blonde poker forum

Giving the abundance of threads that have cropped up lately about the merits, or lack thereof, of ladies only tournies, I was wondering which female players people thought were the UK's best. Break the list down into sponsored and non-sponsored. Here's my first attempt:

Sponsored
---
Victoria Coren (is Vicky still sponsored?), Lucy Rokach, Xuyen 'Bad Girl' Pham


Non-sponsored
---
Jen Mason (on fire!), Maria Demetriou, Christine Ward, Pippa Flanders, Beverley Pace, Mel Lofthouse, Lynne Beaumont


apologies to any I've not mentioned!

Flushy must be up there ??

bad girl is no longer a sponsored player due to family commitments
is lucy sponsored ?

lusy is one of the best players in the UK male or female

Aye, she's sponsored by... err... me (well, my company anyway) lol :)

I agree she is one of the best players in the UK, and only a matter of time before she takes down another big one or two!

Katherine Hartnett has had some good results.

wow and i thought you was a mug

atleast you made one great move is signing up lucy

she took me out of a few comps in the vic on her way to winning 3 £50k first prizes
i played 3 comps in the vic that year and she won them all

i still cant believe her sb laydown to my bb reraise in which she showed an ace as she folded

Sponsered ...
Id say Vicky Coren or lucy Rokash .

Non sponsered ..
I'm compelled to say the wife.. When she's good she's on fire ... when the doubt sets in she can be tempremental... need to get her through the doubt stage!

Who is your wife? Is she a known player on any of the circuits?

From watching the premier league and other events Vicky seems kinda timid...

jenn by a mile- how she aint been picked up by a company I will never know.

 ;iagree;

Surely a sponsors dream.

Pippa Flanders??  :D

 ;iagree;

Not that I know that many female players but Jen has definatly been the scariest player I have come across so far.

Another player who I think has the potential to be great is our very own Claire, I dread seeing her on my table :-)

great player...certainly the best women to knock me out of a tourney... ;)

Apart from my sister when we were playing for chocolate buttons..

lol - cheque's in the post Suz!

results of all please then we can judge. tx..x

That Maureen lass can play a mean game!!

my vote goes to Maureen, but only if she sends me a pic of her and Stacey :)

While we are at it ..Top male UK player too and reasons for voting ..x

We can't really judge or say "best", but we can have a view on who we think really cuts it, in the mixed poker ranks. I can only comment on those I've played against frequently, in decent Tourneys, (assuming I remember them....), so here goes.

Sponsored - Lucy, her record says it all. The perfect opponent for a rock like me, but super-scary. An animal.

Non-Sponsored at present.....;)

Jen - she's so tough to read, & out-thinks everyone. Don't be bluffing her!

Bev Pace. VERY aggressive, very Lucy-like in style.

Pippa - another who's so tough to read. Sits there giving it the little girl lost thing, but she's as tough as nails & makes a lot of moves.

Naomi (sp?) Peters - VERY good. Another who can dance with the best.

Maria - I'm biased, we are good mates, but she has a helluva game, & is very ballsy, able to make huge calls.

Claire - unplayable in small Tourneys, I've never played her in a big comp. She'd probably be very good at the higher level judging by her style, she does not need cards to play.

Heidi King - runner up in the Betfred jobbie, & has game to spare.

Maureen (The Nun) look at her results, says it all. A beast.

Tracey Dell - ditto, & seriously mean at the table.

The thing with ALL of those I've listed is that they don't need big hands to play pots.

I'm gonna hide now, because I'm sure I've forgotten a few & I'm gonna be in deeeeeep poo.......




 

thing is it,s results driven obviously, and that said it can only be Lucy live and Annette_15 online, nobody else has ever done anything.
Vicky Coren won a biggy so ok she can be 2nd best live but erm thassit?

Vicky isn't sponsored.

Nobody else done anything?

Pippa won $200,000 in one comp alone.

