I had mixed feelings when a number of superstar players arrived at my table, including PCA Main Event final-table finisher Xuan Liu, Mike "Timex" McDonald, Dominick Nitsche and Marvin Rettenmaier. It would be fun to see how such great players approached such an unusual format, though obviously not as profitable. But my run good continued--I snagged my first bounty by jamming in the small blind over a middle position open. The spot would normally be totally insane, but seemed good since I had the big blind and the opener covered (the most important rule of live-bounty hunting is always knowing exactly who you cover). I got lucky and won ATs > AKo and won a couple more bounties on my way to a cash. A strong female player, Darya Hulyk, ended up in second for €11,000. Lucille Cailly's Main Event run (2nd place for over €1,000,000) sure seemed to inspire other female players in Monaco!

The next day I took time off from poker for culture and nightlife. I visited Opera Gallery Monaco, which featured a blue-chip collection including a grand chess set by French-American sculptor Arman. Then onward to the famous Monte Carlo casino and JimmyZ's disco, where I had as much fun dancing and drinking as I did counting Louboutins. I easily blend into the energy of people around me, which can be very helpful when trying to absorb ideas quickly but can also be unsettling when you're the only one without a Chanel bag! I never used to want designer things, only bright and sexy things. Yet my resistance weakens as glamour and success merge in places like Monaco.

I slept for a couple of hours before playing in a fun media tournament on the new PokerStars IPad mobile app. Having started my poker career in sit-n-gos, I was stoked about the format (six-max SNG) and felt euphoric to be playing for real stakes on the PokerStars software again. The app was amazing and made me feel envious of Americans who have relocated to continue playing on the most innovative poker site.
So you can imagine that when the PokerStars Women Live event began, I was already having a blast. I arrived at the table and recognized Erika Moutinho, the top female finisher in the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event. Another stunning blonde just to my left, Catgirl Salnikova was tweeting for PokerStarsWomen during the tourney. I was chipping up nicely and having fun at my first table, but then lost a pretty big pot with AKo to AJs. After that point, I was always on about 15-30 big blinds and struggled and failed to fully double-up.

I was then moved to a table with Vanessa Selbst and Melanie Weisner. I was rooting against playing with such strong players earlier in the event, but at that point I didn't care nearly as much since I can play the 12-20 big blind stack adequately in zombie-mode. It was fun watching Melanie and Vanessa because despite the shallow stacks, they seemed alert and creative. I also enjoyed Selbst's table talk, which is at once friendly and intimidating.

I was eliminated shoving sixes into sevens but left the tournament content with my play and ready to celebrate at the PokerStars party. The awards ceremony saw another positive for women in poker when Melanie Weisner was anointed this EPT season's Heads-Up Player of the Year.

My trip to Monaco was one of the only times in my life where I can honestly say that the expectation was incredibly close to my actual experience: a glamorous, sensually rich, marginally profitable trip where I met a number of amazing people. Playing with so many strong pros inspired me as I look forward to a busy poker summer. As so many new friends shouted to each other in Monaco as we rushed into cabs for the Nice airport: "See you in Vegas!"

Meanwhile, the Women's Sunday was in full swing, as usual. Other women's events were running as well, including the Women's Poker League, which will be awarding more monthly cash prizes and freeroll tickets at the end of the month in all three divisions. And who can forget about the newest addition to the women's lineup? The $11 Women's Tuesday will roll around again in a few days with 6-max NLHE action and a $1K guarantee.

Back to today's action, let's take a look at the final numbers:

Total players: 204
Prize pool: $10,200.00
Paid finishers: 36

Several members of Team PokerStars took part in the tournament, and the first one to exit was Team Pro Celina Lin. Fellow Team Pro Ana Marquez stuck around awhile longer but exited in 104th place, while Friend of PokerStars Charlotte "Sjlot" Van Brabander took off in 82nd place. Team Pro Vivian Im, the first of the pros to register, was the last to exit, leaving her $50 bounty in 59th place.

As players like xx23xx and Groupondeal exited the field, hand-for-hand play took them from 10 players on two tables to nine on the singular final table. That happened whenadina727 pushed her short stack all-in with [Ks][Qh] against the [Ad][5h] of rebecca06. The board of [5c][9h][9c][6d][5s] gave rebecca06 the full house, and adina727 had to leave in tenth place with $163.20.

Strong lead for Stjerneskud

The final table began in Level 27, with blinds of 1,000/2,000 and a 200 ante, along with these player chip counts:

Seat 1: Stjerneskud (130,490 in chips)
Seat 2: Liza_plus_EV (40,660 in chips)
Seat 3: IwillOwnYouu (32,454 in chips)
Seat 4: nutbreakerLL (46,788 in chips)
Seat 5: Sisa4ok (100,288 in chips)
Seat 6: Hamburg2000 (102,715 in chips)
Seat 7: rebecca06 (52,299 in chips)
Seat 8: Sherpadidi (43,990 in chips)
Seat 9: t0beR1cH (62,316 in chips)

Action was fast and furious. The first hand saw IwillOwnYouu double through nutbreakerLL. Two hands later, IwillOwnYouu moved all-in again, but original raiser Sherpadidi called all-in and was covered. IwillOWnYouu showed [As][Ac], which obviously dominated the [7s][7h] of Sherpadidi, and no change came from the [8s][Qs][9h][Kh][6d] board. Sherpadidi exited in ninth place with $193.80.

NutbreakerLL was unable to make a comeback from the original double by IwillOwnYouu. The former pushed all-in from early position with [5h][5c], and Sisa4ok reraised all-in to isolate with [7c][7d], which worked. The board came [9s][2c][Ah][6h][Qh], and the sevens held up to eliminate nutbreakerL in eighth place with $255.00.

Rebecca06 had a tough time gathering momentum and made a strong push with 60,199 chips from the small blind with [Qc][Qs]. T0beR1cH reraised all-in from the big blind, and original raiser Sisa4ok folded. T0beR1cH shoewd [9d][9s] but caught the flop when it came [4h][9c][4c]. Even more, the turn came [9h] for quads, and the irrelevant [3h] on the river eliminated rebecca06 in seventh place with $357.00.

A short while later, Liza_plus_EV risked all of her chips with [Kc][Qs], only to find out that Sisa4ok had [AS][Ks]. The flop of [3s][2c][Jd] changed nothing, though the [Ad] on the turn gave Liza_plus_EV the hope of a straight. But the [Qd] on the river ended that hope and left Liza_plus_EV out in sixth place with $459.00.

Two hands after that, IwillOwnYouu got involved with Sisa4ok. After each raised, IwillOwnYouu came back with an all-in move holding [Ad][Qh]. Sisa4ok called with a dominating [Ah][Kh]. The board produced [Js][Tc][6s][4h][4s], and the ace and king kickers played to eliminate IwillOwnYouu in fifth place with $591.60.

