WSOP Ladies

The World Series of Poker Academy’s Ladies Only Event, which last year saw one of its participants go on to win the title of Ladies World Champion at the 2007 World Series of Poker, is heading back to Las Vegas this summer.

The two-day, intensive poker school designed for women poker players of all skill levels and hosted by Annie Duke will be held June 6-7, 2008, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, just ahead of the $1,000 buy-in Ladies No-Limit Hold’em World Championship.

Joining Duke as instructors at the Ladies Only Event are poker tells expert Joe Navarro, noted poker instructor Alex "The Insider" Outhred and many others.

The world-class instructors will elevate participants’ games to the next level with in-depth seminars, live hand demonstrations, interactive workshops and customized handbooks, all focusing on aspects of No-Limit Texas Hold ’em strategy, from playing position and calculating pot odds to the importance of aggression and changing gears.

"More women are playing poker, and winning, than ever before, and our goal is to help even more women master the game by giving them the confidence and skills they need to be a threat at the table," said Brandon Rosen of Post Oak Productions, the company that produces the WSOP Academy.

"The fact that we had a novice poker player go straight from our academy to become a World Champion two days later is a testament to the level of instruction Annie Duke and all of our instructors offer our participants. We’re expecting to see more WSOP Academy grads go on to win bracelets in 2008."

The WSOP Academy first debuted its Ladies Only Event last year during the World Series of Poker, and the sold-out event saw one of its graduates, Sally Anne Boyer, capture the title of Ladies World Champion by outlasting 1,286 players, the largest field ever assembled for a ladies poker tournament.

Boyer’s accomplishment was made all the more remarkable as she had only been playing poker for a year and won the tournament immediately after attending the WSOP Academy.

"The WSOP Academy gave me the confidence I needed at the table and taught me key concepts that I was able to put into action right away in the tournament, like pot odds, table demeanor and what to look for when reading someone," said Boyer after her record-setting win, which netted her $262,077 in cash. "The Academy is the quickest way to your WSOP bracelet."