The 2024 Ladies Poker Week kicked off at 11am at the MGM Grand poker room in Las Vegas to much excitement and fanfare. The “Ladies train” will be making over half a dozen additional stops throughout the upcoming week all over Las Vegas, and — as part of our partnership with the Women’s Poker Association (WPA) — Cardplayer Lifestyle will be on hand to cover the action.
All set to kick off our Ladies Poker Week coverage here at @MGMGrandPoker
Today’s $250 buy-in event has a $20K guarantee and looks like about 70 players have showed up on time, with legions of ladies yet to stream on in and play their hearts out.
Best of luck, everyone! pic.twitter.com/tjCeC52mMH
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) June 23, 2024
“We are really proud and excited to kick off Ladies week,” said Director of Poker at MGM Grand Las Vegas, Steven Pique. “MGM Grand is committed in offering a space for ladies to spread positivity and poker awareness. We hope that our group of lady poker players have a home here for years to come,” he added.
One legend of the game in particular stood out among the field, Barbara Enright. Memorably, Enright is the last woman to have made it to the final table of the WSOP Main Event, having accomplished the feat way back in 1995.
Spotted playing at the $250 @MGMGrandPoker Ladies Event:
3x WSOP bracelet winner Barbara Enright pic.twitter.com/yLeFDihYMG
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 23, 2024
To Be the (Wo)man, You’ve Gotta Beat the Man!
Not for the first time, and likely not for the last time, another participant also stood out in this Ladies Event for all the wrong reasons; i.e., a man decided to enter the tournament. Springing into action, Amanda Wheeler decided to begin collecting $10 contributions from interested players to put a bounty on his head.
A total of $240 was quickly amassed… and won shortly thereafter, to the delight of the assembled crowd. The gentleman, who will not be named, didn’t even make it to the first break.
So long, buddy!
The gentleman has now been eliminated, and the field erupted in cheers for Sira, who did the honors. https://t.co/qiylxErB6o pic.twitter.com/ujOMd2xHoj
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) June 23, 2024
No Tilt Poker Tables Player of the Day: Kristen Brotherton
Our No Tilt Poker Tables Player of the Day is Kristin Brotherton. Kristin just got into Las Vegas two days ago from Austin, Texas. Considering herself to be a semi-pro player, she started off the summer with a flourish, finishing in second place out of 269 runners at the WSOP Daily Deepstacks, cashing for approximately $6,000 in last night’s $200 buy-in 8pm event.
Despite very few hours of sleep, Kristin decided to play in the MGM Ladies tournament “to come and show support” after her friend Maureen Bloechlinger told her about it. She was unaware of it being “Ladies Poker Week” but, now that she’s heard about it, thinks it’s a really cool concept.
Kristin will be here in Las Vegas for three weeks, with plans to play the WSOP Ladies Event, the Mini Main Event and “hopefully the WSOP Main Event, if I can find my way in.”
“This game is amazing,” said Kristen. “Both the mental and intuitive aspects of it are very unique and the game gives you amazing life skills to have; you learn a lot from poker.” She went on to say that “there’s nothing quite like a Ladies event; it’s very unique in the play style. I’ve never been 4-bet and 5-bet more in my life! They’re incredibly aggressive, and it’s not what you would think at all. This is a great way to prep for the WSOP Ladies bracelet event on Friday!”
Payouts, Final Table and Winner
A total of 204 entries ponied up the $250 buy-in to create a prize pool of $41,820. The top 26 players got paid out a minimum of $310 with the lion’s share of the prize pool (hey, it IS the MGM Grand, after all 
) $10,315 going to the winner.
2024 MGM Grand Ladies Event Final Table | Photo credit: Ruth Hall
Natalja Howell emerged victorious atop the field to collect the big payday, along with the WPA Trophy for her win. Below you can find payouts for the top 9 finishers who made the final table.
|
Player |
Payout |
| 1. Natalja Howell | $10,315 |
| 2. Jean Osta | $7,140 |
| 3. Laurie Willett-Turner | $4,285 |
| 4. Laura Westfall | $2,605 |
| 5. Kristen Brotherton | $2,015 |
| 6. Sarah Wasch | $1,670 |
| 7. Ruth Hall | $1,420 |
| 8. Rosalind Badger | $1,225 |
| 9. Barbara Enright | $1,030 |
2024 Ladies Poker Week: What’s Next?
Cardplayer Lifestyle’s exclusive coverage of 2024 Ladies Poker Week continues on Monday June 24 with a doubleheader. The $400 Orleans Ladies Championship begins at 11am with a $40,000 guarantee, followed by the PLON Crystal Cup $360 buy-in event starting at 1pm at Resorts World, which also boasts a $40,000 guarantee.
Our coverage is brought to you courtesy of No Tilt Poker Tables, which produces custom, handcrafted poker tables for families, card rooms, and casinos all over the world.
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