Event
#18
"Play Misty For Me"
The Women's (Limit) Hold'em Championship
attracted a record 125 entries. Many of
the players in this year's event traveled
from all parts of the United States to
the World Poker Open, specifically to
play in this tournament. In-the-money
finishers included players from Missouri,
California, Nevada, Mississippi, Texas,
Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois. But the
winner was a West Virginian card master
named Misty Morrison. She won $9,698 and
received the World Poker Open's traditional
gift -- a bouquet of flowers bestowed
upon the champion of this annual event.
Play
at the final table electrified the crowd.
There were five all-ins before the first
player was eliminated. Each time, the
player shortest in chips managed to catch
a favorable card, which prolonged the
inevitable. That moment finally came when
the lovely Carol Hines, from nearby Walls,
Mississippi, went all-in with A-K. Isis
Allen picked up A-A on the same hand,
which meant Hines had some serious "ketch-ing-up"
to do. Hines caught a king on the turn,
giving her a glimmer of hope. But when
the final board showed 5-4-4-K-8, Hines
had "run out" in 10th place. Carol Hines,
a poker dealer at the Horseshoe Casino
and a classy lady, collected $291.
Unfortunately,
Lele Baker's departure from the final
table was a disappointment. When she was
down to a single $500 chip earlier, she
remarked, "Now, I got you all right where
I want you!" However, 30 minutes into
play the limits went up, and Lele Baker
was raced-off in 9th place with $388.
Sherri
Aiken might as well have turned into "Darth
Vader," according to Laurie Skywalker.
Aiken was dealt A-5 and called Skywalker's
final bet of the night, which put her
all-in with K-3. The board showed Q-Q-J-4-A,
giving Aiken a pair of aces. Skywalker
flew off the final table and crashed in
8th place with $485.
The aces continued to do damage when Jill
Gesner picked up the pocket rockets a
short time later, and eliminated Lo Tulga.
Low, very low on chips, Tulga made her
final stand with 9-10, then watched with
sadness as her opponent's aces held up
to win the pot. Lo and behold, Lo Tulga
from Las Vegas was out in 7th place with
$606.
A
few hands later, Cindy Gogel went through
an emotional roller-coaster of a final
hand when she was dealt Q-J against Sherri
Aiken's K-J. Gogel's hand was dominated
pre-flop, but she managed to catch a very
lucky string of cards from the deck, Q-9-9.
Then, things got ugly. The turn was the
dreaded king which gave Aiken a higher
pair. Gogel failed to hit her one of her
six outs on the river, which put the self-described
"freelancer" from Kentucky out in 6th
place with $849.
It
was a case of "deja vu all over again"
on the following hand. This time, Isis
Allen went all-in with K-J against Jill
Gesner's Q-J. Just as before, the Q-J
was in a terrible spot and it looked as
though Allen would double-up. But a wicked
queen fell on the turn and dealt Allen
a tough beat. Oklahoman Isis Allen went
out as the 5th-place finisher and received
$1,091.
Next,
by far the worst beat of the final table
took place. Elizabeth Martin (with J-J)
made a pre-flop all-in raise and was called
by Misty Morrison. The flop of A-J-8 appeared
to be a dream come true for Martin. But
that dream ultimately became a nightmare
when the turn and river came with a 9
and 7 respectively. Morrison turned over
10-9 for a runner-runner straight. Texan
Elizabeth Martin was out in 4th place
with $1,455. Morrison was now the chip
leader.
A few hands later, Jill Gesner was short-stacked
and went all-in (with A-4) after the flop
came Q-7-4. When an ace fell on the turn,
it looked as if Gesner would recover some
chips. But the ace was a third heart,
and Sherri Aiken rolled over K-J of hearts
for the flush. Jill Gesner, from Rockford,
Illinois, was out in 3rd place with $2,425.
When
heads-up play began, Sherri Aiken enjoyed
a sizable chip advantage:
Aiken: $47K
Morrison: $13K
Aiken
doubled up on the first hand and then
proceeded to go on a roll. On the 16th
hand of the duel, she took the chip lead
momentarily, but then lost it back on
the next hand, when Aiken made a full
house. That would be Aiken's last gasp
of life.
On the 23rd hand of heads-up play, chip-leader
Morrison was dealt 9-8 against Aiken's
A-5. The flop came 9-8-5, giving Aiken
a pair of 5s against Morrison's two-pair.
After a bet and a raise, all of Aiken's
chips were in the pot. She desperately
need an ace or a five to survive. Two
blanks fell on the end, leaving Aiken
with a second-place finish. Misty Morrison
became the champion.
Sherri
Aiken played exceptionally well, but was
disappointed she did not win. She took
the loss harder than most, most likely
because she finished 4th in this same
event last year. If progress is any indication
(4th in 2002, and 2nd in 2003) Aiken should
rightly be considered a favorite next
year in this event.
Then
again, next year Misty Morrison will return
to Tunica as the defending champion. She
was congratulated by a big, enthusiastic
crowd and walked off with the coveted
gold and diamond bracelet and the title
of "Woman's World Poker Open Champion."
Walk
my way
and a thousand violins begin to play,
Or it might be the sound of your hello,
That music I hear, I get misty the moment,
you're near.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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