Women are not in short supply at the Irish Open – the friendly atmosphere makes it a fabulous place to play and tons of women have it down as their favourite event of the year. Whether it’s taking to stage for karaoke (well done Laura Caroll!) or running deep in some of the toughest poker tourneys of the festival, women well and truly hold their own in Dublin. It’s also a event where newbies feel comfortable – everyone is after having a good time at the Irish Open and, even when the pressure is on, most people are here for the craic as much as the poker.
Judy Whitlow was one such player at this year’s festival and proves you’re never too old to learn a new skill. Judy didn’t start playing poker until she was 75 but in 2022, after reading a few poker books, she suddenly took herself off to Vegas to compete at the World Series. In her very first tournament there – the $1,500 Closer – she cashed in 175th place out of a 2,240-entry (mainly male) field. But that was only the beginning! Powered up after a PokerStars-sponsored boot camp, she headed off to EPT Prague and has since competed in the Bahamas, Barcelona, Las Vegas and Paris. A year ago, aged 76, she came third in the EPT Monte Carlo Ladies Event for €15,550 and now has her first Irish score: finishing 15th in the €3k high roller for €11,500.
In an interview with Crunchy Tales, Judy said: “I would encourage women to play poker at any age. If you are over 50 and counting, it gives you a whole new outlook on life. You have already accomplished so much being a daughter a wife and a mother. Now try something just for you! Just settling down at the table is empowering. You use all the skills you have developed in life and learn a lot about yourself. My favourite part is reading people’s emotions and taking the risk to decide you have a better hand. After all, hopefully, you have been doing that your whole life and if not it’s time to learn.”
Judy took part in the Ladies Event at the Irish Open. She didn’t cash in that one but the event itself was another triumph. With 163 entries creating a total prize pool of €34,168, it was American player Michelle Skinner who prevailed as champion, beating Hippodrome Casino Ambassador Lydia Cugudda in a short but entertaining heads up battle. This was Michelle’s first live tourney victory and the €6,700 prize was both her biggest cash and one of very few achieved outside of her native country. This year’s Ladies Event was very much in the spotlight this year as, for the first time, it was covered on the live stream.
There were numerous female heroes at this year’s festival but hats off to Irish Open regular Charlie Waters whose runner-up finish in THMC gave her a lifetime best live cash of €40k.
Well done also to Ireland’s Moya Murphy who was the last woman standing in the Mini Irish Open, finishing fourth for €48,200 – way her biggest live cash.
The 2023 WSOP Online International Ladies winner Jessica Marks finished third in the JP Poker Masters for €29,500 while Willow Connolly – daughter of 2001 Irish Open champion Jenny Hegarty – made the final table in the Super Seniors Tourney, finishing eighth for €1,070. Rosalie Petit was not only the last woman standing in the Main Event, she was also the last French player, bowing out in 34th place for €11,000.
