Ladies? Lol

10. July 2006 | Category: 50outs

Blinds are 200/400 with 50 antes, level 7 of the Ladies $1000 event. Katja has 10400 chips, average at about 7000, 200 “ladies” left out of nearly 1200, 99 in the money. Katja has not played a hand in level 5+6 and it’s now 30 minutes after the dinner break into level 7. A “lady” raises in middle position to 2000, its gets folded to Katja on the button. Without any hesitation or second thinking Katja announces “raise”, throws the 2000 call-amount into the pot, takes a look at the new potsize and then adds “all-in”. The blinds go quickly out of the way and it’s again on the first raiser. This lady has about 5000 left in chips, that’s no easy call no matter what you have except aces. It takes over 90 seconds for her to “think” through the situation and decide that her pocket 44 is propably the winning hand and she shoves all her remaining chips into the pot, making the call. Cards are opened, it’s her pocket four’s versus Katjas pocket kings. Chances: 80.3% for Katja with KK, 19.7% for the 44. Thats all you could ever ask for as tournament player, right?

Wrong. You could ask for a winning hand, as example. While the flop was save with two clubs (Katja had the K of clubs) the turn brought the 4 of clubs, giving 44 the lead with a set. Still, Katja had outs, two remaining kings and every club not pairing the board for a 23% re-suck chance. But nothing, the river blanked out and Katja was severly crippled with only 3400 left.

I was watching all this first hand as Katja’s table was next to the rail. I even have a video with Katja waiting for the decision, her chips already in the middle. I arrived there short before the dinner break and went to the steak house with Katja during the break. Katja was confident and calm, no signs of being tired or impatience (she told me that she had not played any hand during the last two hours/levels). In this about 45 minutes that I had the honor of watching the ladies event I saw so many unbelievable plays that all known and possible prejudices about woman poker got confirmed. A4 offsuit vs. A6 offsuit? Sure, let’s get both all-in! Second pair on a four club board? Yippi, let’s bet – Yippi, let’s call for all our chips! I was shocked and amazed seeing this. I mean, in regular events you already see all kind of plays these days but my impression was that this was a large-scale kitchen table game for pennies.

Katja Thater playing the WSOP ladies event. Poker in Las Vegas, Card Player

Now, this “ladies poker” fairy tale gets even nicer. As said, Katja had about 3400 left. One hand after that bad beat with the KK her table broke to make things worse. Katja had a pretty good impression about every player on her table so that was bad for her. On the new table the folded two rounds in a row (on 200/400 blinds with 50 ante). Finally, with two limpers for 400 each she shoved her remaining 2325 in the middle. The blinds folded quickly, the first limping lady folded after some consideration and the last player directly to Katja’s right went like “hihihihihi this is a crazy call hihihihihi” and peeled off 1925 chips from her stack of about 4000 (!) and made the call. Katja showed AKs and the “crazy call” lady showed Q8s (different suit) so it is a 65% vs 35% situation.

Katja went up and looked into some other direction so I wittnessed the 89T-9-6 board that ended the tournament for Katja with about only 160 players left out of 1200. Now the “crazy call” lady goes like “hihihihihi somebody had to caaaalll hihihihihihihi”!

I tell you, Katja was not happy!

This was the first tournament at the WSOP where buyin and starting chips have not been dollar-for-dollar. It was a $1000 buyin but you got 1500 starting chips. I heard rumors that this will be the same for todays open $1000 NLHE event. Also the ladies event started at 11 a.m. (which Katja painfully recogniced when arriving at 12 and being greeted as “Ms. Hellmuth” lol). Also, while I saw only from 250 “ladies” downwards that field must have been the biggest woman-trash poker field of history. Despite of playing bad many many were so ugly, scruffy, porkily or men-alike that this was pure hell. Sure, there were about 10 hotties allotted over the field. When this stampede of horror walzes to the breaks all you can do is hide and pray. If one of those spots you and takes you for husband you’re lost forever.

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While Katja was enjoying herself in the tournament I took the hard working part of the day, playing and teaching blackjack to a group of six young asian ladies. Wow that was fun. Not only did I won for the first time in years at black jack, my basic strategy advice also worked out for the girls, resulting in a lot of laughter and fun. But don’t worry, I quickly lost my yellow chip (1000) back to the house later on a different table when I lost 24 hands of heads-up black jack in row (4 ties with bj/21/20).


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