Women’s World Open III result

PartyPoker.com Women’s World Open III, London, 24 – 27th May 2009

1. Aisling Collins, UK,  $ 50,000

2. Kim Wooka, Japan, $ 20,000

3. Shana Casaletto, UK, $ 12,000 

4. Cecilia Nordenstam, Sweden,  $ 10,000 

5. Maria Demetriou, UK, $ 8,000
6. Cat O’Neill, UK, $ 5,000

7. Jen Mason, UK, $ 3,000

28-year-old Aisling Collins, a television producer from Rickmansworth in the UK scooped $ 50,000 and the title at the PartyPoker.com Women’s World Open III in London. Collins, whose aggressive game impressed everybody, was in complete shock and there were nearly tears as the gravity of her achievement sunk in.

“I was so, so nervous going into this tournament but after a while I found it easy to relax and play my natural game,” said Collins. “To win this tournament means absolutely everything to me. My previous biggest poker win was in the region of $ 8k so this is amazing. I’m in shock, it is fantastic to win $ 50,000 – I just don’t know what I am going to do with it yet! One thing I do know I am going to do is get some Christian Louboutin shoes. I saw Jennifer Tilly’s and they were great!”

Collins, who has produced educational programming for Sky Poker alongside the likes of leading professional players Roland De Wolfe, Neil Channing and Marty Smyth, is also a talented online player with the potential to progress in the game, either side of the camera. She had a large fan base sweating her in the green room, on the TV show and on the online forums.

Aisling was involved in a tense heads-up battle with Japan’s Kim Wooka and there were a number of swings either way before Collins came out on top. It always seemed as though Aisling was going to emerge triumphant, however. When heads-up play started Collins held a 450,000/250,000 advantage but Wooka soon clawed her way back. The decisive hand came when the blinds were 10,000/20,000. Aisling raised to 70,000 with Jd-5d and was called by Kim with Qh-10d. The flop came down Jc-Kd-9d and Kim checked. Collins raised another 70,000 and Wooka went all-in. Collins calls and the 6d on the turn gives her the flush and victory!

Eddie Hearn, Director of Matchroom Sport said: “As the Voice of Poker Jesse May said, the final table is not where champions meet it’s where champions are born and no one deserved the title more than Aisling. She was drawn in arguably the toughest heat and then had to come through the gruelling runners-up heat before taking down the final table. The standard throughout the whole tournament was simply stunning.”