Whether or not you are for or against 'Women Only' comps, (and we'll save that debate for another day), there was no denying the quality of some of the field for the European Ladies Championship sponsored by Ladbrokes. 
With a first prize of £15,000 and free entry into the Ladbrokes Poker Million, this was a prize not to be sniffed at and attracted such stars as Liz Lieu, Lucy Rokach and blondepoker's own, Jen Mason (both pictured). The structure however did not look so forgiving, for your £1,000 entry, you got just 5,000 chips and the first two levels a mere 30 minutes long before lengthening to 45 minutes. How this will affect the TV coverage though, remains to be seen.
With just 48 entries, a final table of 8 was quickly reached, with Lorna McDermid and Jackie Meecham leading the way, but Jen also going well in third place. Short stacks Veronika Larsen and Janine Regan would go out quickly before Beverly Pace (wife of comedian Norman) went out in 6th when her Ace Queen ran into Meecham's Aces. Tina Louciades would finish in 5th when her K-T failed to improve against A-T
whilst Jen fell in 4th losing two races with Nines against Angelina Nilsson's King Jack and then Ace Queen against the Jacks of Lorna McDermid. Still, she managed to win £5,000 of which, it is hoped, the majority will be spent on her hard-working updating colleagues.
Back in the tournament, and despite the comp reaching crapshoot proportions, McDermid still managed a vomit-inducing exit when she flopped set against set. Unluckily, her set of deuces were no match for Nilsson's set of Aces and McDermid duly departed in 3rd place, leaving the Scandinavian with a 3:1 chip lead against Jackie Meecham. The latter managed to battle back though and turn the tide, Jackie's K-2 triumphing over Angelina's 2-2 when the flop spiked a King. Congratulations to Meecham, who takes the title and the entry into the Ladbrokes Poker Million later in the year.
With a first prize of £15,000 and free entry into the Ladbrokes Poker Million, this was a prize not to be sniffed at and attracted such stars as Liz Lieu, Lucy Rokach and blondepoker's own, Jen Mason (both pictured). The structure however did not look so forgiving, for your £1,000 entry, you got just 5,000 chips and the first two levels a mere 30 minutes long before lengthening to 45 minutes. How this will affect the TV coverage though, remains to be seen.With just 48 entries, a final table of 8 was quickly reached, with Lorna McDermid and Jackie Meecham leading the way, but Jen also going well in third place. Short stacks Veronika Larsen and Janine Regan would go out quickly before Beverly Pace (wife of comedian Norman) went out in 6th when her Ace Queen ran into Meecham's Aces. Tina Louciades would finish in 5th when her K-T failed to improve against A-T
whilst Jen fell in 4th losing two races with Nines against Angelina Nilsson's King Jack and then Ace Queen against the Jacks of Lorna McDermid. Still, she managed to win £5,000 of which, it is hoped, the majority will be spent on her hard-working updating colleagues.Back in the tournament, and despite the comp reaching crapshoot proportions, McDermid still managed a vomit-inducing exit when she flopped set against set. Unluckily, her set of deuces were no match for Nilsson's set of Aces and McDermid duly departed in 3rd place, leaving the Scandinavian with a 3:1 chip lead against Jackie Meecham. The latter managed to battle back though and turn the tide, Jackie's K-2 triumphing over Angelina's 2-2 when the flop spiked a King. Congratulations to Meecham, who takes the title and the entry into the Ladbrokes Poker Million later in the year.