United States Ladies Poker Championship

Cherokee Casino crowns Oklahoma Ladies State Poker Champion!

The Cherokee Casino in Tulsa , Oklahoma was the location for the Oklahoma Ladies State Championship. One Hundred Thirty-Six women from Oklahoma and surrounding states played for the title as State Champion. This was the first event hosted by a division of the LIPS Tour known as the U.S. Ladies State Poker Championship (USLPC).

Dottie McDonald of Austin, Texas emerged victorious and captured the coveted title. Dottie, who started playing poker in a woman’s poker league just two months prior to the event, had never played a major tournament before. When asked to comment regarding her overall experience she stated, “I admire anyone, man or women, who can do this for a living. It takes an extreme amount of concentration, stamina and energy to play a major event”. Dottie played the final table like a professional. She made a few unbelievable calls that secured her chip lead going into heads-up play. When asked about why she made the calls she replied, “I believe women have an advantage over men, we have the power of instinct. In several situations, I just let my instinct guide me and it was right on!”

Runner-up Courtney Farrell, a 24-year-old poker dealer from Norman , Oklahoma , gave Dottie a run for her money. Courtney started playing poker six years ago while attending college and earning her degree in Public Relations. She played with sheer aggression through out the event, making the right moves at the right time. When asked whom she admired in the poker industry, Courtney replied, “I admire Linda Johnson for being a pioneer of women in poker. She has done so much for the poker industry in general.”

The USLPC will seek out venues in each of the fifty states to host Ladies State Poker Championships. The goal is to make each state championship a full-blown event, complete with luncheons, parties, gifts and camaraderie as well as serious competition. The winner of each State Championship will win a seat into the U.S. Ladies State Poker Championship which is set to be the most prestigious event for women in the world. It will consist solely of the each state champion and one “wild card” champion. The winner of this event will be crowned the “ U.S. Ladies State Poker Champion”.

Prior to the start of the tourney, Cherokee Casino hosted a brunch and fashion show. Two-time WSOP Bracelet winner Susie Issacs attended along with Kathy Liebert for a “Meet and Greet.” After the luncheon, the women had a little free time to shop the wares of the participating vendors, and then it was time to shuffle up and deal! The excitement was electric! Scotty Nguyen stopped by on a few occasions to say hello and to wish the women luck. USLPC provided complimentary T-Shirts and Lips pins to each of the participants. Celebrity Tournament Director Robert Thompson of Celebrity Poker directed the event.

The results are as follows:

Oklahoma Ladies State Poker Championship

Cherokee Casino, Tulsa OK

February 11^th, 2006

$260+$40 Buy-in

136 Players

Prize Pool = 35,360

1^st - $12,521 – Dottie McDonald, Austin , TX

(Plus Seat into U.S. Ladies State Poker Championship & LIPS Grand Championship)

2^nd - $5,842 - Courtney Farrell, Norman , OK

3^rd – $3,780 - Cheryl Baugus, San Springs, OK

4^th – $3,093 - Beth Laird, Frisco , TX

5^th – $2,578 - Mary Blumer, TX

6^th - $2,234 - Marleena Rubinsak , OK

7^th - $1,890 – Terri Hill, OK

8^th - $1,547 – Rita Estes, Tulsa , OK

9^th - $1,375 – LeAnn Lay, OK

10^th - $500 – Rikki Wisdom , OK