-10 and ran into Anne Heft's A-Q. Although the board brought a chance at a split pot, it didn't happen for Thater, who earned $49,151 for her fifth-place showing. Boyer eliminated Gliva in a classic race situation, Boyer's pocket fours against Gliva's . No clubs, no ace and no king ended Gliva's run in fourth place ($70,216). Finally, in a battle of the blinds, Boyer moved in with pocket sixes and Calabro called from the big blind with A-Q. Boyer hit the jackpot on a 6-2-6 flop for quads, and Calabro, who admitted she lost her job because she was playing this final table, had $106,177 for her third place finish to help with her job search.

Heads up, Heft held a nearly 2:1 advantage over Boyer:

Anne Heft - 1.6M
Sally Anne Boyer - 985K

Boyer chipped away at Heft's lead to draw even, only to lose some of it back to Heft when her pocket sevens were clipped by Heft's A-5 and an ace hit the flop. Boyer swung the advantage back her way and took the chip lead when, holding K-8, she hit trip eights on the flop against Heft's Q-10. Boyer's good fortune would continue. After moving in with K-2, Boyer watched Heft call and table K-10. The 4-5-3 flop brought some hope, but the turn was no help. Boyer, though, had her prayers answered on the river when a deuce hit, giving her the Ladies' World Championship, the special WSOP bracelet and a payday of $262,077.

PLAYERS - EARNINGS

1. Sally Anne Boyer - $262,077
2. Anne Heft - $166,177
3. Randi Calabro - $106,494
4. Kathleen Gliva - $70,216
5. Katja Thater - $49,151
6. Frauke Ritter von Sporschill - $37,448
7. Mindy Trinidad - $28,086
8. Vanessa Selbst - $20,480
9. Julie Dang - $14,628