Poker News – Fall 2024

In this month’s poker news updates, you’ll find stories about a bad beat, a retirement community that is having trouble with poker games, and this year’s list of nominees for the Women In Poker Hall of Fame.

Let’s start off with a situation we’ve all faced at the tables before.

A Bad Beat for the Ages

We all know how much it can hurt to shove preflop with KK in online poker. The main reason is that you hate to run up against AA or even any Ax because you’re going to get dominated.

The story is completely different when your opponent has 64o, right?

In a WSOP International Online Event, Russia’s Evgenii Akimov had 64o and decided to play bully. On the button, he jammed his whole stack of 164M+ in chips, probably looking to crush the blinds. And most of the time, this will work. Of course, we’re not going to talk about how a far smaller bet will do the exact same thing with far less risk – that’s not part of the story.

Now, the story takes a turn here because Isaac Baron was sitting in the small blind with 77M in chips. And he had KK. What would you do? It doesn’t take that much courage to call this, does it? AA wouldn’t play this way. This is a wild man’s bet. You call that bet pretty much any day of the week.

And so, Baron did.

But the poker gods, as we know, have a sense of humor and can be incredibly cruel. They gave Baron a nice 7JK flop for the set. He was a 97% favorite at that point. Pop the champagne, right?

No. Those three little percentage points will have something to say.

The turn and river came 5 and then 8, making a beautiful straight for Akimov, who Lady Luck had decided to favor that day. Baron was bounced (finishing 4^th), and Akimov went on to finish as runner up to Moritz Dietrich, the overall winner.

Ouch.

Women In Poker Hall of Fame 2024 Inductees

The 2024 Women in Poker Hall of Fame ballot featured eight accomplished women, each with notable contributions to this crazy card game we all love. Candidates included players such as Kristen Bicknell Foxen and Liv Boeree, known for their impressive tournament achievements, as well as poker contributors like Jeanne David and Rebecca McAdam Willetts, recognized for their roles in promoting and supporting the industry. Their resumes are quite impressive:

• Kristen Bicknell Foxen is a Canadian professional poker player with over $8 million in live tournament earnings, ranking second on the all-time women’s list. She has secured four World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, the most by any female player. And she’s still killing it at the tables. She finished 13th in this past year’s WSOP Main Event, earning around $600,000 for her victory.

• Liv Boeree is from Britain and has accumulated over $3.8 million in live tournament winnings. This puts her on the top ten female earners list. She’s the only woman to have won both a WSOP bracelet and a European Poker Tour Main Event (this was a 2010 win at EPT San Remo.

• Jeanne David is a former head of responsible gaming for a casino operator, where she helped promote online poker legalization. She’s also pulled in nearly $250,000 in poker tournament winnings.

• Rebecca McAdam Willetts is a seasoned poker industry professional working in consumer engagement. She has been instrumental in increasing women’s participation in poker, including through organizing women-only boot camps and creating the first female insights community. Like Ms. David, she also is active in charity and philanthropic work.
  

Voting for the 2024 class took place in October, with public votes counted as one panel member’s vote, allowing fans and supporters of poker to have a voice in the selection process.

Ultimately, Kristen Foxen and Jeanne David stood out, being selected for the Class of 2024.

The WiPHoF also unveiled a whole new category – the Pioneer Induction – which was posthumously awarded to Starla Brodie, the first woman to win an open-field WSOP event. This award celebrated her trailblazing achievements and role as an inspiration for women in poker.

The final inductees will be announced in November, followed by the induction ceremony on December 11^th, 2024. This event honors women who have significantly influenced poker, either through playing, promotion, or other contributions to the growth and success of the game.