Kelly Scoops 1st as 2 TGF Ladies make final at Ladies Poker Tour

Kelly Jackson showed she is a chip off the old block by securing a local success in the sixth leg of the 2009 Betfred Ladies’ Poker Tour at Birmingham’s Broadway casino.

The Birmingham youngster, daughter of eminent professional poker player Paul Jackson, conquered a 100-strong field to qualify for the Grand Final of the series in London on November 21.

The biggest turnout for a leg of the tour since 2007 at the same venue meant the game lasted for over 14 hours and Kelly clinched the £3,290 first prize just a few minutes before a chip count would have been required.

She got heads-up with Harriet Wild and, with her stack greater than that of her opponent, played cautiously as the clock ticked down. But eventually Kelly went all in, was called by Harriet and her Ace-Jack won the day when two more aces appeared on the flop, Harriet having Jack-3.

“It was fantastic to win and I was shaking with excitement afterwards,” said Kelly, who now has the chance to claim a £20,000 poker sponsorship package for 2010 courtesy of Betfred in the Grand Final at London’s Western Club. “And as a student the prizemoney will come in very handy!”

Kelly joins Emily Curzon (Sidcup), Mel Lofthouse (Rotherham), Kim Jagger (Stoke-on-Trent), Helen Firth (Yorkshire) and fellow Birmingham player Michelle Bricknell in securing her seat for the Grand Final, in which six of the 10 places available have now been filled.

They will be joined by the winners of the two remaining monthly legs of the tour, plus the player who finishes top of the points standings for the most consistent non-winner and also the victor of an online satellite tournament.

The points leaderboard is extremely tight with Sue Adams - who has contested both previous Grand Finals in the tour’s history - still at the top, while the big mover from Birmingham was last year’s overall runner-up Chris Evans, who is up to fifth spot having finished fourth at the Broadway.

Final table finishing order and prizemoney for leg six of the 2009 Betfred Ladies’ Poker Tour at the Broadway Casino, Birmingham:

1 Kelly Jackson £3,290 + a place in the Grand Final
2 Harriet Wild £2,300
3 Jaki Lewis £1,725
4 Chris Evans £1,150
5 Wai Kwan Yuen £805
6 Dee Mavor £690
7 Catherine O’Brien £575
8 Cara Moore £345
9 Judith Edwards £259
10 Monica Martinsen £201

The seventh leg of the 2009 Betfred Ladies’ Poker Tour breaks new ground as the series heads overseas for the first time.

It takes place at Caesar’s Lounge, Calahonda on the Costa del Sol, Spain on Saturday, October 3 2009.

Text and photos courtesy of www.betfredlpt.com