Tag: Platinum Pass

After a two-year delay because of COVID-19, the PokerStars Women’s Platinum Pass tournament finally played out last week at the European Poker Tour stop in Barcelona. In the end, Italy’s Giada Fang came out on top for one of the most coveted poker prizes.

A Platinum Pass is valued at $30,000 and includes a complete trip for two to the Bahamas in January. That includes a $25,000 buy-in to the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC).

“I just can’t wait to fly to the Bahamas!” Fang said as PokerStars commentator Joe Stapleton and ambassador Jennifer Shahade presented her with the prize.

A look at the PokerStars Platinum Pass winner

The winner-take-all women’s event turned into a major part of EPT Barcelona with PokerStars streaming the entire tournament. Fang (pictured in lead image) made an interesting life change prior to playing poker. She left behind a career in medicine to become a full-time player.

“I never regretted my change,” she said in her post-tournament interview. “I loved being a doctor and surgeon, but that’s something I can always go back to. Now that I’m still young and can travel, and I love playing poker, I decided to make poker my career. I definitely don’t regret it.”

At the live tables, Fang has more than $53,000 in live tournament winnings. She also works as a poker commentator and has achieved European female Supernova Elite status online. Fang now serves as a PokerStars ambassador and also streams her action on Twitch.

Now with a Platinum Pass in hand, Fang has six months to prepare for what should be one of the biggest events on the 2023 poker calendar.

Inspirational women take part

The original idea for the Platinum Pass competition saw poker fans nominate inspirational women for the event. Seven made the trip to Casino Barcelona for the tournament.

This final table was two years in the making, with finalists selected in 2020 as part of International Women’s Day. PokerStars asked for nominations of women who made an impact on the poker community. The winner was to take home a Platinum Pass, which awards: 

• $25,000 PSPC buy-in
• six nights’ hotel accommodation for winner and a guest
• airport transfers
• $1,900 in expenses
• exclusive winner experiences

“Our record-breaking event in Barcelona was the perfect setting to bring some of poker’s amazing women together and shine a spotlight on them,” PokerStars director of partnerships and consumer engagement Rebecca McAdam Willetts said in a news release.

“We are committed to making sure our online and live tables are a comfortable, fun, and inclusive space for everyone to compete on a level playing ground.”

Highlighting female players

Nine finalists were eventually selected and 28 months later, the special tournament was on in Barcelona. Along with Fang, the finalists included: 

• Davia Bryne – Poker pro and founder of FLIP (Fantastic Ladies in Poker), the largest female-only poker community on Facebook.
• Christina Read – Founder of the Poker Queens women’s poker group. The forum supports fellow female players in the industry through providing tips, advice, and mentoring.
• Meichelle Culhane – Volunteer poker teacher for senior citizens at the Broken Arrow Senior Activity Center in Oklahoma.
• Terry Hatcher – Founder of a weekly Monday night PokerStars Home Games ladies tournament. All proceeds, $30,000 to date,​​ go toward female non-profit charities.
• Lexi Sterner – The nurse and poker player fell in love with the game following some tragic family news at a young age. That helped shape her into the person she is today.
• Aurelie Reard – A former audio-visual engineer, Reard has played professionally for nine years in tournaments  around the globe. She’s also committed herself to promoting female players in the industry. 

Qualifiers were pleased to have an opportunity to compete for such a big poker prize.

“When I found out, I was so surprised and overwhelmed by the support,” Byrne recently told PokerScout. “To be part of the top nine, you needed to have so many votes and the kind validation from the community means so much to me. Knowing that people appreciate what you do encourages me even more to work harder to achieve more equality at the tables and higher female representation in the poker industry as a whole.”

Finalists Jan Fisher and Katie Stone couldn’t make the trip, but received Road to PSPC tournament packages instead. The entire tournament took three and a half hours. Here’s a look at where each player finished.

PokerStars Women’s Platinum Pass tournament

1. Giada Fang – Platinum Pass winner
2. Aurelie Reard
3. Daiva Byrne
4. Lexi Sterner
5. Meichelle Culhane
6. Christina Read
7. Terry Hatcher

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Better late than never. That’s probably the thinking of several women heading to the European Poker Tour stop at Casino Barcelona next week. These female poker players earned a shot at a PokerStars Platinum Pass in 2020.

