The popular and respected Australian professional poker player Jackie Glazier finally realised one of her career ambitions in France over the weekend when she won the ladies event and her first WSOP bracelet at the 2013 World Series of Poker Europe at Casino Barriere, eight miles north of Paris at Enghien-les-Bains.
The event attracted a small but formidable field of 65 players that included tough competitors like Loni Harwood, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, Liv Boeree, Laurie Bismuth, Gaelle Baumann and Jessica Dawley.
The final table saw Glazier facing off against Maryline Valente, Laurie Bismuth, Celine Bastian, Nathalie Odet, Sherrill Lindsey and Gaëlle Baumann after most of the big names in the field were eliminated.
Baumann, who has in the past created headlines with spirited performances at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, was one of the first final tablers to bust, but others followed soon after until Glazier and Maryline Valente were left to contest the heads up.
Although the Australian held the lead and dominated much of the heads up action, her opponent played a hard, disciplined game and at one stage Glazier must have been worried about the bracelet and the main prize slipping through her fingers.
That did not happen, however, and the delighted Australian took home the Euro 21,850 main prize and the bracelet she has worked so hard for over the years.
In monetary terms the win was easily eclipsed by other live tournament victories claimed by Glazier recently – she won $458,996 as runner up in a NLHE event at last year’s Las Vegas WSOP, and $229,281 as the last woman standing in this year’s Las Vegas WSOP Main Event, where she placed 31st – but the bracelet was what she really wanted.
Valente’s very creditable performance was rewarded with a runner up prize of Euro 13,500.