Hamburg2000 then got involved with t0beR1cH, and the preflop raising war ended with Hamburg2000 at risk holding [Jh][Th]. T0beR1cH showed [Qc][Qs], and though the [5d][Ts][5c] flop gave Hamburg2000 hope for a double-up, the [8c] and [Js] cards weren't enough to get it done. Hamburg2000 ended her run in the tournament in fourth place with $867.00.

Stjerneskud had lost ground from her original starting position as the chip leader and was the shortest during three-handed play. When Sisa4ok raised, Stjerneskud reraised all-in with [Kh][6s], but Sisa4ok called with [Th][Tc]. Nothing about the [2s][8h][4c][Jc][2h] board changed the outcome, and Stjerneskud exited in third place with $1,152.60.

Sisa4ok goes for double win

The last two players standing started their battle with these counts:

Seat 5: Sisa4ok (467,408 in chips)
Seat 9: t0beR1cH (144,592 in chips)

It was a tough match for t0beR1cH, despite being aggressive and winning a number of small consecutive hands. Sisa4ok won the bigger hands and had t0beR1cH chipped down to less than 100K at one point. T0beR1cH did make this double-up comeback to stay alive:

T0beR1cH had to try again and did it with [Ad][3s]. But Sisa4ok showed [Ac][4d] and stayed ahead as the board came [4h][3d][Qd][9h][7h]. T0beR1cH accepted second place and $1,530.00.

Ukraine's Sisa4ok, who won her first Women's Sunday in May of last year, claimed her second title nearly one year later. This win came with $2,085.90, and she becomes only the second woman to win more than one Women's Sunday. Congrats!

Women's Sunday Results for 05/20/12:

1st place: Sisa4ok (Ukraine) - $2,085.90
2nd place: t0beR1cH (Russia) - $1,530.00
3rd place: Stjerneskud (Denmark) - $1,152.60
4th place: Hamburg2000 (Germany) - $867.00
5th place: IwillOwnYouu (UK) - $591.60
6th place: Liza_plus_EV (Russia) - $459.00
7th place: rebecca06 (Malta) - $357.00
8th place: nutbreakerLL (Canada) - $255.00
9th place: Sherpadidi (Canada) - $193.80

There are many ways to get in on the Women's Sunday action. Take a look at the home page for information on daily satellites. And join us on Facebook for news and monthly freerolls, and Twitter for the latest information. See you next week!

Her win in the badugi event ($9,003) along with a fourth place finish ($5,900) in the SCOOP Event 10-M Stud tournament gives her an overall ranking of 31-35 on the SCOOP leaderboard. A huge "congratulations" to her, with wishes for even more success to come. And there's still time to make it an even bigger and better year for women.

That's exactly what PokerStars was thinking when they decided to offer a $5.50/$0.50 satellite to this Sunday's Low $109 Main Event with a buy-in that affords even players on a limited budget a chance to get into the action. So there's still time for you to make your mark in this year's SCOOP and possibly bring home a championship. You can find the satellite under the tournament number #552603719.

With that in mind, PokerStars Women spoke with Kami shortly after she won the tournament, and posed a few questions about her approach. Reading about her success is sure to fire you up for this Sunday's tournament, so register now, and start planning your assault.

PokerStars Women: You've won a live event at the PCA in Limit Hold 'Em (2010 PCA Event #26, Limit Hold'em Six Handed), finished second in the 2009 WCOOP PLO8 for $47,000, won the Venetian Deep Stack Horse Event, placed fifth in the WSOP Ladies Event, and now this. You're a very versatile and dangerous player it seems! Have you made an effort to master a lot of different games, or is that just how it worked out?

Kami: Most people have a hard time with being strong at a lot of games, which is why HORSE tournaments are my favorite, and why I have had the most success in them. I tend to get bored pretty easily, so being able to play a lot of different games keeps me interested and fresh, so I don't get into a rut. It's also really fun when a series like SCOOP or WCOOP comes around, because I know I can have a shot at the tournament series leaderboards. It's much easier for a skilled mixed-game player to cash in a lot of tournaments than for a NLHE specialist (except maybe Isildur!) as the fields are smaller, and with the slow structures of SCOOP and WCOOP, the edge is higher for a versatile player.

PSW: Can you tell us how you decide which events to play?

Kami: My plan has always been to play as many SCOOP events as possible, as I'm a tournament specialist who focuses on the limit games and PLO8. So I am playing all of the medium and low limit events, and as many of the high events as I can as well.

PSW: So why badugi?

Kami: Badugi is not my favorite game, but I do enjoy playing it. I'd like to play it more, but there are very few badugi MTTs that are above micro limits, which I rarely play anymore.

PSW: It's a difficult game to master and not that well-known. How did you get started in it?

Kami: The same way I learned all the limit games, by just jumping in and starting to play. I wouldn't say I've mastered the game; I don't even think I'm particularly strong at it. Rather, I think I'm just good at limit MTTs in general.

PSW: What was it like when you realized you had won the tournament?

Kami: Well, I was expecting to win the hand, so it wasn't a shock. But we were playing heads-up for a long time, and I had been playing for almost 14 hours straight at that point, so I was very happy for it to be over and to have won!

When I'm deep in a tournament, I never look at the prize payouts, as it's not really about the money to me. Not that I mind the cash of course, but I don't look because I want to keep the focus on winning, no matter what. Thinking about the prize pool is just a big distraction from that.

PSW: You played in Monte Carlo recently as a PokerStars Women Live satellite winner. What was that like, and what did you think of Monte Carlo?

Kami: I love playing the women's events, so I was thrilled to win a package. Women are always so much fun to play with, and Monte Carlo itself is a trip. I feel like I definitely got to see how the "other 1%" live! I'm happy to be back home in the real world now though.

PSW: Have you had a specific type of training program in poker?

Kami: I'm pretty much self-taught in the limit games, where I learn mostly through playing and book study. I have had some great NL coaches, and I have watched a lot of videos and done other training for NL. It's amazing how much I always feel I still have to learn though.

I don't know that I would say I'm one of the top players at any specific game, but I think I'm above average, which is enough to be a winning player. Remember, you don't have to be the best player in the world to win, you just have to be better (or luckier) than the folks at your table on a particular day!

For more on Kami's success this year, see Brad Willis' earlier PokerStars blog report. And for more on upcoming events, see PokerStars Women.

Rebekah Mercer shared some Mother's Day thoughts earlier this week in this article, wherein mothers discuss the part that poker plays in their lives. Balancing a hobby and motherhood has its challenges, and PokerStars Women provided a forum for some discussion about that.

While many women were spending today with their mothers or grandmothers, children or grandchildren, or aunts or other special people in their lives, a group of them found their way to the weekly Women's Sunday. The final numbers are here:

Total players: 221
Prize pool: $11,050.00
Paid finishers: 36

The first hour of play saw two of the Team PokerStars Pros exit the field in succession. Ana Marquez was eliminated in 143rd place, and Vanessa Selbst followed in 142nd place. That left one player with the red space near her name to carry the flag for PokerStars, and Fatima Moreira de Melo did just that.