Jen Mason won the £250 UK Open at Luton, the Green Joker Biggie for $41,000, 5th in the $1,000 Bellagio Cup for nearly $6k, 4th in the "Bicycle" Californian State Championships for $10k, and better than all of those, beat a stunningly tough field over 9 months & 40 Tourneys to win the Blue Square Unusual Suspects jobbie.  (Field included Simon Nowab, Stu Nash, Ian Bradley, Mickey Wernick, Chopper Flush, Burnley John, etc). I think she's only played a handful of big Events too, so even more impressive.

Tracey Dell netted over $50k in two Tourneys alone at Luton & Brighton last year.

Lucy, of course, is the Queen, much respect to her, but if she & Jen went to war, I'd fancy Jen would prevail.

We gotta remember, these Ladies only play a few Tourneys, & that's relevant in assessing their results..

I rate maureens game very highly as well and Lucy has been there and done it all for a few years but I have worked out how to play her now.
Maria I think will be a fantastic player and although a far better player than me already I think she needs to just work on a couple of minor weaknesses.
Pippa does OK but we used to play in the same £5 rebuy comps when we first started so I can't have her as the best.
I havent had the pleasure of playing with dingdell yet so can't give an oppinion.
Vicky although lovely has had her 15 minutes and I would probably put a few others before her.
Jenn would nick it for me definately and she is the only one I wouldnt want sat on my left in a comp.


If all of them were to play a series of stts to take away the luck factor I am 100% certain Jen would win (as she proved in the usual suspects comp on blue square).

Guilty as charged, but one can't blame her.

Matt, cut to the chase, you want Jen in the poker.co.uk team right?

And by the way those lads from Liverpool are still looking for you. :)

 ;nemesis; ;whistle;

i have played with all of the above and although all very good players in their own right, i would back jen to come out on top over 12 months if they all played the same event, tore me to pices heads up in dublin and her game is usually second to none

Agreed - Jen has a fantastic game and is definitely a talked about and feared player. I would love to play against Beverley Pace - only from what I've seen on tv but her game is tough.

You would NOT like to play against Bev, Trace, believe me, she's a Raising Machine! Nice Lady - until you meet her on a poker table..........;)

can blonde sponsor an stt with said players in. best of 10 should sort it. "THE BATTLE OF THE LASSES"

Is she like a female Ali Mallu?

nope, i saw her in grosvenor last week

 ;whistle;

My local gala teesside has got a couple of quality female players and id put them right up there, christine ward who finished 4th in the newc gukpt and lorraine hulse who chopped the 300 quid at newc on the wednesday. I think they only problem is they dont travel a lot, but both of them are fearless and will not be bullied. Apart from those 2 i rate Lucy Rokach very highly, shes a class act.

It's very difficult to decipher with any kind of conviction who is the best female player, especially when so few of us have ever actually played with them. For me, whilst Jen is my pick from the current crop and one to watch in the upcoming months, results over a number of years speak volumes, so I'd have to say Lucy Rokach if pressed. She has succeeded in both cash games and tournaments and is one of a small number of veteran players to fully adapt to the modern game. Also, she was winning tournaments when poker was even more male dominated than it is now, yet she held the strength of mind to mix it with whoever crossed her path, whatever her gender.

Another name to throw into the melting pot is Michelle Shiels. She plays in Brodway Birmingham, and although I've only bumped into her a couple of times, she seems to hold her own and remains a constant presence on the results sheets that come in from the Midlands area.

Unfortunately, the truth is that, unless they are in hiding, there are very few high quality female players in English poker, but whilst this is perhaps a sad state of affairs for those seeking to make poker more popular within the female community, it is a bonus for the successful female players that do exist as they will stick out like a sore thumb and have a greater chance of being sponsored, being invited to events, and so on.

I meant over a sustained period of time

Ahh, my apologies, & on that basis, only Lucy & Jen "qualify", so to speak. That's not to say the others won't come good over a period of many years though.

