New Jersey Woman Wins Ladies Poker Championship at Caesars Atlantic City

2007 Caesars Atlantic City
World Series of Poker
(WSOP) Circuit Event
Event #7
$200 Buy-in
Ladies No Limit Hold'em
Tournament Report

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2007 Caesars Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Event Report

First Time a Charm!
Patricia A. Smolko Wins the First
Poker Tournament She Ever Plays

New Jersey woman wins Ladies Poker Championship at
Caesars Atlantic City

Atlantic City, NJ (March 11, 2007) – One of the fastest-growing demographics
of poker is among women. A generation ago, women were a rare sight
inside poker rooms. Today, they comprise a significant part of the card
playing market. Women of all ages now play poker. As a result, several
ladies-only poker tournaments have blossomed around the country, with the
World Series of Poker leading the way by hosting championship-level events
for women at each and every Circuit series.

Caesars Atlantic City hosted this year’s ladies-only $200 buy-in no-limit hold’
em tournament (Event #7), which attracted 398 players. That’s almost
double the number which turned out for this same event last year and is one
of the largest in the three-year history of the World Series of Poker Circuit.
The top 36 finishers all received prize money. After 389 players were
eliminated, nine survivors took seats at the final table at 11 pm on a Sunday
night. The final nine were divided into the “haves” and “have nots,” Three
players held most of the chips – Patricia A. Smolko, Leah Slattery, and Debbie
Kindt. Appropriately, those same three players went deepest into the
money. Seating positions and chip counts began as follows:

Seat 1:        Aena Kana
Seat 2:        Debbie Kindt
Seat 3:        Barbara Capron
Seat 4:        Dawn-Marie Schatz
Seat 5:        Leah Slattery
Seat 6:        Jean Tharpe
Seat 7:        Malika Benson
Seat 8:        Lisa Kramer
Seat 9:        Patricia A. Smolko

Blinds began at 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante. Credit Jean Tharpe for
making it to the final table. But she did not last long with barely enough
chips to post a blind. The government worker from Chester, MD went out on
a bad beat when her Q-J was busted by Aena Kana’s J-7. Both players
caught a pair of jacks, but a 7 on the river (making her opponent two pair)
resulted in the first elimination. Ms. Tharpe, who has previously finished high
in some of the tournaments she has played, took ninth place -- good for
$1,592.

Malika Benson went out next when she took K-J up against Barbara Capron’s
A-10. Ms. Benson flopped a straight draw with two overcards, but she
missed everything on the turn and river. The legal marketing professional
from Richmond, VA then took the microphone from Tournament Announcer
John Arthur and belted out a few bars of a song, which brought cheers from
the audience and her fellow competitors. It was quite a finish to the day for
Ms. Benson, who earned a payout of $2,388.

Next, Lisa Kramer went out when her A-J took a bad beat. She was low on
chips and moved all-in. Aena Kana decided to call from the blind with the less
than stellar, 7-4. Bingo! A seven on the turn sealed Ms. Kramer’s fate with
the only pair. Lisa Kramer, a psycho-therapist from Levittown, PA, received
$3,184 for seventh place. She had previously won a poker tournament at
the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.

Down to six, Aena Kana went out next when her A-5 ran into pocket kings.
She moved all-in with position, but was saddened by the sight of Dawn-Marie
Schatz with the royal pair. An ace failed to come and rescue Ms. Kana from
her predicament, and sixth place was settled. Aena Kana, the winner of a
ladies event at the Borgata in Atlantic City two years ago, took home $3,980
in prize money.

Barbara Capron hoped to improve on her best-ever showing in a poker
tournament. Lat year, she took fifth place at a tournament held at the Trump
Taj Mahal. In this event, she matched that finish with another fifth-place
showing. Remarkably, Ms. Capron has been playing poker only 18 months.
She is a former mechanic in the military and now works as an aviation safety
inspector. Barbara Capron flew away with $4,776 in prize money.

Four players remained. The foursome battled for a half-hour before Dawn-
Marie Schatz went out next. On her final hand, Ms. Schatz had A-J to Patricia
A. Smolko’s 4-4. Ms. Schatz had a flush draw, but missed it all resulting in her
elimination. Dawn-Marie Schatz, a homemaker from Long Island, collected
$5,572 for fourth place.

Debbie Kindt was low on chips. She had to move all-in with the blinds fast
approaching and did so with J-10, on what became her final hand. Ms. Kindt
picked up a straight draw, but missed. Ms. Smolko (again) was the
beneficiary of a bust-out (she flopped a pair of kings), leaving Ms. Kindt to
settle for third place. The transportation manager from Pennsylvania
collected $6,368 in prize money. Previously, she finished in 14th place in the
ladies event held at Harrah’s Atlantic City (December 2006).

When heads-up play began, Patricia A. Smolko enjoyed a 3 to 1 chip lead
over Leah Slattery. After some back and forth play, the final hand of the
night was dealt when Ms. Slattery started with 7-5 against Ms. Smolko’s 10-
3. The flop came 10-7-4. Ms. Slattery moved all-in with second pair, and Ms.
Smolko called (with top pair). An 8 on the turn gave Ms. Slattery a few extra
outs, but a blank on the river ended the tournament and gave Ms. Smolko
the victory.

The runner up was Leah Slattery. She is a housewife and instructor from
Exeter, PA. Remarkably, Ms, Slattery has now played in eight tournaments
and made it to four final tables. This was her biggest cash ever at $12,736
for second place.

The newest poker champion is perhaps the most unlikely of winners. Prior to
playing in this event, she had never entered a poker tournament before.
Patricia A. Smolko played poker with her grandfather while growing up. Only
four months ago, she began playing hold’em in casinos. Her decision to enter
her first poker tournament at the World Series of Poker Circuit turned out to
be worth $24,676. She also received a gold pendant, presented to the
ladies poker champion.

Was it as case of beginner’s luck? Unlikely. Ms. Smolko started and ended
the final table as the chip leader. The first time was certainly a charm for
Patricia A. Smolko.

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director

To view a complete listing of results for Event #7 of the 2007 Caesars
Atlantic City WSOP Circuit, click on the link below:

2007 Caesars Atlantic City WSOP Circuit - Event #7 Results

Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Atlantic City

Vice President of Table Games – Fred Niceta
Director of Table Games – Paul A. Natello
Table Games Manager (Poker) – Thomas McDonough III
Poker Pit Manager – Jake Devries
John Arthur – Harrah’s Atlantic City Poker Manager

61,000
237,000
71,000
139,000
239,000
6,000
91,000
83,000
299,000

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