Amarillo Slim is reported to once have said he’d slit his throat if a woman ever won the Main Event. He later said he’d been misquoted, but if he hadn’t been (and were still alive) he’d be sweating a bit today. With only 53 players left before the money bubble bursts, several women are in excellent shape for deep runs as Day 4 of the 2012 Main Event begins.
Women have been performing well all summer long at the WSOP. None of them have won an open event bracelet so far, but several of them came close – and more than a few of them are still alive to start Day 4 of the Main Event. From biggest stack to the smallest, here’s a look at some of the women left in the tournament – some well-known, some not as well-known.
Vanessa Selbst (814,000 chips) caught a pretty big break in a huge pot fairly late on Day 3 and built on that success to finish the day among the top chip leaders. She’s pretty easily the chip leader among the remaining women in the tournament, but she’ll have a fight on her hands to retain that position on Day 4.
Susie Zhao (624,000 chips) picked up pocket kings at a great time late on Day 3, picking off 2006 Main Event 3rd-place finisher Michael Binger’s pocket queens. The LA-based pro finished the day in excellent shape, ahead of every other woman but Selbst and most of the men, too.
Marcia Topp (585,500 chips) is something of a mystery woman, with only two small live cashes to her credit. She’s the third-highest-stacked among all the remaining Canadians in the tournament, though.
Gaëlle Baumann (599,000 chips), the French woman who was the overall chip leader after Day 2, tweeted at the start of Day 3 that there was a more aggro air than the previous days. Her stack slipped throughout the day but she was moved to a new table later in the day and chipped back up. She’s in excellent position to make a deep run as Day 4 begins.
Maria Ho (382,000 chips) made her name in tournament poker by becoming the Last Woman Standing in the 2007 Main Event, finishing 38th. She clearly understands how to play the structure of this tournament, as she’s enjoying another solid run right now. She ended the day strong and will be looking to exploit her experience level on Day 4.
Liv Boeree (207,500 chips) has enjoyed quite a bit of success in tournaments over the last four years, but she’s still seeking her first cash in the Main Event.
Australian pro Jackie Glazier (187,000 chips) nearly won a bracelet last month. It was just her second career WSOP cash, good for $458K. The other? A cash in the 2010 Main Event. She’s short-stacked, but a string of tourney cashes dating back five years means she has plenty of experience to rely on.
Three-quarters of The Grindettes, a collective of four female poker pros, are making runs after Day 3. Part-time tax attorney and full-time poker player Jamie Kerstetter (63,000 chips) had a rough day, as did chess entrepreneur and tournament pro Katie Stone (22,000 chips). Meanwhile Katie Dozier (175,000 chips), writer and former chef (and wife of poker player and coach Colin Moshman), enjoyed a little better fortune throughout the day but will still be looking for a big hand on Day 4.
Dee Friedman (125,000 chips) is perhaps best known as the wife of Prahlad Friedman, but she’s a career pro poker player in her own right. She’s better known for playing high-limit cash games in California, but she’s looking to add to a tournament resume that includes a WSOP final table back in 2003.
Claudia Crawford (106,000 chips) is well known in Gulf Coast poker circles, as well as to the fans she made during wearing a very low-cut top during last year’s 85th-place Main Event run. Given her short stack, she’ll need some help to improve on that finish.
Christina Lindley (51,500 chips), a model and actress known around pro poker for a few years now, is one of the shortest stacks left in the event. She’ll need some big help on Day 4 with just 51,500 chips.
