Rohloff Speed Team

We look back at the life of the British tennis star who won two Main Events at the European festival and was the first woman to win the EPT Main Event.

At the 2006 London stop, Englishwoman Victoria Coren Mitchell became the first female winner of the European Poker Tour Main Event, establishing her reputation in the poker industry. Her accomplishment is even more noteworthy considering the tiny number of women who compete and the small number of competitions the EPT hosts annually.

She became the first player to win two major events on the European Tour, breaking yet another significant milestone years later. Her victory at the San Remo stadium in 2014 enabled her to do this. She therefore rose to become the EPT’s Queen.

Her beginnings in poker

According to Vicky’s biography, „I started playing poker to make friends and meet guys.“ In 1988, her brother and his pals were playing poker in one of the house’s rooms. The sound of chips clinking on the table was accompanied by the odor of smoke. Vicky’s brother gave her his first piece of advise when she asked him to teach her how to play when they were eighteen: „Never disrespect an ace.“

He developed and gained experience throughout time. He began playing private cash games at Archway, where he met Jesse Birdsall and Ross Boothman, who would go on to become one of the four members of the Hendon Mob. They played Hi-Lo Split, Seven Card Stud, and Omaha there.

Later, she was invited to another private game that took place every Tuesday, where they played Texas Hold’em. Vicky won on her first try and felt very comfortable at the table. She enjoyed the company, the atmosphere, and the fact that they talked only about poker all evening.

Age, his second home

Her brother’s friend told her about the Victoria Sports Club in London, which had a poker room called Vic. On her first visit, she played in a seven-card stud tournament with a £20 buy-in and finished second, winning £250. She fell in love with the place and knew she would be spending a lot of time there.

Your poker playlist

Vicky says she recorded a cassette tape of her favorite songs to listen to while traveling to tournaments or when she wanted to forget about bad beats at the tables. They all brought back memories from her life. Among the songs she chose were „The Gambler,“ „Better Not Look Down“ by B.B. King, „Desperado“ by the Eagles, „Killing Me Softly,“ „Come And Get It“ by the Beatles, and „You Can Get It If You Really Want“ by Jimmy Cliff, among others.

Glory at the EPT in London

The third season of the European Poker Tour arrived in London in 2006 and was held at Vicky’s second home: The Vic. The main event had 398 buy-ins worth £4,000 and a prize pool of £1,393,000.

With 22 players remaining in the cash game, Victoria Coren Mitchell znaki.fm/persons/victoria-coren-mitchell/ encountered someone he knew very well: Barney Bootman. With blinds at 3K/6K, Vicky raised to 16K on the cut-off with KJ, but Barney called him on the button. The flop came KT9 with two hearts, Koren checked, and Barney bet 17K. Vicky called, and the turn came 4hBoth checked, and the river was 8cKoren bet 42K, and Bootman went all-in. Vicky called with a bigger stack and beat Barney’s TA, who was eliminated.

At the final table, the lone lady knocked out Sid Harris in 8th place and Michael Maldoon in 4th when her TA beat his 77. Jan Sjavich, playing with 3 hands, raised to 80K on the button, and Vicky 3-bet to 250K with AJ. The big blind folded, and Jan called. The flop came 9TT, and Koren went all-in for 770K, covering Jan, who began to think. He took a timeout and, with 3 seconds left, called with 33. The jack on the turn gave Vicky the winning hand, and she knocked out her new opponent.