The Nevada State Ladies Championship sponsored by Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS) is returning to Las Vegas this spring and will take place April 19-23 at South Point Casino. The LIPS festival, consisting of several No-Limit Hold-em, Omaha and bounty events, will culminate with the two-stay $360 buy-in NV State Ladies Championship from April 21-23.
In addition to poker action, those who attend the 2023 Nevada State Ladies Championship will have the opportunity to meet poker legends Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher, both of whom are LIPS ambassadors and will be holding a complimentary Q&A on April 20.
Check out this PokerNews review of the South Point Poker Room!
Ladies Championship Action
The 2023 LIPS Nevada State Ladies Poker Championship will kick off on April 19 with $200 Mini Main NLH, a two-day event that that will play down to a winner on April 20.
April 20 will be a packed day as it will also mark the start of the $200 US Ladies Team Championship in Partnership w/ Team Poker, where players will have a chance to earn a victory as a duo. After the Q&A with Johnson and Fisher, respectively members of the Poker Hall of Fame and Women in Poker Hall of Fame, there will be a Purple Party sponsored by the Women’s Poker Association.
Other highlights of the series include a $180 buy-in Pajama Jam where players are invited to wear their best sleeping attire, as well as the $240 Omaha 8 or Better Championship and $180 Bounty Survivor with $50 bounties that will close out the series on April 23.
But the primary draw of the series is the $360 NV State Ladies Championship, which will kick off on April 21 with the first of two starting flights before playing down to a winner on Day 2 on April 23.
Will Ruth Hall Go Back-to-Back?
One question heading into the annual Nevada State Ladies Poker Championship is whether Ruth “Ruthless” Hall will be able to win the Championship event again. Hall, a Texan with $416,485 in live earnings, topped a field of 157 runners in the 2021 $550 buy-in event for $18,537.
In 2019, Hall took down the $300 buy-in tournament in the same venue for $14,614. In 2021, meanwhile, Hall finished seventh for $2,980. Additionally, Hall took down the 2009 Grand Poker Series $230 Ladies Event for $3,330.
Other players who ran deep in last year’s championship include Julieta Bearden (2nd – $12,556), Deborah Blair (4th – $6,476) and Ashley Frank (7th – $3,140).
2022 Nevada State Ladies Poker Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruth Hall | $18,537 |
| 2 | Julieta Bearden | $12,556 |
| 3 | Tonya Baltazar | $8,389 |
| 4 | Deborah Blair | $6,476 |
| 5 | Cheryl Baugus | $4,828 |
| 6 | Dana Badar | $3,925 |
| 7 | Ashley Frank | $3,140 |
| 8 | Ana Freitas | $2,473 |
| 9 | Theresa Hatcher | $1,963 |
Some of the other winners during last year’s festivities were $225 Omaha 8 of Better Championship winner Espy Enriquez ($1,450), $225 H.O.E. Championship victor Darlene Springman ($2,400) and $185 NLH Mini Main Event champion Lisa Taylor ($5,500).
Last year’s $155 NLH Green Chip Bounty Survivor that closed out the series ended with a nine-way chop that had each player taking home $570.
2022 Nevada State Ladies Poker Championship Winners
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, April 19 | $225 Omaha 8 of Better Championship | 54 | $10,260 | Espy Enriquez | $1,450 |
| Tuesday, April 19 | $155 NLH Host Hunt Bounty | 54 | $6,480 | Ana Jones | $1,588 |
| Wednesday, April 20 | $225 H.O.E. Championship | 51 | $9,690 | Darlene Springman | $2,400 |
| April 20-22 | $185 NLH Mini Main Event | 135 | $22,930 | Lisa Taylor | $5,500 |
| Thursday, April 21 | $155 NLH Purple Tie Guy Salute | 45 | $5,400 | Greg Bruce | $1,728 |
| Friday, April 22 | $185 Crazy Pineapple | 76 | $11,400 | Kathy Fleck | $1,840 |
| April 23-24 | $550 Nevada State Ladies Championship | 157 | $78,500 | Ruth Hall | $18,537 |
| Saturday, April 23 | $185 NLH Pajama Jam | 45 | $10,000 | Nooria Miskell | $3,200 |
| Sunday, April 24 | $155 NLH Green Chip Bounty Survivor | 54 | $5,130 | 9 winners | $570 each |
The eventual grand champion will join a prestigious list of players that includes Sandy Kasinowitz (2018), Persia Bonella (2015), Tammy Cruz (2012) and Angie Gelinas (2011).
LIPS Grand Champions
| Year | Location | Entries | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | South Point | 157 | Ruth Hall |
| 2021 | South Point | 317 | Mikella Pedretti |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to pandemic | ||
| 2019 | Orleans Casino | 294 | Ruth Hall |
| 2018 | Orleans Casino | 502 | Sandy Kasinowitz |
| 2017 | Orleans Casino | 256 | Nancy Nguyen |
| 2016 | Planet Hollywood | 341 | Diana Radford |
| 2015 | Planet Hollywood | 431 | Persia Bonella |
| 2014 | Golden Nugget | 428 | Maria Parlatore |
| 2013 | Golden Nugget | 382 | Dianna Norman |
| 2012 | Golden Nugget | 388 | Tammy Cruz |
| 2011 | Golden Nugget | 303 | Angie Gelinas |
| 2010 | Golden Nugget | 250 | Stacey Nutini |
| 2009 | Golden Nugget | 232 | Ruth Hall |
| 2009 | Golden Nugget | 196 | Jessalyn Sims |
| 2008 | Orleans Casino | 198 | Yvette Lambprecht |
| 2008 | Golden Nugget | 219 | Wan Suk |
| 2007 | Orleans Casino | 289 | Debbie Burkhead |
| 2006 | Caesar’s Palace | 319 | Jeannie West |
| 2005 | Ocean’s 11 | 197 | Kim Fontes |
The full schedule for the 2023 Nevada State Ladies Championship in Las Vegas is available in the table below.
2023 Nevada State Ladies Championship Schedule
| Date | Event | Buy-in | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2023 | No Limit Hold’em – Mini Main – Day 1A | $200 | |
| Apr 19 – 20, 2023 | No Limit Hold’em – Mini Main – Day 1B | $200 | |
| Apr 20, 2023 | No Limit Hold’em – Mini Main – Day 2 | N/A | |
| Apr 20, 2023 | No Limit Hold’em – Single Table Satellites | $60 | |
| Apr 20, 2023 | No Limit Hold’em – US Ladies Team Championship in Partnership w/ Team Poker | $200 | |
| Apr 20, 2023 | Complimentary Q & A with Ambassadors Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher | N/A | |
| Apr 20, 2023 | WPA Purple Party | N/A | |
| Apr 21, 2023 | No Limit Hold’em – Pajama Jam – Wear Your Jammies! | $180 | |
| Apr 21 – 23, 2023 | LIPS No Limit Hold’em – NV State Ladies Championship – Day 1A | $360 | |
| Apr 22, 2023 | No Limit Hold’em – NV State Ladies Championship – Day 1B | $360 | |
| Apr 23, 2023 | No Limit Hold’em – NV State Ladies Championship – Day 2 | N/A | |
| Apr 23, 2023 | Omaha 8 or Better Championship | $240 | |
| Apr 23, 2023 | $50 No Limit Hold’em – Bounty Survivor | $180 |