The money bubble burst at the 2.5-hour mark of the tournament, which saw $TurboPandi of last week's final table unfortunately out in 37th place this week on that bubble. Snail2009 was the first player to cash for $82.87, and others lined up to collect their payouts as well. Fatima only survived until two tables remained, at which point her [Ac][Td] met up with the [Kh][Jd] of Ira_161 and lost to a jack on the flop. Ira_161 picked up the $50 bounty, and Fatima Moreira de Melo took home $121.55 for 18th place.

After the 11th place elimination of TyForPlayinX, hand-for-hand play led to an all-in move from FranPoker on a [8d][Th][Ah][9h][8h] board with [Ad][7h]. Gustawa was there with [Td][Tc] for the full house, and that was enough to eliminate FranPoker in tenth place with $176.80.

Gustawa goes strong as chip leader

The final table began with these chip counts:

Seat 1: netti.S1984 (44575 in chips)
Seat 2: Lexi4Bet (64253 in chips)
Seat 3: evjersen (65862 in chips)
Seat 4: patawkubakia (47092 in chips)
Seat 5: chelle_can (22103 in chips)
Seat 6: JulieBRIGHT (81279 in chips)
Seat 7: Ö_ö °Mopsi°° (47025 in chips)
Seat 8: Ira_161 (58665 in chips)
Seat 9: Gustawa (232146 in chips)

A few double-ups led things off, as chelle_can did it through evjersen and jilieBRIGHT doubled through Lexi4Bet.

A big hand then began with JulieBRIGHT and Ö_ö °Mopsi°° limping. Gustawa limped as well, but netti.S1984 raised all-in for 43,280 chips. JulieBRIGHT was the only caller with [As][AD], and netti.S1984 showed [Ah][Kh]. The flop of [Jh][9d][3c] changed nothing, though the [Kd] on the turn brought some double-up hope. But the [Th] on the river sent former MicroMillions champion Anett "netti.S1984" Sandke (http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/micromillions/2012/micromillions-winner-has-her-own-super-n-092170.html) out in ninth place with $209.95.

Ö_ö °Mopsi°° was the next player to move all-in, doing it from middle position with [Qh][8h] and 22,565 chips. Ira_161 reraised all-in to isolate, which worked, and showed [Ac][Kd]. The board came [Th][3d][Ad][3s][Kh] to give Ira_161 two pair, and Ö_ö °Mopsi°° was left with $276.25 for the eighth place finish.

Patawkubakia moved her short stack from the button with [Ad][Jc], and JulieBRIGHT called from the big blind with [7c][6c]. But the board was on the latter's side when it came [Jh][9h][5d][As][8h] for the nine-high straight. Patawkubakia's two pair were no good and resulted in a seventh place exit with $386.75.

Lexi4Bet chose the big blind from which to make her push for 13,475 chips. Original raiser JulieBRIGHT called with [Ah][Ac], and Lexi4Bet could only show [As][Qh]. The board of [Ad][2h][4d][5h][8d] brought no hope for Lexi4Bet, who left in sixth place with $497.25.

Two hands later, chelle_can made her move. After being short-stacked for most of the action and relegated to a miniscule stack after some disconnection problems, chelle_can risked her 5,000 chips with [As][9s]. Gustawa had [Kd][3d] but caught the first card on the [Kc][6h][8h] flop. Chelle_can did have a pair of eights and hope, but the [7d] and [3h] finished off the hand with two pair for Gustawa and a fifth place payout of $640.90 for chelle_can.

Ira_161 raised from UTG, and Gustawa reraised on her left. The blinds got out of the way, and Ira_161 rebumped it all-in for 62,244 chips. Gustawa called with [Kh][Kd], and Ira_161's odds were diminished with [Ac][8h]. The flop of [5c][9c][Kc] only gave Gustawa the set of kings, and the [3s] and [8d] cards finished the hand. Ira_161 had to go in fourth place with $939.25.

Evjersen doubled through Gustawa, and upon losing more chips, doubled through JulieBRIGHT. One more double-up through Gustawa looked promising, but evjersen remained the shortest of the three stacks.

A hand then developed as evjersen and JulieBRIGHT tangled tos ee a [Th][Ac][8h] flop. Evjersen bet, and JulieBRIGHT check-called to get to the [6s] on the turn. The same betting pattern led to the [4s] on the river, which prompted JulieBRIGHT to bet and evjersen to call all-in with [As][9d]. But that top pair was trumped by the [Ad][4h] and two pair of JulieBRIGHT. Evjersen was out in third place with $1,248.65.

Russian vs. Czech

The final two players took their places with these counts:

Seat 6: JulieBRIGHT (414,103 in chips)
Seat 9: Gustawa (248,897 in chips)

The second hand of heads-up play brought this hand that turned the tables completely:

Shortly thereafter, JulieBRIGHT looked down at [Ks][5c] and limped. When Gustawa raised with [Ad][Td], JulieBRIGHT responded by moving all-in. Gustawa called, and nothing about the presentation of the [4d][6d][9s][Qd][As] board changed the outcome. Gustawa only improved to a diamond flush, and JulieBRIGHT had to settle for second place and $1,657.50.

Gustawa of the Czech Republic won this week's Women's Sunday nad $2,259.83 in cash. Congratulations!

Women's Sunday Results for 05/13/12:

1st place: Gustawa ($2,259.83)
2nd place: JulieBRIGHT ($$1,657.50)
3rd place: evjersen ($1,248.65)
4th place: Ira_161 ($939.25)
5th place: chelle_can ($640.90)
6th place: Lexi4Bet ($497.25)
7th place: patawkubakia ($386.75)
8th place: Ö_ö °Mopsi°° ($276.25)
9th place: netti.S1984 ($209.95)

There are many ways to get in on the Women's Sunday action. Take a look at the home page for information on daily satellites. And join us on Facebook for news and monthly freerolls, and Twitter for the latest information. See you next week!

PokerStars Women (PSW): Why is poker important to you?

Hanna Syrayaveva, (ipokergirl13) from Russia, responded with an answer that surprised us. "I love poker because it's a way to relax and have some fun, while keeping my head sharp. While I play I let go of all the stress, so maybe I can say I find in poker a way to meditate, relax, and still make some money!" Poker as a meditation technique--never heard that before--but if you're a busy mom as she is (with a seven-year-old daughter) poker could seem very relaxing by comparison.

Another player, Tina Van Thuyl (GigglesVT online) says that poker started as a hobby for her--"something to do at night when the kids were asleep," but before she knew it she was enjoying playing in the Women's Poker League. "The ladies that I run into often are some of the most polite and friendliest ladies ever. They have taught me a lot about myself and how I play, and how I can improve." But poker is apparently not all they talk about. "We are women, we talk about EVERYTHING," she said with a laugh.

PSW: If you have a daughter, do you plan to teach her the game? If so, why would you tell her it's important?

