It was an action-packed day at the World Poker Tour World Championships yesterday. From the ClubWPT Gold $5M Freeroll and the 2025 McLaren GTS Prize Draw to the fierce competition at the WPT Ladies Championship, the excitement was almost non-stop. In the $1,100 no-limit hold ’em Ladies Championship, the spotlight ultimately fell on Tirza Sanders, who topped the 485 entries to claim her first-ever live poker trophy and a career-high payday of $90,432.
The third annual ladies’ championship event took place inside the Wynn Las Vegas poker room, offering a $250k guaranteed prize pool and a Wynn Las Vegas trophy. The two-day event kicked off on December 14 and drew 485 entrants, more than doubling the guaranteed prize pool with $470,450 in the final prize pool. At the end of Day 1, only 60 players advanced to Day 2, and all of them locked a mini-cash of $2,262. Here is the final table recap of the 2024 WPT Ladies Championship.
2024 WPT Ladies Championship Quick Recap
When the final day began, Sanders was nowhere near the top 10 chip stack holders. But she hung on as the field narrowed, entering the final table in the middle of the pack. Sinead Davenport led the final 9, while Shannon Fahey was the table short. However, Fahey’s run ended very quickly. She went all-in with queen-ten against Krisha Augerot’s ace-nine. The board did not help Fahey, ending her remarkable run in 9th place for $8,346.
Camille Brown who entered the final table was the next player to fall. Brown lost her stack to Jana Delacerra and was looking for a double up to stay alive. She quickly found pocket sevens and went all in, hoping for a double-up, only to be met with the pocket kings of Delacerra. Delacerra’s hand stood up and Brown headed to the rail in 8th place for $11,449.
Mikiyo Aoki, Krisha Augerto, and Jenny Ding soon followed the railbirds in 7th, 6th, and 5th places respectively. Delacerra led the final four, followed by Sanders and Davenport in third.
Sara Ralston became the short stack and went all in with ace-three. Sanders called holding ace-ten suited. The board gave Sanders a nut flush, eliminating Ralston in 4th place for $35,833. Sanders didn’t stop there and reached the heads-up by knocking out the British female pro Sinead Davenport in 3rd place. Davenport collected a career-best payday of $45,803 for her podium finish.
Thrilling Heads-Up
During the heads-up, Sanders almost held a two-to-one chip advantage over Delacerra. After a few back-and-forths between the players, Sanders took a big lead, which was impossible for Delacerra to overcome. In the final hand of the tournament, Sander open-shoved with king-queen suited, and Delacerra called for her tournament life, holding ace-nine. The board brought a king and gave Sanders her first live poker title.
Jana Delacerra narrowly missed her first major ladies’ championship victory after a 3rd place finish in the 2019 WSOP Ladies Championship. She collected a payday of $58,987, which surpassed her WSOP Ladies Championship payout of $57,930. Tirza Sanders took part in her first live poker tournament in 2011 but has never been regular in tournaments. She told the press after the win that she now intends to compete in more Ladies Events from now on.
2024 WPT Ladies Championship Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Payout |
| 1st | Tirza Sanders | $90,432 |
| 2nd | Jana De La Cerra | $58,987 |
| 3rd | Sinead Davenport | $45,803 |
| 4th | Sara Ralston | $35,833 |
| 5th | Jenny Ding | $27,318 |
| 6th | Krisha Augerot | $20,770 |
| 7th | Mikiyo Aoki | $15,522 |
| 8th | Camille Brown | $11,449 |
| 9th | Shannon Fahey | $8,346 |
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Image Credit: WPT
