Team Latin America North topped 18 countries fielding teams totaling 188 players in Sunday’s record-breaking Poker League of Nations Women’s Poker World Championship.
Worldwide PLON members in teams from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America and Venezuela were the most ever competing in a women’s online tournament.
Carmen-Elina Vist of Team Estonia, pictured above, won the individual title and PLON’s signature Tiffany & Co. sterling silver heart tag charm bracelet valued at $350.
The massive online freeroll was conceived and organized by PLON founder Lena Evans with help from PLON volunteers, including Stella Davila, who live-streamed and commented on the full 8 hours of the World Championship on Twitch.
“The results were amazing,” Evans said. “It gives me tremendous satisfaction to share a mutual passion for poker with PLON, and to provide wonderful opportunities for our members.”
Vist defeated PLON Ambassador Natasha E. Velez of Mexico in the heads-up battle for the individual title when Vist’s pocket aces held up against Velez’s Q9s. The flop brought Velez a pair of Queens but no more help on the turn and river.
“The tournament was very enjoyable,” said Vist. “I enjoyed the deep stack at the beginning and although I fell to 25bb at first, the card gods supported me and I got the stack up pretty quickly.
“There were very good players at the final table, and it was not easy to get heads up. In heads up, I played away my lead for a while, but recovered quickly and played my best game. Overall, the tournament had a very nice structure and clearly showed that the level of women in poker is very high!”
Velez was runner up even though she doesn’t play online often. “The experience at Poker League of Nations World Ladies Championship marks an important point in my life and career,” Velez said. “I am very grateful to Lena for inviting me to this incredible project, but above all that, for considering me as an ambassador for my country. It fills me with pride to be part of this group of women who are only here for the love for this sport and empowering each other — that feeling is better than any first place. Thanks to my Mexico team for giving me what is worth much more than a title or an award.”
The final table represented seven teams, including two players from Mexico and two from Hungary. Monika Meglecz of Hungary finished 3rd, Jenn Alcantara Rod, Dominican Republic was 4th, PLON Ambassador Vivien Nagy of Hungary was 5th, Norma Go Garcia of Mexico was 6th, Andrea Dalfonso, Peru, finished 7th, Milena Garces of Colombia was 8th and Gail L. Palmer of the United States finished 9th.
Team Latin America North won the team title determined by the lowest combined score of all players. Four team players finished in the top 20. Team winners were Gloria Molina, Omaira Agudelo Correa, Katherin Becerra Moreno, Laura Marcela Moreno S, Vanessa Duran, Milena Garces,Diana Maria Pacheco Areiza, Liliana Maria Pineda, all of Columbia, and Florence Sacarello, Olivia Del Castillo, Tania Hernandez and Lisa Escalera, all of Puerto Rico.
“It was a great experience for us to participate in this great event,” said Gloria Molina, team captain for the champions and a recently appointed PLON Ambassador. “It was very special because in our team (Colombia and Puerto Rico) we had a cultural mix where, in addition to sharing poker concepts and strategy, we learned about the culture of each country. I am very proud of this great team because we worked together, we thought about strategies in the various stages of the tournament and we had fun. We want to thank the Poker League of Nations for this!”
Team members won a prize package of donated gifts from Poker League of Nations, Suited Poker Gear, ShopWPT, RunGoodGear, 888poker, 7 Days to Vegas, and Poker Elephant.
In addition to the Twitch live stream, the event also featured a Zoom room where players could socialize and two Last Longer side bets.
Poker League of Nations (PLON) is an International Alliance for Poker Excellence. Founded in 2017, PLON aims to proactively increase the participation and level of women in poker worldwide, especially in open events.
PLON acknowledges and recognizes women’s successes in events, sharing their deep runs, wins, and accomplishments. During the current pandemic, PLON has created a number of online events for members.