Poker ladies to bring the pain in Tulsa

If Tulsa, Okla., isn't currently a hotbed of Hold'em activity it will be Aug. 5, when female card sharks of the heartland converge at the Cherokee Casino for the Pro-Tour Poker.

The Ladies Poker Association tournament is the first major event of its kind featuring a $550 buy-in and an expected crowd of more than 100.

While many ladies tournaments are passed over for lacking interesting money, in a press release organizer Linda Johnson - the so-called first lady of poker - is promising exciting prize pools and a seat at the World Poker Tour Ladies Night Invitational to the winner.

Registration opened July 1 and satellites to the event will play out every day until the Aug. 5 tournament.

"This is the first $550 buy-in event on the LPA tour," said Johnson in a statement. "There are a lot of serious women players in the heartland of America, so I'm hoping for a large number of entries."

Johnson will be attending the event, along with Jan Fisher - her business partner in Card Player Cruises.

Now in its first year, the LPA is still finding its footing as the organization strives to promote female poker players at a professional level. The association's first tournament was held March 17, bringing the LPA a little closer to the commitment of its founders, Crystal Osgood-Gray and Sherry Godfrey, who set out to recognize women rounders.

The LPA will be working alongside the Cherokee Casino in what the partners hope will be a major new tournament for these players. To find out more, visit the Ladies Poker Association Web site.

The Cherokee Casino, though not a world-renowned poker room, is at the forefront of the Oklahoma card scene. Its card room hosts 36 tables featuring a variety of games, and the casino has development plans to offer more services to its customers - in this case, particularly its female clients.

"We are delighted to recognize the ladies in poker," said Rick O'Connell, the casino's director of poker and table games. "We have many distinguished women players."

courtesy of Erin Warner

News Added: 30 July, 2007

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