Maria Ho Scores Birthday LAPC High Roller Win After Defeating Kristen Bicknell Heads-UpThe Two Top-Ranked Women Battled Late Into The Night For The $276,690 First-Place Prize |
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Maria Ho defeated two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Kristen Bicknell heads-up to secure the 2019 L.A. Poker Classic $25,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em high roller title. Ho earned $276,690 for the win, which she secured during in the early hours of her 35th birthday.
Ho’s present was the second-largest live score of her career, behind her second-place finish in a $5,000 event at the 2011 WSOP for $540,020. Ho now has lifetime live tournament earnings of over $3 million.
The event attracted a total field of 28 entries to build a prize pool of $699,860. The top five finishers made the money, with the top three all securing six-figure paydays.
Bicknell was awarded $180,070 as the runner-up finisher. Like Ho, Bicknell’s live earnings also surpassed the $3 million mark with her deep run in this event.
World Poker Tour Executive Director Matt Savage tweeted out a video showing the final moments of the event, with the two women battling for the title as their significant others, high-roller regular Alex Foxen and 2016 Super High Roller Bowl champion Rainer Kempe, were relegated to cheering from the rail.
In the final hand, Ho moved all-in from the button with Q
5
and was quickly called by Bicknell’s K
10. The board ran out J9858 and Ho made the best hand, pairing her five on the turn to secure the pot and the title.
“Matt, I’ve played so many tournaments on my birthday because Bay 101 used to always fall then, and I’ve never even sniffed a final table on my birthday,” Ho said to Savage just moments after coming out on top. “I guess on my birthday I’ll have to come back to pick up my payout!”
Check out the video below:
MariaHo</a> vs <a href="https://twitter.com/krissyb24poker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">KrissyB24Poker Heads Up in theLAPC</a> $25,000. $276,690 for 1st with @GatstbyKempinho and <a href="https://twitter.com/WAFoxen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">WAFoxen swea… https://t.co/Hp6mIZcWbw— Matt Savage (@SavagePoker) March 6, 2019
Here is a look at the complete list of payouts and Card Player Player of the Year points awarded in the event:
| Place | Player | Earnings (USD) | POY Points |
| 1 | Maria Ho | $276,690 | 252 |
| 2 | Kristen Bicknell | $180,070 | 210 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | $117,190 | 168 |
| 4 | Tamon Nakamura | $76,270 | 126 |
| 5 | Manig Loeser | $49,640 | 105 |
Winner photo credit: Commerce Casino blog.
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