Tournament Details

One of the most popular and enduring traditions on the World Poker Tour is WPT Ladies' Night. An invitation-only affair, it has consistently proven to be the launching pad to poker fame and fortune for previous winners. Just ask Clonie Gowan and Isabelle Mercier, or last year’s winner, Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Tilly, who used her victory as a stepping stone to a second career as a poker pro, and went on to have a banner year with more than $200,000 in winnings. Back to defend that Queen’s crown in Season V, Jennifer had her hands full with five very treacherous ladies-in-waiting.

Here was the final table at the start of play; in Seat 1, one of the toughest women on the WPT, Joanne “J.J." Liu, a former computer engineer with nearly a million dollars in career tourney earnings. In Seat 2, Vanessa Rousso, the Duke University grad and current University of Miami law student who very nearly made the final table of last year’s WPT Championship, finishing in 7th place to the tune of $263,625. In Seat 3, sharp, battle-tested Anahit Galajian, a former financial analyst with Walt Disney Studios, the bubble finisher at last season’s L.A. Poker Classic, with a quarter million in career poker earnings. In Seat 4, the lovely and formidable Erica Schoenberg, a pro blackjack player, former model and volleyball player, and the 16th place finisher at last year’s WPT Championship. In Seat 5, defending champion Jennifer Tilly. In Seat 6, the sole amateur, Kelli Griggs, a mother of two from Folsom, California who’s no doe-eyed newcomer – she won her seat by winning the Bicycle Casino’s own Ladies Night event. Blinds and antes started at 10,000, 5,000, and 1,000.

Right off the bat, it was clear that these ladies weren’t waiting for an invitation, particularly the longest shot at the table, Kelli. She ran a steely-eyed stone bluff on Vanessa with jack-high, forcing her to muck her winning pocket 7’s, then got a scolding for showing it. But the die was cast early – Kelli Griggs was no pushover, and she showed it by holding the chip lead for much of the night. This clearly had a lot to do with the first pivotal hand of the final. The action folded around to Griggs, who woke up in the small blind with Ad-Kc. She popped it up to 30,000, with only Tilly to walk over in the big blind. But conscious of the newcomer’s bold early larceny, Tilly pushed back, re-raising to 80,000. Griggs smooth called, and disaster struck for Tilly when the flop came K-J-9 rainbow. After Griggs checked, Tilly dove right into the trap, pushing all-in for her remaining 224,000. Griggs couldn’t get her chips in fast enough, which prompted a sheepish “uh-oh!" from Tilly, who realized she was cooked. When the board continued to sprout roses for Griggs, coming Ac, Ah to give her a full house, Tilly hit the street, unceremoniously dumped out in 6th place.

As blinds and antes climbed to 16,000, 8,000, and 2,000, and now with a commanding 2-to-1 chip lead over her closest competitor, Kelli looked the juggernaut. Finding pocket A’s on the next hand, she appeared to be pre-destined for coronation. But a good exploratory bet by Rousso and a careful call by Galajian kept them from losing more to Kelli’s 100,000 re-raise, both players getting away from their hands. Finally Galajian stood up to Griggs, making a great call with 2nd pair to take down a quarter-million dollar pot. It was the first misstep of the night for the super-aggressive amateur, but she got right back on the horse. Which was unfortunate for Rousso.

Finding Ks-Tc on the button and an unopened pot, Griggs made it 40,000 to go. Rousso, in the big blind with Kc-6c, and perhaps still stinging from the early bluff, decided to see a discount flop. And she certainly got the discount end of it, flopping two pair when the flop came Th-Td-6d. Unfortunately the board pair also made Griggs’ set. Rousso quickly pushed all-in for her last 94,000 and was quickly called. Stunned to see Griggs flip over the monster, Rousso barely had time to weakly complain “that’s the worst flop ever" before her tournament ran out with 2s on the turn. A perfunctory Qs on the river made it official, and the rising poker star was congenial with hugs and smiles for all the players as she made her way to the rail with a 5th place finish. Kelli Griggs was once again the dominating chip leader.

Erica Schoenberg, on the short stack, made a good stab-and-pick as she scooped a pot with Q high. But when she went back to the well with the same move on the very next hand, she ran into trouble. Finding Ks-8s on the button, she popped it up to 42,000. Griggs, in the small blind, folded, but this time, J.J. Liu called from the big blind with decent holdings, Ac-6c. Continuing the leitmotif of the night, the flop again came an absolutely disastrous/delicious (depending on your player) K-T-4, all clubs. Liu, after checking to make sure she wasn’t dreaming that she’d just flopped the nut flush, trapped with a check. It didn’t really matter how she played it though, Schoenberg was going to get all her chips in with top pair. Indeed she did, which elicited an instant call from Liu, who almost looked sad that it was so easy. A 7h on the turn ended Erica’s hopes, and a meaningless 2s formally knocked out the knock-out in 4th place.

J.J. Liu was now chip leader. She immediately showed why she’s become one of the most feared players on tour by punishing her two remaining competitors with power poker, pushing Griggs and then Galajian out of successive pots. Anahit was now on fumes with just 148,000, with blinds and antes up to 24,000, 12,000, and 3,000. Making the decision to either scoop the blinds or make a stand on the button with Td-7h, she pushed in her last 145,000. Liu, however, called quickly and flipped over a dominating pocket pair, Kd-Kh. Galajian got no help from the flop, which came J-6-2 yardsale, and when the turn and river ran dry with 4c, Js, so had her dreams of victory. She went out in 3rd place, and the stage was set for a great heads-up battle between the dangerous, battle-tested professional, and the wild, unpredictable amateur.

Right away it became clear that this contest would pit two unflinching aggressors against each other. Liu came right out of the gate, taking the first pot by check-raising Griggs with bottom pair. Griggs instantly countered by pushing all-in pre-flop, then made a great play by snapping Liu off on a stone bluff. She’d quickly made it a bit more uncomfortable for Liu, with the part-timer now at 552,000 to her still powerful, but not so dominating 948,000.

On the next hand, Liu caught Ks-7d on the button, and popped it to 67,000. Griggs, with Qc-7d, called. One could faintly hear the leitmotif rising even before the flop came Jc-7s-6h, giving both players middle pair. Griggs, not tuned to the music, though, stepped right in it when she led out with 100,000. Like a cat cleaning her whiskers before she eats the mouse, Liu smooth-called. 8c on the turn elicited a check from Griggs, but now Liu’s claws came out, and she raised it up 200,000. Griggs barely hesitated, pushing all-in right back over the top for her remaining 382,000. Liu now took a long moment to put the hand together in her mind, watching Griggs for any information. Perhaps she heard Griggs whispering with desperate conviction “itismydestiny itismydestiny..." Whatever the reason, Liu finally called. Griggs seemed to think she had the best hand as she flipped up her 2nd best holding, but Liu was not surprised to see that it was she who was in dominating position. Griggs, realizing there was one and only one card she could win with, went back to the crowd for one final appeal, chanting: “do you believe in a queen?" Although many of them did, it was not the queen Griggs had in mind.

As the final card of the tournament, 5d, fell on the river, it was J.J. Liu who ascended to the throne, taking the Ladies' Night crown, and her first WPT title. Much must be said for Kelli Griggs, though. A tough cancer survivor, a mother of two, and a gutsy competitor, she nonetheless went off in 2nd place with grace, nodding philosophically into the camera to deliver one of our game’s most timeworn but absolutely truthful epithets: “that’s poker".