The biggest staking event yet from Poker League of Nations and the PLONpower Investment Group gets underway Sunday at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas with the goal of getting #MoreWomen poker players into bigger buy-in open events.
The $550 staking satellite into the two-day ARIA Poker Masters $10,000 High Roller event is the result of PLONpower investors, ARIA, Poker Central and PokerGO coming together.
“ARIA shares the same goal of Poker League of Nations — to get more women into all events,” says Paul Campbell, ARIA tournament poker manager and PokerGO studio manager.
“During the U.S. Poker Open, Lena Evans (founder of Poker League of Nations, the world’s largest women’s poker organization), who has played our $10K event in the past, and I were talking about how great it would be to get more women into high roller tournaments.” Campbell says. “That’s how this staking event got started.”
PLONpower Investment Group members contributed shares at $50 each and were offered the chance to also apply for one of 14 funded satellite seats. High-stakes regular Lauren Roberts pledged $1,100 to fully fund two seats, and an anonymous investor pledged $5,000 to stake nine women into the event. Additional investors pledged an aggregate of 33 shares, funding three more sponsored seats. Net winnings will be split 60 percent to investors, 40 percent to the player after make-up of the $550 buy-in is returned to investors.
“PLONpower is not like traditional staking, it’s more like crowdfunding,” says PLON Founding Ambassador Jacqueline Britton, who was instrumental in launching the PLONpower Investment Group. “Potential players and investors pool their money to fund buy-ins for players selected by our Review Committee.”
Although the 14 PLON-sponsored seats have been awarded, the satellite tournament is still open to all PLON members, who are invited to play at $550 a seat with the chance to earn a spot in the $10,000 Poker Masters High Roller event — the first of 10 events in the Poker Masters series. Poker League of Nations is a community organization which is free to join and currently has over 5,600 members worldwide.
“Very few women participate in high roller tournaments,” Campbell says. “There are maybe four or five women I would expect to sign up for the $10,000 event. At ARIA, we are actively working to get more women in these fields. That’s why this partnership with PLON is so important, because they help us reach more women.”
Roberts is one woman who is expected to be in the Poker Masters field. In February, Roberts defeated 91 players to win the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em event at the U.S. Poker Open at ARIA. She and the anonymous investor have donated their share of the winnings back to PLON for future events. “Keep everything, so we can build a bankroll,” Roberts said.
Campbell and ARIA have added some perks to the PLON satellite including a hosted lunch and a private, behind-the-scenes tour of the Poker Central PokerGO studio.
“ARIA is really proud of the level of female participation in our events compared to other venues,” Campbell says. “We have worked hard to make ARIA a comfortable, supportive atmosphere for female players.”
“We would love to have more women enter the satellite on Sunday,” says Evans. “This special event invitation is open to all PLON members who would like to enter the satellite for $550 and retain 100 percent of their winnings!”
Find entry details and RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/477032679550181/.
“This event will help us raise the profile of PLONpower and sponsor #MoreWomen into bigger, better poker tournaments,” says Britton. “That has been our core mission from the beginning, and we are grateful for the ARIA team and generous sponsors for partnering with PLON on this opportunity.”
The PLONpower 14 satellite seat recipients: Top row: Lena Evans, Jacqueline Britton. Second row: Karissa Pomerleau, Sue Rosen Soto, Janie Maddox, Joanne Milburn. Third row: JoLene Krawczak, Carolyn Grad, Joan Destino, Stahly Kat. Fourth row: Tina Dubowy, Lisa Luposello Pickell, Sherry Toly, Gaby Marks.