| "Play Misty For Me"
The Women's (Limit) Hold'em Championship attracted a record 125 entries. Many of the players in this year's event traveled from all parts of the United States to the World Poker Open, specifically to play in this tournament. In-the-money finishers included players from Missouri, California, Nevada, Mississippi, Texas, Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois. But the winner was a West Virginian card master named Misty Morrison. She won $9,698 and received the World Poker Open's traditional gift -- a bouquet of flowers bestowed upon the champion of this annual event.
Play at the final table electrified the crowd. There were five all-ins before the first player was eliminated. Each time, the player shortest in chips managed to catch a favorable card, which prolonged the inevitable. That moment finally came when the lovely Carol Hines, from nearby Walls, Mississippi, went all-in with A-K. Isis Allen picked up A-A on the same hand, which meant Hines had some serious "ketch-ing-up" to do. Hines caught a king on the turn, giving her a glimmer of hope. But when the final board showed 5-4-4-K-8, Hines had "run out" in 10th place. Carol Hines, a poker dealer at the Horseshoe Casino and a classy lady, collected $291.
Unfortunately, Lele Baker's departure from the final table was a disappointment. When she was down to a single $500 chip earlier, she remarked, "Now, I got you all right where I want you!" However, 30 minutes into play the limits went up, and Lele Baker was raced-off in 9th place with $388.
Sherri Aiken might as well have turned into "Darth Vader," according to Laurie Skywalker. Aiken was dealt A-5 and called Skywalker's final bet of the night, which put her all-in with K-3. The board showed Q-Q-J-4-A, giving Aiken a pair of aces. Skywalker flew off the final table and crashed in 8th place with $485.
The aces continued to do damage when Jill Gesner picked up the pocket rockets a short time later, and eliminated Lo Tulga. Low, very low on chips, Tulga made her final stand with 9-10, then watched with sadness as her opponent's aces held up to win the pot. Lo and behold, Lo Tulga from Las Vegas was out in 7th place with $606.
A few hands later, Cindy Gogel went through an emotional roller-coaster of a final hand when she was dealt Q-J against Sherri Aiken's K-J. Gogel's hand was dominated pre-flop, but she managed to catch a very lucky string of cards from the deck, Q-9-9. Then, things got ugly. The turn was the dreaded king which gave Aiken a higher pair. Gogel failed to hit her one of her six outs on the river, which put the self-described "freelancer" from Kentucky out in 6th place with $849.
It was a case of "deja vu all over again" on the following hand. This time, Isis Allen went all-in with K-J against Jill Gesner's Q-J. Just as before, the Q-J was in a terrible spot and it looked as though Allen would double-up. But a wicked queen fell on the turn and dealt Allen a tough beat. Oklahoman Isis Allen went out as the 5th-place finisher and received $1,091.
Next, by far the worst beat of the final table took place. Elizabeth Martin (with J-J) made a pre-flop all-in raise and was called by Misty Morrison. The flop of A-J-8 appeared to be a dream come true for Martin. But that dream ultimately became a nightmare when the turn and river came with a 9 and 7 respectively. Morrison turned over 10-9 for a runner-runner straight. Texan Elizabeth Martin was out in 4th place with $1,455. Morrison was now the chip leader.
A few hands later, Jill Gesner was short-stacked and went all-in (with A-4) after the flop came Q-7-4. When an ace fell on the turn, it looked as if Gesner would recover some chips. But the ace was a third heart, and Sherri Aiken rolled over K-J of hearts for the flush. Jill Gesner, from Rockford, Illinois, was out in 3rd place with $2,425.
When heads-up play began, Sherri Aiken enjoyed a sizable chip advantage:
Aiken: $47K
Morrison: $13K
Aiken doubled up on the first hand and then proceeded to go on a roll. On the 16th hand of the duel, she took the chip lead momentarily, but then lost it back on the next hand, when Aiken made a full house. That would be Aiken's last gasp of life.
On the 23rd hand of heads-up play, chip-leader Morrison was dealt 9-8 against Aiken's A-5. The flop came 9-8-5, giving Aiken a pair of 5s against Morrison's two-pair. After a bet and a raise, all of Aiken's chips were in the pot. She desperately need an ace or a five to survive. Two blanks fell on the end, leaving Aiken with a second-place finish. Misty Morrison became the champion.
Sherri Aiken played exceptionally well, but was disappointed she did not win. She took the loss harder than most, most likely because she finished 4th in this same event last year. If progress is any indication (4th in 2002, and 2nd in 2003) Aiken should rightly be considered a favorite next year in this event.
Then again, next year Misty Morrison will return to Tunica as the defending champion. She was congratulated by a big, enthusiastic crowd and walked off with the coveted gold and diamond bracelet and the title of "Woman's World Poker Open Champion."
Walk my way
and a thousand violins begin to play,
Or it might be the sound of your hello,
That music I hear, I get misty the moment, you're near.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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