It's been almost 900 days since the 2020 International Women's Day, when PokerStars asked the public to nominate female poker players for the chance to compete for a special prize.
PokerStars were looking for players who had made a difference to the poker community, or who had inspired others, and eventually, nine players were rewarded with an expenses-paid trip to a major PokerStars live event. Not only that, but they would all compete for a $30,000 PokerStars Players Championship Platinum Pass.
Sadly, the pandemic put pay to those plans but 2022 PokerStars and Barcelona©Casino European Poker Tour saw seven of the nine players (Katie Stone and Jan Fisher were unable to attend and were awarded Road to PSPC packages instead) finally sit down together, with former PokerStars Team Online member Giada Fang victorious.
PSPC Women's Platinum Pass Tournament Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giada Fang | Italy | Platinum Pass to the PSPC 2023 |
| 2 | Aurelie Reard | France | |
| 3 | Daiva Byrne | Lithuania | |
| 4 | Lexi Sterner | United States | |
| 5 | Meichelle Culhane | United States | |
| 6 | Christina Read | United States | |
| 7 | Terry Hatcher | Canada |
Final Table Action
With such a top-heavy structure, the early stages of the event were slow and cagey. 'Poker Queens' founder Christina Read found herself down to a single chip after an early clash with poker professional Aurelie Reard, but it was Austin Tournament Director Terry Hatcher who bust first in a three-way all in.
Hatcher held ace-king against the ace-jack of Giada Fang, with Read in the hand holding ten-deuce. Fang would turn a straight to eliminate Hatcher, and Read would river a full house to stay alive.
How to Win a PokerStars Players Championship Platinum Pass; Mega Path and Road to PSPC Details
Sadly, she would bust next and was followed out the door by Meichelle Culhane who teaches poker to senior citizens at Broken Arrow Senior Activity Centre in Oklahoma.
Fang then moved into the lead after clashing with Reard as Lexi Sterner exited in fourth place. Sterner's story is an inspiring one; after her father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, both she and her uncle played poker with him. Thankfully, her father survived, but this inspired Sterner into nursing.
The lead was an enormous one three-handed, and after her pocket kings bested the queens of third-place finisher and founder of 'Fantastic Ladies in Poker' Daiva Byrne, she sealed her victory with a queen on the river to bust Reard and take down the tournament, earning a $30,000 Platinum Pass for her troubles.
Watch the full final table action here:
Get Ready for the PSPC With a $600 Welcome Bonus
New depositing PokerStars customers can claim a welcome bonus worth up to $600. Download PokerStars via PokerNews, create your free account, and decide how much you want to deposit. Your deposit is matched 100% up to $600 in the form of a bonus. In fact, your first three deposits in the first 60-days after making your first deposit are matched up to a combined total of $600.
The bonus releases into your playable balance in $10 increments each time you generate 180 redemption points, which in turn are earned at a rate of five per $1 contributed to the cash game rake or spent on tournament fees (6.5 points per £1, 5.5 points per €1, and four points per CAD$).