Hanna: I have a seven-year-old daughter and she has been around poker from the day she was born. Poker is everywhere around our house. My husband played professionally for several years, so I will quote him, although I share the same thoughts. "Poker teaches you three very important skills to have in life--1) the ability to catch layers, 2) mathematics, and 3) bankroll management."

Tina: Yes, I'm teaching my daughter to play. I've told her it's a game of fun, numbers, patterns, and a great way to meet new people. Oh, and finally, when mommy does win big she will be able to reap the rewards!

PSW: How do you work poker into the busy lifestyle of being a mom? When do you play?

Hanna: This is the tricky part; sometimes it's complicated to make the time to play. It's especially hard because I prefer and do better playing MTTs. So I have to choose weekends and holidays to play this format. Other days I may play after dinner or play some SNG's or Hyper Turbo Satellites. But now with PokerStars Mobile I will be able to play a bit more. There is time for everything if we plan right.

Tina: I'm fortunate to work for my husband and his small business, so my work schedule is flexible. I play mainly at night though, once my daughter (the youngest) is asleep. I have a deal with the kids that they let me play one Sunday afternoon a month.

Another player Sheri-Lee Yarema responded: I'm still trying to figure it out myself! But online play and multitasking makes it at least possible for me.

Gill Kerr says that poker and kids is "easy as pie" to manage. "Mobile poker is the way forward! I love the PokerStars Mobile App!

And here's a solution that is the answer to every busy mom's desire to have just a few hours to herself once in a while--Berta Simonenkovaite has the answer. "We solved the problem in our family by getting a summer cottage where I spend a few days a week just playing poker. We have three kids between the ages of 3 and 9, and with two moms in the family it works perfectly. They never have to live without one." A summer cottage where you can get away to play poker sounds like a dream come true--let's put that one on the wish list. Sounds like a perfect way to spend a big cash on PokerStars!

PSW: How much do you play online as opposed to live?

Hanna: I play much more online than live. I still feel a little intimidated when playing live. Too much testosterone! I need more women. That is something I'm working on.

Tina: 99.9 percent of my play is online, but I'm looking forward to gaining experience in live play.

Have you ever played a PokerStars Women Live event?

Hanna: Sadly, no, but it must be so much fun. We always follow the EPT on the PokerStars blog, and all the girls seem so friendly, fun, and skilled. Maybe next year!

Tina: Unfortunately no, but I'm trying to catch up to my husband who won his way through a satellite in the LAPT in Uruguay last August, and also got to play for Team Canada in the America's Cup of Poker (Robert "SintBest" Van Thuyl).
And finally, a comment from Alyson Parker sums up what it's like to be a busy poker playing mom. "My kid is grown (25) but when she calls on the weekend she does say "Are you in a hand?" a lot. We've probably all heard that one a few times!

Multitasking or meditating, moms on PokerStars today seem to know how to make it work. Hats off to them and to moms everywhere as they celebrate their special day. And if your mom is a poker player, think about giving her the gift that keeps on giving--time to play a tournament or two. You never know--she might take you on that next big trip she wins!

In this interview, Vicky talks to PokerStars Women about why Melanie Weisner reminds her of herself, changing her mind on women's events and how she plans to spend the €60,000 she pocketed with her heads-up title.

PokerStars Women (PSW)- Congrats on your EPT Heads-Up Grand Final title! You ended up playing HU specialist Melanie Weisner in the final. What was that match like?

Victoria Coren (VC)- It was really fun with Melanie. I was slightly embarrassed that at one point on the PokerStars blog they ran up a thing going "Oh Vicky and Melanie are talking about boys, and love and what's the right age to get married." I was like, "Brilliant, we've been playing for four-and-a-half hours and someone walked by at just the bit when we were talking about that kind of thing. And people will be rolling their eyes saying "For heaven's sake--women in any context . . . Maybe in a women's boxing match . . . they say in between blows 'Do you have trouble with commitment?', 'I have trouble with commitment.'"

We genuinely did talk about love during a very tough match. It would have really freaked me out earlier in my poker career to try to maintain that level of interesting concentration with that difficult of a game.

PSW- Tell us about one of the most interesting hands against Melanie.

VC- There were a few. There was one where I almost felt sympathy for her. It was her button, she raised pre-flop, I called with [Qh][Th]. The flop came with two hearts. I check-raised, she called and the turn brought the flush. She only had 4500 and I bet 4000. She reminded me of myself when she talked about the agony she was in. She told me she had a pair of queens and knew I either just turned a flush or I didn't have anything. I loved that Melanie was doing that because I'll do the same thing. I'll do it either as a sign of respect for my opponent or to get a tell from them. I genuinely felt sympathetic for her in that situation--there's no way of knowing, you're just tossing a coin. You're either throwing away the huge hand you've been dealt as it's not easy to get queens heads-up, or you're paying off an exasperating value bet. She did call and that was a turning point in one of the matches. Though we took it in turns to get very low in chips and fight back I remember thinking during that hand "she's so like I am."

She is like me in other ways too. She's in poker because she's competitive and stubborn and very bright and funny. (I'm not saying I am) but I recognize her way of dealing with the world. She's flirty, combative, difficult and likeable, and doesn't like to be pushed around. She plays aggressively, almost to make a point about the World. And in that hand, watching her with queens and not sure what to do, was like looking in a mirror.

PSW- So how cool was it that two women ended up heads-up in a mixed field event, especially in a game type that's particularly associated with poker skill?

VC- Poker players are obsessed with statistics so in addition to thinking about winning my second EPT event and my first live heads-up tournament win, I was musing that it might be the first time in history that a final table in a major mixed event has been all-female. I know there's only two of us, but with two or with ten, have there ever been any all-female tables where it's not a women's event? I don't think so.

PSW- Looking back, which was your toughest match overall?

VC- I played Annette (Obrestad) who is obviously very aggressive, but not in a way that's easy to play against. And Melanie, of course is one of the best H-U players there is. She's brilliant.

A Finnish guy played a style of H-U that I found difficult to play against. He makes very small pots, small raises, even limps the button occasionally. He absolutely won't put a huge amount of chips in as a big mistake. You're not going to find him putting in 4000 when you have the nuts. You have to keep concentrating all the time, and outwit him in small pots.

Then I had Dori Yacoub. He's an older gentleman. He's the kind of player that I'm grateful that at EPTs, the heads-up tournaments are best of three. It's not like you play seven or eight hands and figure out "he's this kind of player," so it helped that I had more than one match to figure it out.

PSW- How do you describe your own heads-up style?

VC- I try to play in the same style as the Finnish guy. That's why I found it hard to play against him. I try to play more and smaller hands. That's effective against players who play very aggressively. But if you play someone who plays in the same way, your brains are constantly churning over these small pots. You can feel like you run a marathon.

PSW- It's tougher for women to get experience in live heads-up because the tournaments tend to be very expensive, I'm sure in part because of the cost of paying the dealers.

