Women are making their mark on the live poker scene. Currently in the spotlight are China’s Ouyang Jiali and America’s Robbi Jade Lew. They recently showcased their prowess by winning World Poker Tour (WPT) titles in different venues. Ouyang Jiali took down the Super High Roller event at the WPT Korea 2024, securing KRW 405,260,000 (USD 302,180) in top prize. The tournament, hosted between March 25-26 at the Landing Casino, Jeju Shinhwa World, drew a total of 29 entries and generated KRW 1,079,960,000 (USD 805,270) in prize pool, which was finally shared by the top 5 finishers.
Poker luminaries like Phil Ivey, Espen Jorstad, Timothy Adams and Daniel Smiljkovic were seen in action but none of them could make it to the ITM stage. China’s Ouyang Jiali began to show her prowess just an hour after registration closed, seizing Kobayashi Hirokszu’s 50 big blind stack in a crucial hand. Up next, we saw Kobayashi get all in with AcKc against Ouyang’s dominating AhAs. From there on, Ouyang dominated till the heads-up, securing the coveted World Poker Tour (WPT) title.Li Boyao bubbled the tournament, falling out in sixth place. China’s Tang Tiayuan was the first player to finish in the money, exiting in fifth for KRW 96,700,000.
Tiayuan was followed by Park Christopher Park in fourth for KRW 127,700,000. Tang Tiayuan and Christopher Park, both short stacked, fell victim to the hands of Irish pro Stephen O’Dwyer. German prodigy Leon Sturm exited in third place, handing Ouyang the chip lead for the heads-up battle. Ouyang quickly dispatched O’Dwyer, cracking his pocket kings and queens to seal the victory. She walked away with a career-best KRW 405,260,000 (USD 302,180), a WPT Korea trophy, and the inaugural WPT High Roller Ring of the mega series.
Event #2: WPT Korea Super High Roller Payouts
| Player | Prize (KRW) |
| Ouyang Jiali | 405,260,000 |
| O’Dwyer Stephen | 270,200,000 |
| Sturm Leon | 180,100,000 |
| Park Christopher Young | 127,700,000 |
| Tang Tiayuan | 96,700,000 |
Robbi Jade Lew Wins $500 WPT Rolling Thunder 8 Max
In another World Poker Tour (WPT running as a part of 2024 WPT Rolling Thunder Series at TVPokerRoom, American poker player Robbi Jade Lew stole the show. She took down a $500 buy-in tournament at Thunder Valley Casino Resort Monday night. This was an 8-max no-limit hold’em tournament that drew 89 players. Lew defeated Barry Birdwell heads up to win the coveted WPT title.
The final hand of the tournament saw Barry Birdwell shove his remaining stack of 775,000 with Kd Jh and Robbi Jade Lew called with As Js. The board ran out 3d 8h 3s Qs Ts and Birdwell was eliminated in second place, cashing for $7,410. Lew took home $11,115 as the champion of the event.
Is Robbi Jade Lew Better at Poker than You Think?
Around 18 months ago, Adelstein accused Lew of cheating him out of a six-figure pot in an infamous Hustler Casino Live stream. But she has always maintained that she did not cheat, while Adelstei is still adamant in his accusation. Although Adelstein disagrees, she vehemently refuses any wrongdoing in what has grown into one of poker’s most contentious and unforgettable moments.
What Was Funny About Robbi Jade Lew’s First Poker Tournament Win
Following her first tournament victory with Ax Jx, she did a funny thing, opting to deviate from the conventional winner photo tradition by replacing the Ax with 4x, amusingly trolling the poker pro who had accused her of cheating him..
“I just kind of did that for fun,” she said with a laugh. “Jack-four is always going to follow me. At first I was a little annoyed about it, but now I just embrace it. It’s to the point where I think it makes people happy when they confront me, but no one’s going to come to me unless they’re excited about it.”
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Image Credit: WPT and SMP
