London’s Hippodrome Casino kicked off the inaugural Women’s Winter Festival, sponsored by PokerStars, with the fast-paced one-day event; the £1,100 Women’s High Roller.
A total of 27 entries were made, generating a prize pool of £25,920. Of this five-figure sum, the lion's share landed in the hands of eventual winner Charlie Waters who claimed the trophy, title and £10,020 for her first-place finish.
After a nearly 14-hour-long grind, Waters was happy to sum up her win in three simple words:
“Awesome. Happy. Tired!”
“It was fun, it was really fun - I really enjoyed it. Jennifer [Steele] was lovely a really good fun to play with”.
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlie Waters | United Kingdom | £10,020 |
| 2 | Jennifer Steele | United Kingdom | £6,400 |
| 3 | Soraya Estrada | Spain | £4,200 |
| 4 | Ivonne Montealegre | Costa Rica | £3,000 |
| 5 | Maria Lampropulos | Argentina | £2,300 |
Tournament pros and circuit regulars alike made up some of the most recognisable faces in the field. Balanced by a cohort of amateurs who had satellited into this one-of-a-kind event, twenty-one unique entrants made their way to the felt. With an additional six rebuys during the late registration period, the total tally was brought to a final sum of 27.
Three professionals representing this event's flagship sponsor showed exactly why they earned their patches, each displaying impressive runs. PokerStars ambassador Marle Spragg was the first casualty of the team, falling to her demise when her pocket fours couldn't hold against the king-queen of Jennifer Steele, only a few spots away from the all-important final table.
However, the misfortune of the final table bubble fell on the shoulders of Alexandra O'Brien. It clearly wasn’t O’Brien’s day on the felt as not only was she eluded final table glory, but her first entry into the tournament saw her become the first elimination of the day, initially exiting on Level 4.
Comprising the final table were both PokerStars Online member Georgina James and PokerStars Team Pro member Jen Shahade. Though both can add an additional final table finish to their already extensive poker careers, each failed to make the money.
James’ short stack shove was called in two spots, which meant a potential triple-up hung in the balance. However, it was the eventual winner, Waters, who claimed the remainder of her stack.
Shahade's departure followed quickly behind that of James’; an unconventional call in a three-bet pot by Steele saw the Team Pro member’s pocket queens cracked in a sick cooler, ending her deep run.
Online qualifier Caitlyn Arnwine fell to the reigning EPT Barcelona Women’s event champion, Soraya Estrada, to burst the stone money bubble, ensuring the remaining five players were now all in the money.
Estrada managed to put Arnwine’s chips to good use, displaying a strong final table performance. However, the Spaniard’s eventual third-place finish extinguished the chances of her second Women’s event title of the year.
The story of this final table was headlined by the battle between Steele and Waters, who traded blows in some of the biggest pots of the tournaments right until the bitter end.
Steele captured the attention of the online railbirds when her impressive four-bet bluff, accented by an over-bet jam on the flop, saw her knock rival, Waters, off a major pot during four-handed play.
A seismic shift in play occurred on Level 17 when both Steele and Water believed they’d hit a miracle turn. Although Steele made two-pair, it was the completion of Waters’ gutshot draw that claimed this monumental pot and propelled her into an overwhelming chip lead three-handed.
Estrada’s exit triggered a lengthy heads-up battle, which eventually saw a classic tournament flip fall in favour of Waters, allowing her to claim the trophy, title, and the first-place prize of £25,920.
