Edmonton woman wins World Poker Tour Ladies Championship | 24CA News
Lina Niu is aware of when to carry ’em.
The 38-year-old Edmonton lady is greater than $140,000 richer after profitable the first-ever World Poker Tour Ladies Championship.
Niu has been celebrating in Las Vegas after she trumped the competitors on Monday on the Wynn.
“It felt like a dream. It still hasn’t really fully hit me yet,” Niu instructed CBC.
Her complete winnings from the event got here to $105,136 US.
Niu stated understanding all her strikes had been televised and viewers may see her hand made her selections all that extra nerve-racking.
“If I make this wrong move, everyone else can see exactly what my hand is. I definitely was really nervous going into day three on the final table while knowing that it’s going to be aired and everyone could see my hand. I was worried that I was going to play my hands a lot differently.
“But I might say after a couple of minutes, I used to be extra snug and I’m glad that I did not change an excessive amount of of the way in which I performed being on TV.”
The ladies championship was Niu’s first major live poker tournament, which she was inspired to attend after her seeing boyfriend, Jaspal Brar, win big at poker. Niu paid $1,100 to buy-in to the event but said she felt confident after finding success at a tournament in Edmonton two weeks earlier.
“I’ve all the time cherished poker. I used to be impressed by [Brar] and determined that I wished to attempt to play extra tournaments. I simply form of grew into loving it over time,” Niu stated.
Between her game-play techniques and all the support she garnered, Niu said she managed to stay focused and play her best game.
“There had been lots of people from Alberta taking part in different tournaments as properly. And after they made a ultimate desk, a couple of of them got here and supported. My kind of play would undoubtedly be extra tight and aggressive, so strive to not get in too many arms,” Niu said.
Brar, who has won more than $1 million as a poker player, said he’s happy to enjoy the game with Niu.
“It feels good to play poker collectively and journey someday to play playing cards collectively,” Brar said.
The World Poker Tour Ladies Championship drew 578 total entries, growing the prize pool to $560,660 — more than double the $200,000 guarantee.
Although Niu’s competition was more experienced than her, Brar said Niu’s play was impressive against Ukrainian pro poker player Olga Lermolcheva at the final table.
“I really feel so good about her. I’m so happy with her, and I’m so completely satisfied for her,” Brar stated.
Niu stated she plans to benefit from the holidays and take in her success earlier than getting into extra tournaments within the new 12 months.
