First-Ever Female MSPT Champ Looking for Aussie Success

Last summer, Angelina Rich topped a field of 1,964 entries to win the Mid-States Poker Tour Venetian for $215,815. Not only was it the largest event in MSPT history, she became first woman to ever win a MSPT title.

"That's the first one I've ever played," Rich said after the win. "It was nice. It was a Deepstack tournament, started with a ton of chips, structure was really good, especially towards the end. I was surprised by that in a three-day tournament. It was really good."

Interestingly, Rich is the significant other of Australian poker pro Alex Lynskey. Late last year the couple traveled the United States in a 1995 Chevy camper, but now they find themselves competing in the Southern Hemisphere's most prestigious tournament.

In a recent hand, Rich opened for 900 from the cutoff and WSOP Europe bracelet winner Dietrich Fast called from the button. The player in the big blind came along and three players saw a flop of . The big blind checked, Rich continued for 1,300, and both her opponents called to see the turn.