Jen's "played to cashes" ratio is actually quite astonishing, on a par or better than anyone I know - male or female. In the 2006 Deauville EPT, she was in OK shape on the Bubble, with a very tidy cash in prospect if she just passed a few hands. But John Hewston moved in (could be, literally, anything), & Jen unhesitatingly made the call for her stack with AK, & lost the race to JJ. She plays to win. In the 2006 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo (her Unusual Suspects prize) she ran them all ragged, stealing & re-stealing at will. But that was to prove her undoing deep in the Tourney, as Scandie Matey Boy decided to cross swords with her, refusing to believe she had anything, & took her on with 7-5, flopping two pairs, & busting Jen's AA.

Talking of the Unusual Suspect thing, what a great, great, idea that was. Another gem from Jon Raab, who has done so much for UK Poker via added-money.

Eeeerm $74k actually  ::)  ;cupcake;  Just wish I had consistency...my luck and Jens concistency we would be unbeateable!!

I just wish I had your 74k

Lucy is great, but she runs either really hot or really cold.

She definitly likes to be table captain too!

I'm currently sponsored by tgfpoker for all the ladies tour, came 3rd in 1st event and took a beat
my results are on hendon mob database,i've cashed in EPT Deauville, although it doesn't really show the finishes i've had in the local games in casino, aswell as trying to be a single mum and play poker, and tournament direct and keeping my chin up when numerous "big tv players" are slagging me off is quite hard work

Keep going with all the hard work Mel, it will all be worth it in the end.

I don't see why any female player would feel the need to complain at the moment. They get invited to tournaments, play value added women only comps against naive and less experienced players, find sponsorship easier and are still treated as rocks at the table based on their gender. Sounds great to me.

Do i hear a sex change?

I think the beard might give me away.

that's what lazer treatment is for!

To be honest, Kathy Liebert gets away with her beard, so I should be okay.

if you wear your pink shoes to balance it out, I'm sure you'd get away with it.

To be fair Mel I've never heard your name mentioned - I'm surprised anyone should be slagging you off - I thought you had a good solid game.

Aye, me too. What "big tv players" are these? Go on, give us a clue ;)

Una Stubbs?  Lionel Blair?

Arf, arf! :)

Aah thanks Tracey :) much appreaciated.  Well its just a shame people have nothing better to do really but hey life goes on

Have to say though that the Ladies poker league is better than the last years jobby some really nice people i've met so far and really prefer mixed poker .  Agree with most that the game shouldn't really be split Ladies v rest but if it gets more people in the game who wouldn't normally attend casinos them i'm all for it

Keep adding to the prizepools :)

what difference does it make who the best female player is any more than who the best northern player, 20-something player, one-legged player or anything else, that's the beauty of poker, we all play on the same field. Everyone should be treated the same. Having said that, which two would you most like to see topless mud wrestle for a title?  ;hide;

Tikay and .........me  ;D

Surely this is similar to the tennis rankings where Venus Williams would not even beat the mens player ranked a 1000 Aspade

I have no problem with women playing poker and seeing as all I do is play poker its probably the only way I get to meet women but until they prove they are equal to men at the tables then it is fair to say that when it comes to poker they are the weaker sex.

Have you not noticed that just about all the high profile women players are attractive?  Do you think it is just coincidence or that the sponsors are the most sexist of all cos they are not really looking for talented women players and are only looking for women who can play and are good looking? Ahrt

As for the best female player it is undoubtably Annie Duke for me who I believe is the only woman who is anywhere near the level of the top male players.

Jennifer Harman is going to kick your arse when she next sees you.

Is that before or after she makes me my tea? ;)

Is kathy, who ive met and she slagged me off coz im a bloke, SEXIST COW!, the most succesful money wise.

I know this is a UK thing but its so much harder to name the top british female player.

My wife must be one of the worst poker players ever!!! I always talk to her about poker, and this just confirms she never listens....

I was leading the way in a $20 mtt when I had the most uncomfortable feeling and had to rush the bog.. I left her with the advice of any pair 10's or higher just go all in, and fold everything else till i get back...

20 mins later I come back and I am out, I asked her what happened, what did we go out with, which pair? She said she got bored and seen others winning with KQ so she went all in with KQ,,, OUT!!!..... I just hope she never see's Gus Hansen play poker.....