The promotion allowed for the women to play in a single-table tournament with the opportunity to win the ultimate prize, a $30,000 travel and tournament package to the PokerStars Players Championship (PPC). Then COVID got in the way.

Two years later, the event is now back on and set for Aug. 15. The original promotion saw poker players nominate inspirational women to play in the event as part of PokerStars’ International Women’s Day celebration. 

The online poker operator aims to spotlight inspirational women in the game. Daiva Byrne is one of those heading to Spain to play and is pleased just to receive the honor.

“When I found out, I was so surprised and overwhelmed by the support,” she tells PokerScout. “To be part of the top nine, you needed to have so many votes and the kind validation from the community means so much to me. Knowing that people appreciate what you do encourages me even more to work harder to achieve more equality at the tables and higher female representation in the poker industry as a whole.

“I’m thrilled to be on that list with many amazing women who are all equally deserving and I’m very excited about finally playing together in Barcelona.”

Poker life

Originally from Lithuania and living in Manchester, United Kingdom, Bryne is a poker pro. She’s a regular in live games as well as hitting the virtual tables. She has $225,944 in live tournament winnings and also runs the Fantastic Ladies in Poker (FLIP) online community.

After two years mostly away from live poker, Byrne’s glad to be back and looking forward to the opportunity in Barcelona.

“Now the pandemic has calmed down, I’m back traveling for poker events, most recently to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker and other trips planned this year to Malta and potentially the far east,” she says.

“Back home I’d generally be enjoying coffee, Netflix, playing online, studying, and interacting with my FLIP community members.”

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2020, PokerStars asked the public to nominate women from around the world who have been inspirational in poker & made an impact on the community.

Now, 2 years later, 8 finalists are headed to EPT Barcelona to play for a Platinum Pass.

🧵 pic.twitter.com/GT8MhxARwK

— PokerStars Blog (@PokerStarsBlog) August 8, 2022

Winning a PokerStars Platinum Pass

It’s no secret in the poker world that Platinum Pass has become one of the most sought-after prizes in the game. A $25,000 tournament buy-in as part of a nice vacation in the Bahamas in January has many players clamoring to land one.

In the lead up to the first event in 2019, PokerStars awarded numerous passes through smaller buy-in live tournaments, online events, and social media contests.

That made for an event with an interesting mix of recreational players and pros. Several pass winners scored some cash in the PSPC along with a nice trip to the Caribbean.

The  event ultimately brought in 1,039 entries for a $26.5 million prize pool. Spain’s Ramon Colillas, who won a pass to get into the event, took the title for $5.1 million. The Women’s Day promotion for the 2023 event is part of PokerStars’ efforts to get more women in the game.

“PokerStars tasked its community with nominating inspirational women who have had a true impact on the game, its players and at the poker table,” the company noted in a news release. “While poker has historically been perceived as a male-dominated sport, there is a strong contingent of women achieving great successes.”

Taking her shot in Barcelona

Byrne now has her own shot at living a dream and scoring a seat in the next Bahamas PSPC. She recently brushed up on her single-table Sit & Go strategy in hopes to make that happen. She’ll have plenty of supporters back home cheering her on.

“Winning any tournament feels great but to win a Platinum Pass would be extra special,” she says. “Every poker player dreams of battling with the best at higher buy-ins, and this would provide that opportunity. Plus, I’ve been to the Bahamas before for poker. It’s a fabulous place to play and relax, so I’d love to return.

“My family and friends are very proud as well as excited about the event and will be supporting me back home watching the live stream. It’s going to be a fantastic event and I know they are going to enjoy it regardless if I win or not.”

No matter the outcome, Byrne is simply looking forward to playing the event. She’s pleased to see more women in poker given some special treatment.

“I love seeing so many inspirational women in poker,” she says, “and hopefully this event will inspire more women to join the game and play.”

* Lead image courtesy Gema Cristobal

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