Kelli
Voci is Queen for a Day,
Wins Ladies Championship
Kelli
Voci, an Atlantic City Poker Dealer, won
the Ladies Championship at the 2004 Jack
Binion World Poker Open. She came in with
one of the lowest stack sizes, but gradually
built up her chip count until she had
all the chips in what was a stunning ending
to a very exciting day of competition.
Judy
Rhodes, an Apartment Complex Manager from
Houma, LA was the first player to exit
when her K-Q was topped by Jill Gesner's
A-K. Rhodes failed to catch a Queen and
received $764 for ninth place.
A few hands later, Nash Ball -- a Commercial
Real Estate Appraiser from Atlanta --
played her final hand of the night when
she was dealt Q-J versus Jill Gesner's
K-J. Neither player made a pair, which
meant the King-high played and Gesner
had eliminated her second player within
just a few minutes. Ball was bounced off
the final table in eighth place, good
for $956.
Jill
Gesner continued to hold all the cards
when she knocked out yet another player.
This time, Kellie Terry was the unfortunate
victim. Terry, a Poker Dealer from Comanche,
OK, was short-stacked and started with
J-9 against Gesner's A-6. Gesner flopped
a 6, which stood up as the winning hand.
It was back to dealing for Terry, who
ended up in seventh place, which amounted
to a $1,195 payoff.
Jenny
Haddad, a Poker Dealer from Brigantine,
NJ, was the next player to get eliminated.
She started off with pocket fours, which
failed to hold up. Haddad collected $1,673
for sixth place.
Incredibly,
Jill Gesner then went on a disastrous
run which left her low on chips. From
the way things went early at the final
table, it was hard to imagine that Gesner
would be the next player eliminated. That's
exactly what happened when Gesner flopped
two pair, with K-J, after the flop came
K-J-5. Kelli Voci had a diamond draw and
spiked a fifth diamond on the turn. Gesner
failed to hit her four-outer for the full
house, which meant a fifth place finish.
Gesner, a Day Care Provider from Rockford,
IL, who made the final table in this event
last year, received $2,150.
Down
to four players, Kelli Voci was the chip
leader. Then, Ruth Spiegel went out when
she made her final raise of the night
with J-J, which was called by Kelli Voci,
with Q-8. The flop came 10-9-7, giving
Voci an outside straight draw. The turn
was no help the either player, but the
river brought Voci a 6, completing the
10-high straight. Ruth Spiegel won the
special Poker School Online tournament
last year (sponsored by PokerPages.com).
She added a fourth place finish to her
resume in this event, and ended up with
$2,868 in prize money.
Lynda
Lanham was short-stacked most of the night.
She played her last hand when dealt A-5,
which ran into a brick wall when Laurene
Holland had J-3 and flopped three Jacks.
The final board showed K-J-J-8-10, which
gave Holland the pot. Lanham, from Chatt.,
TN was given $4,541 for her third place
finish.
The
final hand of the tournament came out
of nowhere. Kelli Voci had about a 3 to
1 chip lead over Laurene Holland when
the tournament came to a stunning conclusion.
Holland was dealt A-A and hoped to capitalize
on her big hand. She let Voci into the
pot with a very ordinary Q-6. The flop
stunned the audience when Q-Q-Q was shown.
Amazingly, Voci had flopped four of a
kind, and Holland had the second best
possible hand with Queens full of Aces.
All of Holland's chips were in the pot
when the smoke cleared, and the four Queens
scooped the final pot of the night. How
fitting that the Ladies Championship was
determined by four Queens.
Laurene
Holland, and RN from Los Angeles, took
$9,081 as the runner up. Kelli Voci, who
has won and placed in a number of Atlantic
City poker tournaments, received $17,685
for first place, the gold and diamond
bracelet, and a dozen roses, presented
by Tournament Director, Jimmy Sommerfeld.
This
year's ladies-only event set an all-time
record, as 254 players entered the tournament.
The 2004 Jack Binion World Poker Open
continues to be on a record-setting pace.
Attendance and prize money are up significantly
over last year, which was a previous record
for the South's largest poker tournament.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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