2024 Wynn Millions
Women In the Wynn Millions Field on International Women's Day
International Women's Day is the perfect time to honor successful women in any industry, and there are no shortage of successful women in the poker world.
In honor of International Women's Day, here is a look at some of the women who competed in the Wynn Millions Championship Day 1b field on Friday.
Cherish Andrews may have been up past 2 a.m. taking down the $2,200 NLH 6-Max Event for $182,927 and her third Wynn trophy, but the 2022 GPI Female Player of the Year wasted no time hopping into the championship event with hopes of another deep run.
Andrews was seated across from Esther Kim, a Las Vegas-based grinder whose first live tournament cash dates back to 2012.
At another table, poker coach and recently published author Lexy Gavin-Mather was seated in the nine-seat just a dealer's chair away from poker socialite Hayley Hanna, the fiance of high-stakes pro David Peters who is currently pregnant with the couple's first child but couldn't resist the Wynn Millions Championship action.
Speaking of poker power couples, Farah Galfond was also in the Day 1b field, while Yi "KitKat" Klassen chipped up nicely a few tables away from Blake Bohn. Meanwhile, four-time GPI Female POY Kristen Foxen had the day off after bagging the Day 1a flight.
A few hours into the day, Women in Poker Hall of Famer Maria Ho took her seat in pursuit of another big score after winning Game of Gold Season 1 for $456,000.
Other women spotted in the Day 1b field include Gloria Jackson, Cindy Li, and Isabel Kou.
Celebrating International Women's Day: Meet the PokerNews Team
Becker Beware: Landon Tice Ships Wynn Millions Event for $32,025
Landon Tice's summer crossbook with Jeremy Becker may not yet be underway, but the "child of the sim" is already heating up. On Wednesday, Tice took down a 2024 Wynn Millions Poker Series $400 buy-in event for $32,025 and his first Wynn trophy.
The victory for Tice, who topped a 512-player field after coming into Day 2 with 20 big blinds, shows that he means business in his upcoming high-stakes bet with Becker, which was set up by Daniel Negreanu and stipulates that both players crossbook 25 mutually played events between May 28 and July 1.
Tice took a bit of a shot at Becker in his winner's photo, giving a yawn while holding up Becker's trademark three-five offsuit.
But Tice has some catching up to do. The victory marked his first live victory since November 2020, when he took down the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Venetian $1,100 Main Event for $201,529. Since then, Becker has won 38 live tournaments, according to The Hendon Mob.
Palma in the Mix
Wisdom from the Wynn Millions Field
Poker players can often be sources of wisdom and insight, and PokerNews has been fortunate enough to speak with a few players in the Wynn Millions Championship field in the past.
Here are quotes from five players who played Day 1b of the Wynn Millions Championship.
Andrew Moreno
Three years after winning the first-ever Wynn Millions for $1.5 million, Andrew Moreno was back at the Wynn and in the Day 1b field.
When he won the inaugural Wynn Millions event in 2021, he told PokerNews he was “grateful above all else" after accomplishing a goal he set earlier in the year to move over $1 million in career earnings.
“I think just declaring what I wanted to do was really important to me because I believed in myself and I wanted to hold myself accountable … I’m just so shocked it happened so quickly.”
Moreno called the Wynn Millions "probably the best event I’ve ever played as far as the structure and the room."
“The floors listen to the players a lot, and there was always an open-ended conversation. Everything about the tournament was pristine.”
Adam Hendrix
Another player who was in the Day 1b field was Adam Hendrix, Alaska's all-time money leader with over $6 million in earnings.
When he appeared on the PokerNews Podcast last spring, Hendrix discussed his poker upbringing and his dominant year in 2022, as well as specializing in Pot-Limit Omaha.
"I think the skill gap in PLO is still pretty big. There (are) a lot of people that don't bother studying at all, compared to no-limit, now everybody sort of studies in some way. But PLO is still sort of the Wild West."
Jared Griener
Another state's all-time money leader, Jared Griener, was in the Day 1b field and is back on Day 1c. PokerNews caught up with the Utah all-time money leader last year at the WPT Gardens Poker Championship, where he talked about the poker scene in southern California.
“It has its ups and downs; there’s a lot of people with some attitude, but I kind of enjoy that. And there’s no doubt that I’ve had way more success in LA and it’s just because I play here so much that I know all the players. And once you play someone over and over again, I feel like that’s kind of my strongest (skill) is just adjusting based on who you are and what I know about you.”
Shannon Shorr
Shannon Shorr recently had his name scrubbed from the "Best Without a Bracelet" list, and now the veteran grinder is looking for his first Wynn trophy after a deep run the other night in the $2,200 NLH 6-Max event.
PokerNews spoke with Shorr back in 2022 about a PGT US Poker Open victory that brought him $213,900.
"That was super cool. I live in Vegas, so it's nice to just be able to commute and go play poker. Playing against the highest (level) and the toughest competition is super fascinating and a lot of fun. It's like a small player pool, a lot of us guys who have been around 15 years, so there's an innate respect that we all have for each other. So it's a vibe playing, and to get there and win is just a super cool experience."
Ari Engel
Just weeks ago, all-time Circuit ring leader Ari Engel won a record-extending ring. Now, Engel is looking for a Wynn trophy to add to his suitcase.
Engel is also a two-time bracelet winner, and spoke with PokerNews back in October 2021 after winning his second bracelet in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship.
“In these kinds of situations, it’s a balance between wanting to put pressure on other players who presumably want to move up, and then at the same time kind of protecting your own chip lead. You’ve got to strike the right balance depending on how the other players are playing and how the stacks work out.”
Does He Have It?
Becker Beware: Landon Tice Ships Wynn Millions Event for $32,025
Landon Tice's summer crossbook with Jeremy Becker may not yet be underway, but the "child of the sim" is already heating up. On Wednesday, Tice took down a 2024 Wynn Millions Poker Series $400 buy-in event for $32,025 and his first Wynn trophy.
The victory for Tice, who topped a 512-player field after coming into Day 2 with 20 big blinds, shows that he means business in his upcoming high-stakes bet with Becker, which was set up by Daniel Negreanu and stipulates that both players crossbook 25 mutually played events between May 28 and July 1.
Tice took a bit of a shot at Becker in his winner's photo, giving a yawn while holding up Becker's trademark three-five offsuit.
But Tice has some catching up to do. The victory marked his first live victory since November 2020, when he took down the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Venetian $1,100 Main Event for $201,529. Since then, Becker has won 38 live tournaments, according to The Hendon Mob.