PARTYPOKER.COM WOMEN’S WORLD OPEN III FINAL TABLE IS SET WPT FOUNDER AND A POKER HISTORIAN JOIN SEXTON FOR HALL OF FAME CAMPAIGN
London — 27th May 2009 – The final table is set at the Party Poker Women’s World Open III in London! The popular Matchroom Sport organized tournament sees 36 players from around the world battle it out for a $108,000 prize pool in the $3,000 buy-in event. The final table is the strongest in the event’s history and the winner takes home a cool $50,000. Tournament Director Mad Marty Wilson has called shuffle up and deal.
Jen Mason, Maria Demetriou, Shana Casaletto, Aisling Collins and Cat O’Neill lead the charge for the UK. Mason reached the final table of this event in its inaugural running in 2007, finishing second to Beverley Pace. Also a highly respected live tournament reporter, Mason will be looking to go one better this time and has a respected aggressive game that fits well with the format. Similarly well supported is Maria ‘Chili’ Demetriou. Maria was one the favourites to win the tournament before a card was dealt and amongst other great domestic achievements has made the final table of Late Night Poker. She came through what many thought was the most difficult of the heats that also featured EPT Dortmund winner Sandra Naujoks and Spanish whirlwind May Maceiras.
Shana Casaletto has won back-to-back GUKPT side events recently and was in dominant form taking down the first heat. Aisling Collins is a tv producer, who, like a lot of the field, has big support in the green room and in the online forums. Cat O’Neill is from Belfast and was put forward for the tournament by WSOP bracelet holder, Poker Million and PartyPoker.com World Open winner Marty Smyth. Joining the UK hot shots is Japan’s Kim Wooka, who dazzled to win her heat. Wooka already has great name in the Far East as Japanese Ladies Champion but was discovered by organizers of this tournament at the Asian Poker Tour Manila event back in January and she certainly isn’t disappointing. Joining Kim is Cecilia Nordenstem, who has for a long time been one of the most glamorous figures on the Swedish circuit but also a deadly player as she showed in her heat. Cecilia cashed in her first five WPT events.
Other players who failed to make the final table include PartyPoker.com Premier League III star and inaugural WSOP Europe winner Annette Obrestad, Germany’s Christine Klecz and WSOP bracelet holder Jennifer Tilly. Among the others who took part included UK Women’s Poker Tour Champion Lynne Beaumont, Veronique Gordon, European Ladies champion Liv Boeree, France’s Lise ‘The Pink Lady’ Vigezzi, Ireland’s Colette Murphy, Eliza Burnett, Stephanie Bergener and Polish boxing champion Agnieska Rylik. There were also four specially invited players from PartyPoker.com’s VIP club, http://www.palladiumlounge.com/
Women’s World Open II defending champion Soraya Homam from Germany narrowly missed out on a place at the final table by finishing runner-up in the second chance heat. The UK’s Beverley Pace won the inaugural Women’s World Open I title.
A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “The standard of play has been strongest in the event’s history and the final table is sure to be a great spectacle.”
The tournament featured six six-seater heats with one six seat runner-up heat. The final table features seven players. Commentary will be led by Jesse May, who will be joined by Annette Obrestad. The action will be broadcast on Five in the UK later this year and then distributed internationally. A limited number of qualifiers took place with Equal Chance, International Club and the Eglinton Casino in Galway all running satellites.
PARTYPOKER.COM WOMEN’S WORLD OPEN III – London 24 - 27th May 2009
FINAL TABLE SEATING POSITIONS
SEAT ONE – KIM WOOKA (JAP)
SEAT TWO – JEN MASON (UK)
SEAT THREE – AISLING COLLINS (UK)
SEAT FOUR – MARIA DEMETRIOU (UK)
SEAT FIVE – CECILIA NORDENSTAM (SWE)
SEAT SIX – CAT O’NEILL (UK)
SEAT SEVEN – SHANA CASALETTO (UK)
FINAL TABLE PRIZE POOL
1st - $50,000
2nd - $20,000
3rd - $12,000
4th - $10,000
5th - $8,000
6th - $5,000
7th - $3,000
May 28, 2009