WSOP 2015 Main Event: Kelly Minkin Last Woman Standing
July 13, 2015 4:39 pmWith women accounting for such a small percentage of tournament fields a lot of attention naturally turns towards how the ladies perform in the various events, and over the years a particular unofficial honor has arisen for the WSOP Main Event, namely the ‘Last Woman Standing’ title. Past winners have gained a celebrity status simply by having outlasted their female competitors, including Maria Ho in 2007 finishing in 38th place ($237,865) before in 2014 doing it again by finishing in 77th place ($85,812). Other past holders of the title include Tiffany Michelle in 2008 finishing in 17th place ($334,534), Leo Margets in 2009 finishing in 27th ($352,832), and Jackie Glazier in 2013 finishing in 31st ($229,281).
In fact, just Barbara Enright in 1995 managed to progress all the way through to the final table where she was eventually eliminated in 5th place for a $114,180 payout, while four women have finished just one place short of the final table in 10th place, including Annie Duke (2000) for $52,160, and Gaelle Baumann (2012) for $590,442.
At the 2015 WSOP Main Event, Sweden’s Diana Svensk managed to navigate her way through the huge starting field of 6,420 players, but was eventually dispatched to the rail in 83rd for a $68,624 payday. However, with just 69 players remaining in the showcase competition the ladies still have one last remaining hope left in the guise of Kelly Minkin, a malpractice defense attorney from Arizona. Even reaching thus far has ensured the 28-year-old a $96,445 return on her initial $10,000 investment, but she still has a way to go if she wants to beat her highest scores to date after finishing the 2015 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open in 3rd for $262,912. Commenting on her Main Event success so far, Kelly Minkin explained:
“It definitely makes me uncomfortable because, in general, I like to stay out of the spotlight. It’s just a part of my personality, so to get a lot of attention, I don’t know how to respond to that yet.. my first Main Event that I came out here for was two summers ago, and I remember playing in the sit-and-go and hearing about [bracelet winner] Loni Harwood being at the final table. It really inspired me to want to make something of my poker game.”
Kelly Minkin currently sits on a 2.145m stack in 37th spot with just 69 players remaining. She will also have her fair share of supporters when the tournament resumes later on today, all hoping that this year will be the first time in twenty years that we will have a lady reach the WSOP Main Event final table.