Lady Poker Shark Patrol

$1000NL Rebuy Event #5

Full Tilt Lady Pro’s hanging tight!

The room filled slowly as players filtered in to find their seats for the much anticipated $1000 NL Rebuy event. While it is so interesting to find the player who rebuy’s the most times, the women players are rarely among the wild frenzy of yelling rebuy. The cream will rise to the top in Day two when 106 of the 766 players return to play for the prize pool of $2,894,094. 72 places will be paid, so watch for the low stacks to begin pushing early.

In an amazing comeback, Clonie Gowen was down to 3200 chips around 9pm and ended the evening with 33,000. I personally did not see Clonie’s stack grow so quickly, but will keep a sharp eye on her in Day 2 to report what hand or hands put her in the middle of the pack. The Full Tilt Pro is looking for her first WSOP final table and bracelet.

Erica Schoenberg played a solid game and a mast her chip stack throughout the evening to finish day one with 27,000 chips. Erica best known as a champion BlackJack player has proven her skills are reversible and has become a great poker player as well. Erica’s life earnings now top $600,000.

Late in the evening, JJ Liu pushed in her last 12K with pocket 9’s versus AK. Her opponent showed AK and rivered a King to end JJ’s night. Other pro’s such as Kathy Liebert, fresh off her third place finish in the $10,000 Pot Limit event, met a similar demise. Kathy Liebert pushed all in preflop with AK against one caller who held pocket sixes. The pocket sixes held up and Kathy was finished for the day.

Event #6 Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or better

The First Lady of Poker is off and Running!

In a field of 833 players, Linda Johnson, First Lady of Poker, is off and running. At the end of the night Linda’s stack was 17,400, which puts her in the middle of the pack. 205 players will return at noon for day two.

Katja Thater, winner of a 2007 Razz Bracelet, also survived the night with 6400 chips and will have her work cut out for her on day two.

Shirley Rosario, site owner of PokerBabes.com and local poker pro at the Bike, has also survived the day with 4900 in chips. Shirley is well known in California poker rooms and has been quite successful in the poker industry.

Update on Event #4 $5K Mixed Holdem

Our last hope of another woman making a final table in this event went down and out with Anna Wroblewski and Maria Ho both on short stacks pushed in and was out drawn on both hands. Not to worry, both these women are playing multiple events in the upcoming weeks. We will keep our fingers crossed to see one of them or both at a final table.

Ladies Turn Out for $1500 Pot Limit Event #3
713 players began Event #3 but only 63 survived the grueling day. Kristy Gazes, Beth Shak, Katja Thater, Clonie Gowen and JJ Liu were just a few of the ladies who turned out for this event. At the end of the day, most of the ladies had busted and moved on to the next event.

Maria Ho Sings Elton John
Event #4 Mixed Holdem
I’m still standing! Going into Day 2 of Event #4, $5K mixed Holdem, 2007 WSOP last woman standing, Maria Ho proves she’s not just another pretty face. 332 players began the day and left 91 survivors to start Day 2. Maria has 60,400 chips to do battle today. The 24 yr old poker pro from Arcadia California has three past WSOP cashes.

Not so close, but not too far away, Anna Wroblewski finished Day 1 with 30,600 chips. Anna burst onto the poker scene last year and has been bulldozing her way through many events to make cash after cash. Her aggressive style and willingness to gamble with the big boys has netted her over $900,000 in a year’s time.

I know its not my imagination because some ladies busted out of the $1500 Pot Limit at noon, and then bought into the $5K Mixed Holdem event that started at 5pm. What dedication to your choice of profession!....or maybe its obsession!

This is the life! While grinding away at your game, why not have a nice relaxing massage? JJ Liu indulges herself.

What a FANTASTIC finish for Kathy after grinding her way back from one of the low stacks at the final table! What better testament to her professional playing abilities? Kathy told me she played some of the best poker of her life and is greatly anticipating the upcoming events she will be playing. She was so close to her second bracelet, it surely will fuel her desire to capture the gold bracelet in an upcoming event! Good Luck Kathy! We're here cheering you on!!

Kathy Liebert, ranked #1 woman tournament player in the world just made her first final table of the 2008 WSOP.
The first event, $10,000 buy-in Pot Limit could possibly make the second bracelet for this pro. Out lasting 342 players in this event, Kathy will play the final table at 3pm today, Sunday, June 1st.

I'm so sorry I've missed a couple of the beginning days of the WSOP, but it simply couldnt be helped. My Father had surgery which I felt I needed to be in attendance for. But he's doing great! and I'm on my way back home.

Monday will be catch up day for me, so stay with us here at PokerNews for some cool updates and articles on the WSOP!!

2008 WSOP is drawing closer by the day. Soon we will be on a hourly countdown as players land at McCaren Airport and filter into the Las Vegas strip poker rooms. The first event, the WPA Mega Satellite should be a great beginning with two important elements for poker players. First you have a chance to support the World Poker Association and all the work they do for the betterment of poker, and secondly, a great opportunity for a warmup for whats to come in this years run of the WSOP.

Follow my blog here at PokerNews.com and rail all your favorite "Lady Poker Players" whether they are pro's or your forum friends! Your chance to keep track and rail all the action is right here! PokerNews has a "Shout Box" which I will try to keep an eye on for any requests of updates on a specific player.

See you on the RAIL!!!
TinaB/Survivor
Womens Poker Spotlight Columnist