What part of pairs does she not understand.... I have told her many times about the gap concept, sandwich factor, but i am now convinced she thinks that is related to shopping and food.....

Have you considered taking a laxative ?

I had a good few results out of the times I managed to play the fessies last year, and this year have finaled in 3 out 4 fessie events, I can not play all the ones I want to play but I would love to have played more of them this year. 


Jen's results are great and consistant very good player.

The fact that get any time to play at all and when you do you do well and dont tilt is amazing to me. Read a book where it said dont bring your troubles at home to the table - your results are astounding with everything you have going on x

So people that dont have kids arent as good ?

20 minutes?!  :o

Must have been a big poo.

Bring it on. I'm ready & waiting.

stop trying to look for arguments

hi all

just read the thread (been offline for a couple of days)

nice of some of you to mention bev, i know she's flattered, but i have to tell you that having shared a table at the laddies ladies event with jen mason, bev came home and said she knew she had to change her game. in order to be able to go to the next level, she had to learn from jen.

bev usually knows where she is in a hand.... not against jen.

I may have missed it but i didn't see Christine Ward mentioned in the thread. Christine came 5th in the Newcastle GUKPT last weekend. I have never seen her before so she may be well known but not by me. I played with her in a single table shootout the night before the main event and in my opinion she was a class act. Great table presence, focused, fearless and aggressive at the right time. I think she could well have won the main event if she had run a little better. Never played with Jen but her results speak for themselves and of course I have always admired Lucy's game.

What about a blonde battle of the sexes tournament to put all these theories to the test?

The Thistle

It makes a difference if you're thinking of putting someone (maybe 2 or 3) into a ladies-only tournament (oops, cat out the bag lol ;))

I think that would be a good laugh :)

I'd be up for that, but only If I can play Mango HU :D

Lol, I accept the challenge :)

woo - bring it on!

luckily for me i cannot remember playing on a table with jen.

of all the female players i have had the pleasure of playing with i put chilli right up the top

Play it on my site, so I can see your hole cards before deciding whether to bet or not ;)

missed this post before.  If this is the tournament I think it is, then, IMO, Jen would be the perfect choice.

not confident of winning otherwise.......?

Talking about cats out of bags - can someone tell me what Chillis weaknesses are..........!  ::)

I eat too much chocolate even tho i am alergic to it & I drive too fast and cant stick to speed limits on motorways  :dontask:

Did you forget to mention your other weakness - me?

Beagles

lol,in other peoples cars.......

Christ, the ol fella got in before me. I need to pick up my pace.

Oh yeah, and people who bleach their hair over 50 yrs old and white beagles x

not seen to many weaknesses in you maria! not in your poker playing either  ;)

White? I'm more orange now than Carlo Citrone and the Tango Man's love child after all that sun I got in Vegas. Well, sort of.

Doh!  And also good at keeping secrets?! ;frustrated;

Tracey, what you think this place is?  An open poker forum??  ;nana;

OK - will you whisper it?!   ::)

The mirror amplifys my ass 5 fold.....

Okay, that's all sorted now :) Thanks everyone for the suggestions, and in light of them, I have made the following decision (I hope Chili and Jen won't mind me mentioning here).

Representing Team Poker.co.uk in the PartyPoker Ladies World Open, and taking on the likes of Liz Lui, Jennifer Tilly, Xuyen 'Bad Girl' Pham, Vicky Coren, Pippa Flanders, Beverley Pace, Mrs Vaswani, and probably Leilani (or Jordan) will be.....

Lucy Rokach, Jen, and Chili :) Get in! :)

Details are a little bit sketcy at the mo - I'll post more when I know more. Here's the basics to be getting on with:

$3,000 buy-in, 6 heats of 6 players. Total prize pool ($108,000 - though surely PartyPoker are going to round this up to $200,000?). The winner of each heat goes to the final. There is no semi-final play off. All the final table get paid.

