Southport's Anne Scambler became the sixth player to qualify for the Grand Final of this year's Betfred Ladies Poker Tour when she was declared the winner of the Stoke leg.
After reaching the heads-up with Sheffield victor Sue Adams, Scambler struck a deal with her rival whereby the duo divided equally the £3,760 prizemoney available for first and second places on the condition that she was named the winner.
Scambler was ahead on the chip count and had already clinched a place in the Grand Final at London's Western Club on November 22 as Adams was also assured of her seat by virtue of her Sheffield win.
"It seemed like the right idea, because it was getting so late, to cut a deal," said Scambler after the 3am finish at the Stanley Circus Casino.
The result represented a huge change in fortunes for Scambler, who entered the leg with a free buy-in provided by Betfred after she had been the first player eliminated at the Liverpool heat in May.
On the final table the top two had worn down Vicki Thomas, who had been the clear leader for much of the event but came up short when it mattered as her ace-eight was outdone by ace-jack. Thomas took home £1,120 for finishing third.
For Adams, the result confirmed her as the No 1 player on this year's tour so far and she has now featured on the final table in four of the first six heats. The Blackpool chef was the defending champion in Stoke having won the 2007 leg staged in the Potteries.
With two heats remaining, the line-up for the final now comprises Adams, Scambler, Michelle Bennett, Karen Dennett, Gina Short and Emma Strutt.
Along with the winners of the last two legs, they will be joined by the most consistent non-winner – currently Linda Blundell – and the winner of an online satellite tournament.
Final table finishing order in Stoke:
1 Anne Scambler
2 Sue Adams
3 Vicki Thomas
4 Bettana Short
5 Marie Clifford
6 Debbie Witcombe
7 Ratsamee Mayall
8 Sarah Dornford-May
9 A Chadwick
10 Karen Tomczak
The penultimate heat of the Betfred Ladies Poker Tour takes place on October 11 at the Broadway Casino in Birmingham. Full details of that leg and all the others are available at www.betfredlpt.com.
by Jon Wilde 25/09/2008 BACK TO TOP ^ |
