Traci Triumphs!
California Teacher Stages Fabulous Heads-Up Comeback and Wins WSOP Circuit Ladies Championship at Lake Tahoe
Stateline, NV It's become a cliche to say 'never give up.' But Traci Dougherty is a true believer. The school teacher from Colfax, California pulled off a remarkable comeback late in the Ladies Championship at Lake Tahoe and won her first major poker tournament ever. It happened like this.
With all but two players eliminated over a long day of competition, Dougherty looked down at her paltry stack of chips and appeared destined for a runner-up finish. Her lone opponent, Fan Armstrong, had dominated play during the later rounds of the tournament and had accumulated an overwhelming number of chips. Armstrong had Dougherty down by nearly 9 to 1 in the chip count. Armstrong's victory seemed all but a foregone conclusion. But alas, someone forgot to tell Tracy Dougherty.
The Ladies Championship began with 106 players. After 95 players had been eliminated during the first part of the day, the nine finalists returned to the feature table later in the afternoon. Deborah Tang enjoyed the chip lead when play resumed, with Traci Dougherty and Carolyn Ford close behind. Indeed, aside from the dramatic heads-up confrontation which would take place later, the most interesting spectacle was the presence of Carolyn Ford. The Arizona-based poker pro now holds the distinction of being the only player in WSOP Circuit history to play at two final tables at the same time.
Ford decided to enter the Ladies Championship tournament that morning, although she was scheduled to appear at the final table of the $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold event later in the day. Ford went on a tear in the Ladies Championship over the first six hours of play and ended up making it to this final table, as well. With both tables going on at once, Ford was quite a sight to behold, bouncing back and forth. Unfortunately, she was doomed to a seventh-place finish in the open event, and could do no better than sixth place in this tournament. Players were eliminated in the following order:
9th Place Francis Hooten was the first player to bust out. She arrived low on chips and was unable to catch a hand. Taught by her grandmother how to play poker many years ago, Hooten received $411 in prize money.
8th Place Jeannette Radavice went out next. Desperately low at chips late in the tournament, Radavice ended up as the 8th-place finisher. The tax supervisor from Granite Bay, California collected $617.
7th Place Ashley Jarunpon, a.k.a. 'Bee' was close behind. The poker dealer was on the receiving end of a losing hand and went out in 7th place. Jarunpon earned $823.
6th Place Carolyn Ford probably should have finished higher in this event given her comfortable chip position at the start. But playing at two tables simultaneously, no doubt, cost her some potential opportunities. In fairness to Ford, just as she had the best hand when she went all-in at the other final table, Ford also took a bad beat in this finale. On her final hand of the night, Ford was dealt A-Q and moved all-in versus Brandi Farrell's A-7. Ford looked to double up. Then, a seven fell on the river (making Farrell a pair), which shattered Ford's chances of victory. The poker pro from Sedona, Arizona collected $1,028.
5th Place The final table was a disappointment to Deborah Tang. The early chip leader watched helplessly as her chips shifted across the table, mostly to Fan Armstrong and Traci Dougherty. Tang made a bold play on her final hand of the tournament. She was dealt K-Q of hearts and moved all-in on a flush draw after two hearts flopped. But that was as red as the board would get. Fan Armstrong had an ace then caught an ace, which dragged the big pot. Tang, a Sacramento-based C.P.A. added $1,234 of income to next year's tax return.
4th Place Brandi Farrell played very well, but ended up going out in fourth place. The mother of two young children from Valley Springs, California tried to steal the blinds holding the less than stellar 10-8. Her raise was called quickly by Kitrena Stocks, who held a pocket sevens. Farrell's aggressive play backfired and she ended up with $1,645 in prize money.
3rd Place Kitrena Stocks went from the terminator to the terminated when her K-5 lost to Fan Armstrong's 10-2. After knocking out Farrell, Stocks lost a few pots and realized she had to make a stand at some point. She moved all-in with the best hand. But as any poker player knows, that's no guarantee. Armstrong turned a ten, good for a pair, and Stocks tanked. The veterinary technician from Lodi, California finished in third place, which paid $2,056.
2nd Place The great comeback started with Traci Dougherty down nearly 9 to 1 in chips against Fan Armstrong. With several family members and friends circling the final table, the end seemed perilously near as Dougherty moved all-in several times, and was called by Armstrong at what turned out to be inopportune moments. Each time Dougherty wanted her opponent to call, she seemed to get the desired result. Conversely, when Dougherty put her opponent to the test with an all-in pre-flop raise, Armstrong more often than not mucked her cards. It took 25 action-packed minutes for Dougherty to seize the chip lead. Then, it took another ten minutes for her to complete the comeback with a victory.
On the final hand of the night, Dougherty had Armstrong down by a 4 to 1 count, but watched in horror as her A-Q was hammered by Armstrong's K-4 after a king flopped. Armstrong was all-in and it suddenly seemed that she was on the verge of staging her own comeback. The board showed K-6-2, giving Armstrong top pair. The turn brought a 10, giving Dougherty more outs with a straight draw. Then, the river delivered a beautiful jack to Dougherty, completing an ace-high straight.
Fan Armstrong was the runner up. Once could say that the Chinese-born poker dealer staged an impressive showing of her own. She had arrived at the final table seventh in chips. She was but one card away from winning. But in the end, the victory belonged to Dougherty. Armstrong received $3,496.
1st Place The 2006 WSOP Circuit Ladies Champion at Lake Tahoe is
Traci Dougherty, a 40-year-old school teacher who works in Auburn, California. She has previously won smaller daily tournaments held at her regular card club, called 'Deuces Wild.' This was her first major tournament victory and largest payday ever in poker. First place paid $6,662.
For more information, please contact:
Nolan Dalla -- WSOP Media Director
Or visit our official website: www.worldseriesofpoker.com
World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah's Entertainment Jack Effel
Harrah's Lake Tahoe Race and Sportsbook Manager Steve Schorr
Harvey's Lake Tahoe Poker Room Manager Vince Contaxis
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