I think it's pretty much a crapshoot, made for TV blind structure, but I fancy all 3 I've picked to make the final :) Plus, there's 3 hours of my hugely oversized logo on the telly (it's been reduced in size and redesigned a bit for this event though :) ).

The filming is from 7th > 9th August (depending on which heat you get picked in), with the final on 10th August. There's probably some kind of results embargo, so I don't know if I'll be allowed to post the results (guess I can always use code though lol).

I'm going to go along and watch the filming and cheer the players home. If anyone else fancies coming, let me know, and I'll see if I can get some invites.

HOW MUCH Prize Pool?

is this the event that maria and rhow did so well in last year?

I just did $3,000 x 36 players = $108,000. Isn't that right?

Iron - Its not exactly the same event but it is the same production team.  This one is sponsored by Party Poker and will be screened on Channel 5.

Cheers Matt

Wow - congratulations!  Whose doing the updates???!

Lol, I guess I could take a lappy with me and do them from the green room. Though if the results are posted on blonde it may adversely effect the viewing figures?...

The Green Room there isn't too shabby. The last game I saw there showed hole cards and everything. Very enlightening :)

I light of recent announcments, can I retract my statement about my amplified backside??  Glad I shall be sat on it for the camera's.   rotflmfao

hey stuck in a room surrounded by 36 female poker players i feel sorry for you, not

Very good, Congrat's Chilli, Jen and Lucy..x

excellent choices!  Good luck all of you!

Let's be realistic here - there's more chance of hell freezing over than the Party Poker and Matchroom combo adding any money to the prize pool.

well done jen and chilli!!!!!!!!!!  nice one matt, good choices

Exactly what i was thinking, partypoker is poor!

well done to those chosen.. and I believe it must have been a tough decision.

Personally I would have preferred to see 5 - 10 x 10 seat tourneys (same ten players... in each game) and run it as a league. 10 games would probably have been enough to remove the luck / beat element and allow skill and guile to be introduced.

Commiserations to those who never made it ....... maybe next year...

Good luck to those competing

Skrikera will be at the top of many peoples list very soon...

Trust me she is....  :-* :-* ;D :-* :-*

Ooh yes, I quite forgot 'Ling! She will be right up there with the best, I'm quite sure. 7 cashes fom 11 Live Tourneys, is it?

Behave Dad.

how do I apply for the job of fitting the heart rate monitors? ;kev;

rotflmfao

I've just read this post and can't believe that Katherine Hartree only got one mention ( and that was with the surname given incorrectly ).

Katherine has a very solid game and was the top UK female finisher in last year's WSOP main event and also went deep in this year's Aussie Millions main event.

For me, having sat with her and watched both her demeanour and play, I would have to rate her the best UK woman player that I currently know of.

Shame on you Matt for not even giving her a mention...you were probably drunk again when you made your original assesment mate...hehe. Still giddy I expect from the rollercoaster in Vegas !

Ian.

Aha, there was a very good reason I didn't mention Katherine on my first post. Having played against her a couple of times myself, I would definitely rate her as one of the best. However, the reasoning behind my post was to find 2 or 3 players who weren't already playing in the Ladies World Open, and I already had info that Katherine was playing.

Though, I should have mentioned her on the post where I mention who is playing in the game. Can't believe I forgot to! Arghghghgh!

haha yea they are rubbish for us girlies with larger chests, mine ended up at my neck lol  got my heart rate about right though ;)

Lol :)

I don't think this event has heart-rate monitors though. I thought only Ladbrokes Poker Million was the only Matchroom show that did this?

ladies, at least 2 of you are going to have to cash just to pay for Matt's bar bill.

i still cant bellieve flushy only got 1 mention on this thread !!! scandalous.

Well Kev,

although Flushy undoubtedly qualifies under the '' female player '' category.....it's the '' best '' part that has seemed to rule said player out of people's considerations for this thread....hehe.

The upside is that at least he has now had 2 further mentions on this thread from both me and your good self !

Ian.

Best of luck Jen!  I hope you get healthy early and crush the field wire to wire... I'll be following closely.