Girl power as WPT Paris has first female champ
Victory for Natalia Nikitina
World Poker Tour (WPT) National Series in Paris has its first female winner after Natalia Nikitina claimed victory in the €5,000 Main Event, winning over €200,000.
Natalia Nikitina (23) has claimed her first big cash win at a live event after clinching victory at the €5,000 main event of the WPT National Series. The event, held at the Aviation Club de Paris in the French capital netted Nikitina with a respectable €243,830 in winnings, and it is the first time a female player has walked away with the title. Although not officially part of the World Poker Tour, the event none the less attracted an impressive list of contestants, with a total of 188 players in the field.
The final table featured eight of some of the hottest names in poker, including on-form British professional player Sam Trickett. The 24 year old came into the tournament on a winning streak, after netting almost $2.9 million at the Australian Poker Championship (also known as Aussie Millions), where he recorded a first place win at the AUD 100,000 High Roller event. The winnings for this event alone netted him US$1.5 million, before he went on to score a very respectable second place finish in the AUD 250,000 Super High Roller contest in order to add US$1.4 million to his winnings. He was no match for Nikitina however, and bowed out of the competition in 6th place – not before securing a further €43,545 brining his total winnings to date from live poker events to a sum exceeding an incredible $4.6 million.
The final eight battled for 4½ hours until Nicolo Calia left the table with earnings of €26,120. Next to leave the felt was Ingo Paulus with €34,835, followed bySam Trickett. Tobias Wagner finished in 5th place and netted €52,250 in prize winnings whilst Benjamin Pollak (€69,670), Jean-Louis Tepper (€113,210) came third and second respectively. Runner-up was Alexandre Brivot with €174,170.
Whilst the WPT National Series is a World Poker Tour branded event, winners do not qualify for a WPT title, Player of the Year points or a WPT World Championship buy-in. However, the Regional and National events provide players with the opportunity to play in an event that carries the support and prestige normally associated with playing in a WPT branded event, but with a more accessible buy-in. As well as the recent event in Paris, the events have happened in Florida (the Seminole Hard Rock Fall Poker Open) with a $4,750+$250 buy-in, and Indiana (the Hollywood Fall Classic) with a $1,500+$100 buy-in.
