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Share on Twitter Share on Facebook 3 min readLast weekend, the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS) hosted its annual LIPS Women in Poker Spring Festival at South Point Casino in Las Vegas. The six-event series ran April 23-27 and attracted women from across the United States, and even some from out of the country.
The series kicked off with 249 entrants battling it out in the $220 NLH Mini Main, with Christina Read coming out on top for $9,168. Kathy Chang then booked a win after topping a field of 90 runners in the $220 Limit Omaha 8 or Better for $4,254 before the highly-anticipated $200 NLH US Team Poker Championship took place.
The event featured teams from across the country, and ultimately it was the Hawaiian Honu Girls representing Hawaii who took it down with its five members – Caryn Corsi, Cathy Gilpin, Jessica Mcguire, Nina Loiznov, and Karen Curtis – each taking home $1,656.
PokerNewsPodcast co-host Kyna England of Team Hotdog (lead picture) was excited to participate, so we made our way down to catch her and others in action.
The $360 buy-in 2025 Nevada State Ladies Championship attracted 451 entrants to the South Point Poker Room. The top 64 finishers got a piece of a $137,555 prize pool – which crushed the $30,000 guarantee – including Hayley Hanna (43rd - $1,032), Jill Burke (30th - $1,197), PokerNewsPodcast cohost Kyna England (21st - $1,568), and final table bubble girl Heidi Collier (10th - $2,063).
Poker legend Kathy Liebert made it to the final table before exiting in sixth place, good for $3,301. The following day, she went on to finish runner-up to Jacqueline Pennington in the $180 NLH Pajama Jam tournament for $3,186 after a heads-up chop.
After Lorena Sanchez bowed out in third place for $9,491, the final two players worked a deal. Ruth Hall, who earlier in the month lost her husband, Keith Hall, to cancer, and Laura Westfall each locked up $20,770 in prize money, while the latter was ultimately deemed the champion.
Had Hall won, it would have been her third time capturing the title, having done so in both 2019 and 2022.
Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Laura Westfall | Sheridan, OR | $20,770* |
2 | Ruth Hall | Round Rock, TX | $20,770* |
3 | Lorena Sanchez | North Las Vegas, NV | $9,491 |
4 | Mary Jo Olsavsky | Georgetown, TX | $5,571 |
5 | Gina Webster | Phoenix, AZ | $3,824 |
6 | Kathy Liebert | Las Vegas, NV | $3,301 |
7 | Danielle Chaput | Savannah, GA | $2,902 |
8 | Lori Wheeler | Los Alamitos, CA | $2,545 |
9 | Lisa Towns | Reading, CA | $2,270 |
*Denotes heads-up deal.
Check out the South Point Poker Room review here on PokerNews!
In celebration of 20 years for the Ladies International Poker Series, they conducted a Player of the Year competition in which the aforementioned Ruth Hall emerged victorious and took down Player of the Year for 2024.
As LIPS shared on their Facebook page: “For her efforts, she received an entry to the World Series of Poker Ladies Championship, the World Poker Tour Ladies Championship, the LIPS National Championship, a Custom Jacket by Women’s Poker Association, and a gorgeous diamond and gold custom ring by LIPS sponsored by Salt Lake City Diamonds.”
“We had record numbers, reunions of old friends, introductions to new friends, and more,” Women in Poker Hall of Fame founder Lupe Soto said of the series. “A HUGE thank you to Jason Sanborn and the Team at Poker Room at South Point for the fantastic job they do and making all our players feel welcome and at home at South Point. And for being so flexible with all the interruptions we have in a tournament like presentations, photo ops, etc! You're the best! And to all of you who traveled in for this week of celebration of women in poker, THANK YOU!”
Additionally, Soto revealed the dates for next year's event. The 2026 LIPS Women in Poker Spring Festival will return to South Point from April 20-26, 2026.
Date | Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wednesday, April 23 | $220 NLH Mini Main | 249 | $44,820 | Christina Read | $9,168 |
Wednesday, April 23 | $220 Limit Omaha 8 or Better | 90 | $16,200 | Kathy Chang | $4,254 |
Thursday, April 24 | $200 NLH US Team Poker Championship | 390 | $39,000 | Hawaiian Honu Girls | $5,984 |
Friday, April 25-Sunday, April 27 | $360 Nevada State Ladies Championship | 451 | $137,555 | Laura Westfall | $20,770 |
Friday, April 25 | $180 NLH Pajama Jam | 121 | $16,940 | Jacqueline Pennington | $3,187 |
Sunday, April 27 | $180 NLH Bounty Survivor | 127 | $11,430 | 12 winners | $900 each |
Here's a look at some photos from the 2025 LIPS Women in Poker Spring Festival:
*Images courtesy of LIPS.
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