Natalia Nikitina Wins WPT Paris

Females are just about the most marginalized group in the poker industry, despite the fact that a lot of women have already proven that they can take on men in the felt and win. In fact, events at the WPT Paris National Series have more than proven that women can best men even in the toughest fields. Natalia Nikitina managed to beat a field of 188 players and went on to win a whopping €243,830 in prize money.

The Final Table

The WPT Paris National Series was held at the Aviation Club de Paris, with a €5,000 buy-in and quite a star-studded field. 188 people joined the event, all hoping to be the ones to take home the grand prize. But they all dropped one by one until, finally, only eight were left. These eight comprised the event’s final table, and all of them were very determined to stay in the game. In fact, it took an entire four and a half hours of play before a single elimination was made, with Nicolo Calla as the unfortunate victim. Calla took home more than €26,000 for his efforts, so it wasn’t a complete loss. He was followed by Ingo Paullus, who got €34,000. Next to go was poker pro, Sam Trickett, who was actually the most famous player in the final table.

He was followed by Tobias Wagner at fifth place, then Benjamin Pollak, and finally Jean-Louis Tepper at third. Alexandre Brivot and Natalia Nikitina were the ones left for the heads up portion of the tournament, with Nikitina in the lead, but not by much. In fact, Brivot managed to grind his way to the top, putting Nikitina in a precarious position. Nikitina was able to bounce back by doubling through though, and soon sealed her victory with an Ac-3s over Brivot’s Ks- Jh.

A Grueling Experience

Nikitina did more than just win, she also became the first female winner of the WPT Nationals. This event may not be officially part of the WPT, but it’s still very high profile in its own right. This was Nikitina’s first major cash in a live tournament. She admitted to finding the whole experience difficult and said that she found it hard to stay awake during the last three hours. Still, she definitely showed amazing talent and endurance. To show for her efforts, Nikitina will be buying a BMW 6 Series car – quite a huge accomplishment for this young female Russian.

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