VC- It's tough for anyone to get experience in live heads-up. In the next season of EPT, season nine, the heads-up tournaments are going to be €1000. Of course I know that's still very expensive if you're a recreational player but it's a lot less than €5,000. Anyway, practicing heads-up on the Internet is perfect. Online poker is for two things: 1.) You can play for any amount you want, and 2.) You can play in your pajamas drinking a martini. And this is something I know women appreciate. Get the practice in and the heads-up games you play live will not be as tough as the heads-up you play online.

PSW- You wrote an article about a year ago on your change of heart about Women's Events. How did that come about?

VC- I'm definitely still of two minds about women's events. Right at the beginning, when I was a novice player, I loved them. In 2001 I went to Vegas and played the ladies event there--it was a different universe. When the players arrived for the ladies, somebody announced "Let's have a round of applause for the ladies who are all looking so lovely." And everyone applauded and we were all given a flower. It was ridiculous but hilarious and I loved it.

Later on as more women came into poker through the Internet, I decided I didn't like women's events because I thought it was patronizing to suggest that women needed some sort of handicapped event. My mind was changed by two things. Firstly by a few women writing to me and posting on my blog, "Listen it's not about thinking we can't play against men. It's about the fact that these live tournaments are all male. They said 'We're shy. We don't want to turn up late at night in a room full of men, and have people thinking we're weird.'" So just for people starting to play live tournaments, women can think of it as a social occasion, a fun way to get started and then play the mixed events later. So I thought "Well, no harm in it, but I won't play because I don't need that kind of reassurance, I'm very confident."

Then I was at the PCA one year, and a Brazilian woman came up to me and said, "Are you insane? Why wouldn't you play this tournament? Any restricted field you are eligible to play in you should play as it's bound to be easier." And a professional player should just think about where they are more likely to win. So I thought, why I didn't think of that--a dumb obvious thing, I need to get over myself. It's not just about the politics and the feminism.

So two sides of my brain do battle. When I'm not actually playing, one of the things I do as a writer, as a Team Pro and a commentator, is to encourage women into the game, reassure them not to be scared. So the other side of my brain is thinking "Well after having encouraged all these recreational players to get started, why I don't sit down and try to take their money?" I've played a few since then and thought they were good fun. I played in three and cashed in all three (four after placing 2nd to Leo Margets in the EPT Grand Final Ladies Event).

PSW- That's a stellar record! I agree that no one should criticize women for playing these events, whether for fun or for value. Besides, the more women who are thinking like you are, the tougher the fields become. At the PCA I had Vanessa Rousso and Ana Marquez to my left. In another I played with Vanessa Selbst and Liv Boeree, and people like Melanie and Xuan always play. You may even find yourself at a tougher table than in an ordinary 1K!

VC- That's how times change, isn't it?

PSW- Is it hard for you to find time to write during your poker schedule and keep up with deadlines?

VC- Yes, I have a weird life. I started writing about poker for a Chinese magazine. People who live in Hong Kong are often keen on gambling. I like this idea of a market hungry for poker stories. I was really late with it and was thinking, "How can I write it here, how can I concentrate?" Fortunately, after the heads-up I was so adrenalized by the win that I woke up after four hours sleep. So I found myself sitting out on the balcony at six in the morning, writing this article with another tournament to play at Noon. Probably not the best thing for my game, but good for keeping all the balls in the air.

PSW- So you won €60,000 with the heads-up title. When you have a big score, do you buy something nice for yourself or does it just go into the bankroll?

VC- I generally try to buy something nice, but coincidentally enough the day I won, I had an email from my best friend reminding me that I had to buy a wedding dress, which I keep forgetting about cause I find the idea of a full-length white dress so embarrassing. We were meant to go shopping for one next week, and I told her I was in Monte Carlo. And I thought, "I guess I won this money, it doesn't have to be a 100 or 200 pound dress from Oxfam. I'm not going to spend €60,000 on a dress, I'm not insane!" But having shouted at my friend that I'm not going to spend a fortune on a dress you wear once and never again, maybe I'll throw a little more money at the problem.

PSW- Oh yes, congratulations on your engagement (to David Mitchell). Does your fiancé play any poker?

VC- He does not, I am pleased to say. He once played in a charity poker tournament and he found it baffling. It's kind of perfect; for me it wouldn't work to marry a poker player. But he's now at the stage where if he's sitting next to me watching TV and I'm playing poker, he knows enough to sympathize if I get knocked out of a tournament but not enough to say "If you raised on the flop that may not have happened," which is just about perfect.

All of the SCOOP information can be found at this link, including a leaderboard and list of all satellites for each event.

While playing or following along with that action, the Women's Sunday was in its usual spot today. The $10K guarantee and the promise of $50 Team Pro bounties for a $55 buy-in brought a solid group of players to the tables today. The final registration numbers were:

Total players: 242
Prize pool: $12,100.00
Paid finishers: 36

There were several Team PokerStars Pros in the field, but two of them exited within moments of each other. Ana Marquez busted in 166th place, and Celina Lin tweeted her elimination in 164th place:

Lost 99 to AK in the @PokerStarsWomen Sunday :( Try again next week! #timetoflipgood #winaflip

Sandra Naujoks headed out in 145th place, and Team Online's Adrienne "talonchick" Rowsome registered late and busted late, going out of the tournament in 91st place.

The money bubble burst as the three-hour mark approached, as SADE31 exited on the bubble in 37th place and Lili LaFae took home $90.75 for her 36th place finish. Play moved forward as players like iculook, Aussteiger13, and luzzzy hit the virtual rail.

The final table bubble came on rather quickly. Moments after bezgarantiy was eliminated on one of the two remaining tables, a-nadine moved all-in on the other one. Dntcalmefish called with [Jh][Js], while a-nadine was on the line with [Ah][Tc]. The board of [6c][2s][Ts][7h][8h] wasn't enough to save a-nadine, who left in tenth place with $193.60.

$TurboPandi leads at the start

The final table began with these starting stacks and at the beginning of Level 18, with blinds of 1,250/2,500 and a 250 ante:

Seat 1: StarlingC (115,117 in chips)
Seat 2: $TurboPandi (169,499 in chips)
Seat 3: nutbreakerLL (101,282 in chips)
Seat 4: lankorio (15,670 in chips)
Seat 5: simobe28 (22,794 in chips)
Seat 6: dntcalmefish (123,781 in chips)
Seat 7: 4Lisa (29,801 in chips)
Seat 8: rosemarie209 (123,729 in chips)
Seat 9: Kispocok91 (24,327 in chips)

On the second hand of action, Kispocok91 made a push for 23,877 from middle position. Lankorio called all-in for 12,720 from the big blind with [Ac][Kc], and Kispocok91 showed [9d][9s]. The better hand only improved to a flush on the [4s][8s][Ts][Th][6s] board and eliminated lankorio in ninth place with $229.90.

