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Home / PSPC / The perfect PSPC warm-up? Botez, Spragg and Kade toast the PSPC Women’s Event

Chess superstar Alexandra Botez is just one of the big names playing the PSPC Women’s Event


It’s serious business up on the feature table at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), but just a few steps down from the grand television stage, a far more relaxed and jovial tournament is taking place.

This is the $330 buy-in PSPC Women’s Event, officially part of the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) schedule, and it’s proving to be a nice warm-up for many Platinum Pass winners who’ll be in action in tomorrow’s $25K extravaganza.

You know it’s going to be a fun event when there’s champagne being poured within the opening levels.

Champagne served in the PSPC Women's Event

Champagne served in the PSPC Women’s Event

The perfect PSPC warm-up?

The modest buy-in and friendly atmosphere make this event a can’t-miss, so it’s hardly surprising to see many familiar faces in the field. PokerStars Team Pros Georgina “GJ Reggie” James, Jen Shahade and Laurie “lalitournier” Tournier are in the mix, as is a former member of that club, Fatima Moreira De Melo.

Woman FIDE chess master and Twitch superstar Alexandra Botez is in town for the PSPC and jumped straight into this the PSPC Women’s Event right from the start. She’s no poker novice, having played on some high-stakes cash game streams of late.

Alexandra Botez

Botez is playing her first PokerStars event today

Sitting next to Botez in the opening levels was poker pro and content creator Marle Spragg, nee Cordeiro. At one point her husband, PokerStars Team Pro Benj “Spraggy” Spragg, sauntered up to bring her a PCA hoodie. 

“Wait, is this your husband?” Botez asked. It’s safe to assume she’s familiar with Spraggy from the Twitch streets, but it was MarlzTV she really wanted to meet.

“I’m a fan of YOU,” Botez gushed. “But I didn’t know!”

Marle Cordeiro

Marle Spragg arrived in the Bahamas yesterday

PLATINUM PASS WINNERS

Giada Fang knows a thing or two about winning women’s events because that’s exactly what she did to win herself a Platinum Pass to tomorrow’s $25K.

Fang took down the PSPC Women’s Platinum Pass tournament at EPT Barcelona; a single-table tournament two years in the making that featured a line-up of inspirational women in poker, voted for by the public on International Women’s Day in 2020.

Fang defeated the likes of Aurelie Reard and Daiva Byrne, and now she’s here in the Bahamas sipping a glass of bubbly.

Giada Fang will use her Platinum Pass to grab a seat in the $25K tomorrow

Giada Fang will use her Platinum Pass to grab a seat in the $25K tomorrow

Sunday Million Anniversary champion Vanessa “niffler” Kade is also playing this event. PokerStars awarded her a Platinum Pass earlier this month and she’s now vlogging her entire trip on her YouTube channel.

One player we only ever see in the Bahamas is PCA regular June Jenkins.

We first met the realtor from Hamilton, Ontario back in 2015 after she defeated Andre “acoimbra” Coimbra in a special heads-up match, then used her winnings to play in the Women’s Event.

Jenkins is just one of a contingent from the Toronto Poker League (TPL), which runs events throughout the year to earn passage to the PCA. 

PCA regular June Jenkins

PCA regular June Jenkins

Elizabeth Bennett, another TPL member, is also trying her luck in this event. Bennett has cashed the PCA Main Event twice before and has accumulated $143K in career earnings.

The tournament finishes tonight, so all players will have plenty of time to have a good night’s rest before the PSPC begins tomorrow.

But then again, we’re in the Bahamas. And there’s a PSPC Welcome Party tonight.

Who needs a refill?

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