Last month, David Hughes, a man who many described as an elderly bearded man, won a ladies’ poker event in Florida. The international poker community was unamused with Hughes’ actions, even if the local rules technically allow men to enter women-only events.
As a result, Bill Perkins, a major high-stakes poker player and businessman, hosted a new event where absolutely no men were allowed. He powered the prize pool with a $50,000 prize pool overlay and hosted the event in Texas where he could prohibit men from entering.
The $50,000 Overlay ladies’ tournament was hosted in collaboration with the Lodge Poker Club in Round Rock. It was a $500 buy-in event that welcomed women from all over the US. In the end, there were a whopping total of 326 registrants, whose buy-ins bolstered the prize pool to $196,702.
Raising the stakes, Perkins added that the tournament victor could also get a $25,000 sponsorship deal to represent his book, Die With Zero.
The entire event was a part of the Lodge Poker Championship series.
Read Was the Undisputed Winner
After intense hours of play, five players found themselves at the final table. The last play was broadcast on The Lodge’s official YouTube, allowing fans to watch the action as it unfolded. To spice things up, the stream featured live commentary from the knowledgeable Jamie Kerstetter and Ruth Hall.
In the end Chris Read, a prominent women’s poker activist, managed to emerge victorious. During the final hand, Read flopped a ten-high straight against Krisha Augerot and her pocket kings. Read ended up winning by a landslide and took $28,466 home after defeating all of her opponents. Augerot finished second, winning a prize of $27,641, followed by Brittney Cammack with $20,942.
Read later shared her impressions about the event on Twitter:
Yesterday was a pretty amazing day. Thank you to everyone who helped put this together and gave support to all of the ladies.
Chris Read
She also shared footage from the tournament across her social media, highlighting her excitement. It is worth noting that the $28,466 she took home is the biggest prize in her poker career. In total, she has won over $300,000 from playing professionally.
Read is the live reporter for the Women’s Poker Association and representative for the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. In addition, Read is the founder of Poker Queens, a Facebook community dedicated to female poker players.