Double-ups were in order, and that trend started with 4Lisa doubling through dntcalmefish and simobe28 doing the same through StarlingC. Kispocok91 did it through nutbreakerLL as well.

When StarlingC doubled back through 4Lisa, the latter had a tough time recovering. In fact, it was only a few hands later when 4Lisa pushed her 6,608 chips all-in with [Ad][2c], and dntcalmefish called from the big blind with [9d][3c]. But the board came [Tc][9s][2h][Jc][Qh], giving dntcalmefish the pair of nines and leaving 4Lisa out in eighth place with $302.50.

The very next hand saw simobe28 push all-in with less than 9K chips with [2c][2s], and Kispocok91 had a dominating [Th][Td]. The board of [4d][6s][Jh][Qd][Qh] changed nothing, and simobe28 had to leave in seventh place with $423.50.

After rosemarie209 doubled through nutbreakerLL, the latter participated in some split pots before moving all-in again with [Ad][5c]. Dntcalmefish had [Kd][Qd] and hit the flop of [Qh][Kc][3s]. The two pair stood up to the [9d] turn and [Jd] river, which eliminated nutbreakerLL in sixth place with $544.50.

Rosemarie209 leaps ahead

Things then took a nasty turn for dntcalmefish. After losing some chips and the lead, the all-in move was made by dntcalmefish holding [Kc][Jc], but rosemarie209 called with [Ah][Qh]. The ace-high hand held up to the [Th][6d][2s][5s][9s] board, and dntcalmefish bowed out in fifth place with $701.80.

When $TurboPandi was ready to risk it all with [Tc][Jd], rosemarie209 was there with [Ad][4s] and a supportive board of [9d][7h][As][6c][7s]. That left $TurboPandi out in fourth place with $1,028.50.

StarlingC doubled through rosemarie209 more than once during three-handed play, but this one put the former in the chip lead:

The very next hand saw Kispocok91 push all-in with [Kc][Td], but rosemarie209 quickly called with [Ks][Kd], which only improved to two pair on the [2h][2s][4c][Qc][6h] board. Kispocok91 had to leave in third place with $1,367.30.

Mexico vs. UK heads-up

The last two players standing began their heads-up battle as follows:

Seat 1: StarlingC (331,334 in chips)
Seat 8: rosemarie209 (394,666 in chips)

StarlingC was the aggressor and chipped up into the lead rather quickly. It only took a few rounds for rosemarie209 to risk all of her 280K chips with [3h][3d], and StarlingC snap-called with [Js][Jh]. The board came [9d][2d][9c][5c][Qd], and rosemarie209 had to accept second place and the $1,815.000 in cash that went with it.

StarlingC of Mexico won this week's Women's Sunday and $2,474.45 in cash. Congratulations!

Women's Sunday Results for 05/06/12:

1st place: StarlingC ($2,474.45)
2nd place: rosemarie209 ($1,815.00)
3rd place: Kispocok91 ($1,367.30)
4th place: $TurboPandi ($1,028.50)
5th place: dntcalmefish ($701.80)
6th place: nutbreakerLL ($544.50)
7th place: simobe28 ($423.50)
8th place: 4Lisa ($302.50)
9th place: lankorio ($229.90)

There are many ways to get in on the Women's Sunday action. Take a look at the home page for information on daily satellites. And join us on Facebook for news and monthly freerolls, and Twitter for the latest information. See you next week!

SCOOP runs from May 6-20 with 40 events and a wide range of games available. The guaranteed prize pool for the event is a massive $30,000,000. Another thing that makes it so attractive for players is the fact that there are low, medium, and high buy-ins for every event, making it easier for new players and those with limited bankrolls to win a championship. Satellites are running for each event, and you can get into the action and win a championship title for as little as $0.25. And to add icing to the cake, in addition to the huge payouts, there's a commemorative watch awarded to each champion.

As an added plus for PokerStars Women players, there is a $5.50 women only satellite on May 20 that will award seats to the $109 SCOOP Main Event, with five seats guaranteed. It's tournament 549526036 at 13:00 ET.

So get ready, take notes, and start charting your course to a championship win.

PokerStars Women: What do you enjoy or look forward to the most about SCOOP?

Celina: I love the fact that SCOOP doesn't restrict players based on their bankrolls and offers great guaranteed prize pools.

Ana: The prize pools. Not only are there going to a lot of big buy-ins with nice first prizes, but also every regular tournament is going to have their prizes increased.

Fatima: After a season of live poker, it's awesome to be able to play great tournaments from the convenience of my home!

Vivian: SCOOP is a series that only runs once a year, so it's something that all tournament players look forward to. It's also fun to wonder about who the champions will be this year, and of course, I'll also be hoping I can grab a title of my own!

Charlotte: I love the large fields! So many different buy-ins and players from all over the world.

PokerStars Women: What's the biggest challenge in playing SCOOP?

Celina: Stamina to play it all! Some players may be ambitious enough to play all 120 events in fourteen days.

Ana: Keeping your A game on for so many hours is the hardest, especially because the later hours are the most tiring, but also the most important.

Fatima: To keep a straight head when the tournament runs for hours and hours because of the big fields.

Vivian: There are so many more tables than live tournaments and moving around tables occurs much more often, so it's harder to figure out opponents. It's also easy to lose focus when you're sitting in front of a computer for a long time. And in my case, I play tighter online. So it gets boring waiting for hands.

Charlotte: The bathroom breaks are short!

PokerStars Women: Do you have some strategies you could share with us for someone who hasn't played SCOOP?

Celina: Satellite into the higher buy-ins, they are running around the clock.

Ana: Play conservatively throughout most of the tournament. There are a lot of people, and the structures are better than other tournaments.

Fatima: Make sure you're well rested if you plan to play a lot of tournaments.

Vivian: It's important to plan the events you want to play beforehand. That way, you can play the satellites that are running for all events. Satellites are definitely a good way to play for a cheap price.

Two weeks of tournaments is quite a long period, so I like to make a daily schedule for SCOOP and check every day to see that I'm on track. Also many of the tournaments are deep stacks, running into the second day, so it's important to stay in good condition to play your A game.

Charlotte: Take some Red Bull in advance! You might need it! Also, leave the player chat on so you can have a laugh now and then.

And a final couple of comments that sum up the whole SCOOP experience from Ana and Charlotte:

Ana: Everyone should be excited to have a series of online tournaments like this, I can't wait!

Charlotte: When you make a big cash or win a SCOOP tournament, you make a name for yourself!

Log on this weekend along with all the pros mentioned above and many others to play in one of the most exciting tournament series in the world. For more details about the series and tournament times see the SCOOP homepage.

And for details on upcoming events and promotions see PokerStars Women.

The final April rankings saw two players stand out in that they each finished in the top 10 in two separate divisions. REBEKC is no stranger to the Women's Poker League, but this month, she not only won the $.10 division but tied for tenth place in the $1.10 division. Pointful92 is also a familiar name to WPL followers, and she finished third in the $5.50 division in addition to ninth place in the $1.10 division. Let's give them a round of applause, shall we?

Speaking of accolades, there are many players deserving of them for the April WPL. On to the results now so players can receive credit for their accomplishments.

$.10 League

The middle of April saw REBEKC in the lead with 91 points from only 15 tournaments. Annamfa was close behind with 90 points, but third place HATAXA777 was in the distance with 79 points. Little more than a week later, REBEKC began to run away with her lead with 134 points, and annamfa fell with only 107 while MCathy68 climbed into second place with 110 points.

REBEKC of Mexico finished the month in the number one spot, as 148 points for 30 tournaments translated into $100. Second place went to annamfa of Hungary with 137 points, who finished eighth in this division in March. Katelynf of Canada rose in the last few weeks to secure third place with 121 points, and MCathy68 had to accept fourth with 120 points.

As for country representation, Russia produced three of the players in this month's top 10, while Canada gave us two players.

April Top 10:

1st place: REBEKC (Mexico) - 30 tournaments, 148 points = $100
2nd place: annamfa (Hungary) - 30 tournaments, 137 points = $90
3rd place: katelynf (Canada) - 29 tournaments, 121 points = $80
4th place: MCathy68 (Mauritius) - 30 tournaments, 120 points = $70
5th place: SARITA15350 (Spain) - 30 tournaments, 119 points = $60
6th place: HATAXA777 (Russia) - 30 tournaments, 113 points = $45 (TIE)
6th place: Stellanna (Canada) - 30 tournaments, 113 points = $45 (TIE)
8th place: zemlyanikasw (Russia) - 30 tournaments, 11 points = $30
9th place: Hannah100 (Germany) - 29 tournaments, 109 points = $17.50 (TIE)
9th place: nika828 (Russia) - 28 tournaments, 109 points = $17.50 (TIE)

$1.10 League

The mid-month numbers for this division showed Idlucas in the top spot with 95 points, and familiar names annamfa and REBEKC completed the top three players. But as the month went on, vali therese took over the lead, pushing Idlucas into second place. Annamfa fell to fifth, and REBEKC lost her place in the top 10 altogether as names like Aka Sue and KOKIRITA climbed.

When the final numbers were calculated, it was vali therese of Canada who claimed victory and $250 with 163 points for 30 tournaments. Aka Sue of Australia took over second place with 157 points, and Idlucas of Portugal took third place with 151 points. KOKIRITA in fourth and Viki991123 made their second consecutive monthly appearances in this division's top 10 rankings.

Canada dominated this division in April with three of the final players, and Portugal had two players in the top 10.

April Top 10:

1st place: vali therese (Canada) - 30 tournaments, 163 points = $250
2nd place: Aka Sue (Australia) - 30 tournaments, 157 points = $170
3rd place: Idlucas (Portugal) - 30 tournaments, 151 points = $140
4th place: KOKIRITA (Argentina) - 28 tournaments, 147 points = $120
5th place: Viki991123 (Bulgaria) - 28 tournaments, 141 points = $100
6th place: maadcaroma (Portugal) - 30 tournaments, 137 points = $90
7th place: Jora80 (Ukraine) - 28 tournaments, 129 points = $80
8th place: love-jlja (Slovenia) - 25 tournaments, 128 points = $60
9th place: pointsful92 (Canada) - 28 tournaments, 127 points = $50
10th place: horsewoman72 (Canada) - 30 tournaments, 121 points = $35 (TIE)
10th place: REBEKC (Mexico) - 30 tournaments, 121 points - $35 (TIE)

$5.50 League

A look at this division on April 16 showed PSmiss dominating it with 127 points from only 16 tournaments played. Again, we saw annamfa doing well in another division, this time in second place with 110 points, followed by efan.ira with 109 points. As time passed, efan.ira took over the lead with 171 points and only a few days remaining in the month. PSmiss fell to second place with 160 points, and joy7108 leapt from eighth place to third with 155 points. Annamfa fell to ninth place.

The final numbers showed efan.ira of Russia able to keep the top ranking with 193 points out of 27 tournaments for a cash prize of $500. Dank555 of Poland rose from fifth place to second with 191 points, just missing out on first place, and pointful92 of Canada catapulted from tenth place to third with 190 points in the last week of play. PSmiss ended up with fourth place.

Russia produced this division's winning player and one other, and there were two Canadian players in the top 10 here as well.

April Top 10:

1st place: efan.ira (Russia) - 27 tournaments, 193 points = $500
2nd place: dank555 (Poland) - 26 tournaments, 191 points = $300
3rd place: pointful92 (Canada) - 29 tournaments, 190 points = $220
4th place: PSmiss (Netherlands) - 30 tournaments, 179 points = $170
5th place: Siirike (Estonia) - 18 tournaments, 178 points = $150
6th place: Irina_Perm (Russia) - 20 tournaments, 176 points = $140
7th place: joy7108 (Canada) - 28 tournaments, 174 points = $130
8th place: Arleo82 (Finland) - 30 tournaments, 167 points = $110
9th place: caiapoa (Brazil) - 29 tournaments, 164 points = $90
10th place: CUTIE QUEEN (Greece) - 28 tournaments, 161 points = $50

Information about the PokerStars Women's Poker League is provided on the home page, and current league standings are listed on the rankings page.

But that was only one of the highlights for a whirlwind of significant triumphs for women this season. Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren, and Friend of PokerStars Charlotte Van Brabander garnered victories this year. In addition, there were many other noteworthy successes including those of Leo Margets, Melanie Weisner, and others.
Vicky Coren scored another groundbreaking first for women when she won the €5k Heads-Up tournament at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final, against Melanie Weisner who came in second. The match made history when the two women went head-to-head in the first-ever all female heads-up final battle at the event. It was also significant that all three women who entered the first round (Ana Marquez also played the event) made it into round two, with two of them battling it out for first in the final.

Vicky also finished second in the €1k PokerStars Women Live Women's Event, with a cash of €10,950 for her efforts. She eventually lost to Leo Margets of Spain, in a volatile heads-up match, but cashes for both events earned her an impressive €69,850. Leo won €16,850 for her championship in the women's event. She was the last woman standing at last year's World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing in 27th place with a cash of $352,832. She is a pro player who is a familiar face at tournaments around the world. Other players with strong finishes in the women's event included Jan Combes, who finished third after a win at the PokerStars Women Live EPT London event last October.
Friend of PokerStars Charlotte Van Brabander made a splash this year won the EPT Berlin €300 Ladies Event in April, besting a field of 27 for a first-place finish worth €3,240. She also did well in the Main Event there with a cash worth € 11,000.

Another player who is getting lots of attention this year is Xuan Liu. She had a great EPT year with her final table finish at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January with a fourth place finish and a cash of $600,000, which catapulted her live poker earnings to over $1,000,000 in a little over one year.

And who could forget the "take no prisoners approach" of Melanie Weisner this year as she powered through EPT Copenhagen and EPT Madrid Main Events with in-the-money finishes (28th place in both) and a second place finish in the heads-up event at the Grand Final? Weisner was awarded recognition as Heads-Up Player of the Year at the EPT Season 8 awards ceremony that rounded out the Grand Final in Monaco. Look for her again in the upcoming first event of Season 9 in Barcelona, as her award included a full package to the Barcelona event.

Overall, it has been an incredible year for women in poker. We look forward to reporting on more achievements by women in the months to come, so keep up with all the developments by following us here at PokerStars Women.

The day started with 12 players but within half an hour a final table of nine was reached after Maya Geller, Coralie Nauder and Melanie Weisner were eliminated. Play slowed down considerably as they moved closer to the money. Vanessa Selbst, who started the day as chip leader, had a string of unlucky hands before she busted out without a money finish at the hands of EPT London Ladies Champion Jan Combes.

Jan had played a strong tournament and was chip leader in the latter stages but she was sent to the rail by Leo and had to settle for fourth place. Vicky then knocked Nicole Kotrinas out in third after her A-Q held up against Nicole's A-7.

Leo, 28, lives half the year in London and the rest in her native Barcelona as well as travelling the world playing poker. She started playing in 2008 but by the following year she had turned pro after finishing in the WSOP Main Event in 27th place cashing $352,832 and was also the 'last woman standing'.

Prior to discovering poker she studied in London and then worked as a Player Relations Manager and Interpreter at all the tennis Grand Slams and then went to work for sport's giant IMG.

She was thrilled to win the title today as well as the gigantic trophy and said it rounded off a great week for her as she also cashed in the main event. She is reinvesting her winnings in her bankroll in preparation for the WSOP this summer.

Final table results
Results based on two-way deal

1st: Leo Margets €16,850
2nd: Victoria Coren (Pokerstars Team Pro) €10,950
3rd: Jan Combes (EPT London Ladies Champion) €6,380
4th: Nicole Kotrinos €4,560
5th: Ingrida Klassen €3,650
6th: Darya Hulyk €3,200

Team PokerStars Pros Victoria Coren and Vanessa Selbst are sitting side by side and Vicky is effectively multi-tabling as she is also playing in the Tournament of Champions running alongside this event in the tournament hall. Melanie Weisner, who was runner-up to Vicky in the €5k Heads-Up event is also at the same table.

Expect the action to be fast and furious down to the money as some players are booked on flights late this afternoon!

Table 1
Melanie Weisner 36,600
Anouk Aletrino 39,100
Darya Hulyk 30,300
Ingrida Klassen 15,100
Victoria Coren (Team Pokerstars Pro) 32,600
Vanessa Selbst (Team Pokerstars Pro) 90,200

Table 2
Leo Margets 63,100
Maya Geller 38,500
Coralie Nauder 15,700
Jan Combes 33,000
Celine Bastian 35,400
Nicole Kotrinos 27,600

Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst has a tremendous lead after some dominating play. She is sitting on just over 90,000 while her closest contender, Leo Margets, is some way behind on 63,100. Former poker dealer Anouk Aletrino is sitting in the third place on just under 40,000.
In the middle of the pack Team PokerStars Pro Victoria Coren, Maya Geller and Jan Combes have been fighting it out for many hours on the same table. The short stacks tomorrow are Coralien Auder-Renaud and Ingrida Klassen.

Play restarts at midday tomorrow and there will be a redraw for seats.

Chipcounts
Vanessa Selbst, Team PokerStars Pro, 90,200
Leo Margets 63,100
Anouk Aletrino 39,100
Maya Geller 38,500
Melanie Weisner 36,600
Celine Bastian 35,400
Jan Combes 33,000
Victoria Coren, Team PokerStars Pro, 32,600
Darya Hulyk 30,300
Nicole Kohlmow 27,600
Coralien Auder-Renaud 15,700
Ingrida Klassen 15,100

The atmosphere around the final table tonight has been electric as France willed their player over the finish line. Lucille Cailly of France put in the performance of her life and so narrowly missed out on taking down the EPT Grand Final title. She ended heads-up against Mohsin Charania and in a final hand where she found her Ace-King (without improvement) up against her opponent's pocket queens she had to settle for second place and €1,050,000.

The cheers around the tournament hall for a performance that will go down in poker history books was compounded by a standing ovation (some even on their chairs!) by the entire field of the ladies event.

Main event runner-up Lucille Cailly

Meanwhile the €1,000 NLH Women's tournament has returned from the dinner break. Play has been slow with 39 out of the 47 runners still standing but the resounding opinion of those playing and railing is that the standard in these tournaments just gets better and better. A fact than even the dealers were tweeting about.

Julie Monsacre of France is one of the early chip leaders alongside Lithuanian Ingrid Klanssen. Team Pokerstars Pro Vanessa Selbst was a late entry and is still in contention.

An assortment of chip counts...

Julie Monsacre (France) 35,000
Ingrid Klanssen (Lithuania) 25,000
Maya Geller Antonius (Finland) 22,000
Darya Hulyk 21,450
Jan Combes 19,925
Nicole Kohlmoos 16,800
Jennifer Shahade 13,500
Victoria Coren 12,950
Lynne Beaumont 12,900
Anouk Aletrino 10,900
Corina Lupascu (Romania) 10,075
Gracy Barberane (France) 8,475
Francesca Angliolillo (Italy) 7,925
Natalie Hof 7,075
Sandra Salomon 6,625

The prize-pool has also been announced and the breakdown is as follows:

1st €16,850
2nd €10,950
3rd €6,380
4th €4,560
5th 3,650
6th €3,200

Click here for live updates from The PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final

It may be raining outside but nothing is dampening the spirits of the female players inside the tournament area of the The PokerStars Monte-Carlo®Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final. The €1,000 Women's Event has just kicked off with 35 runners and over on the Main Event Final Table Lucille Cailly of France is putting in a sterling performance as she battles it out for the title with just three players remaining.

Among the field in the €1,000 Women's Event is Team Pokerstars Pro Victoria Coren, fresh from her win in the €5,000 NLH Heads Up Event and Friend of Pokerstars Charlotte Van Brabander.

Other pros include Isabelle Mercier and Leo Margets, who made a side event final table at EPT Madrid last month.

Also in attendance are double Ladies Champion (2007 & 2008) Lynne Beaumont and Irish Open Ladies Champion 2010 Claire Renault hoping to add another title to their collections.

The tournament room this week

Jan Coombes, winner of the EPT London Ladies event last October, is also here and hoping to repeat her success here in Monte Carlo - perhaps she will end up against Lynne Beaumont at the heads-up stage again!

One to watch is serial qualifier Xuan Xuan Liu who took her live earnings over $1 million earlier this year when she took home $600,000 for her fourth place finish in the PCA $10,000 NLH event.

The tournament is still accepting late registrations throughout the first two 50 minute levels but in the meantime all eyes are still on that Main Event Final Table hoping for a top place finish from Lucille Cailly.