UK’s Claire Taylor Runner-Up in PokerStars Women's Summer Festival
PokerStars Women’s Summer Festival, which returned to London for its August 12–17 edition, finally got its champion. The UK’s female poker player, Claire Taylor, showed remarkable performance and made a deep run to finish as a runner-up. The title and £22,200 top prize went to Jennifer Shahade, an American woman grandmaster. It's now her best live cash in an NLH tournament.
For the record: The £400 Main Event documented a total of 193 entries. Its participants came to compete for the main prize from different parts of the globe. The final table gathered representatives of the UK, USA, Japan, Ireland, France, Finland and Brazil.
Taylor’s Performance at Women's Summer Festival Final Table
Claire Taylor outlasted 191 entrants at the Main Event of the Women’s Summer Festival supported by PokerStars. Despite the pressure, the girl was quite confident during the final table and even took the lead in the chip count at some point. That particularly happened after her kings broke Miriam Balen’s (7th place) queens. But the last stage, a heads-up duel with the poker site’s Ambassador Jennifer Shahade, was challenging. A near 3:1 lead and straight on the river secured victory for Shahade, who is a high-profile opponent. Taylor’s final hand was pocket sevens.
Second place and £14,000 is a sort of testament to Claire’s skill and composure – she was just admirable.
Results of Women's Summer Festival Final Table
- Jennifer Shahade – £22,000
- Claire Taylor – £14,000
- Lynne Beaumont – £10,000
- Tanya Masters – £7,600
- Akiko Ota – £5,900
- Morgane Fevrier – £4,500
- Miriam Balen – £3,800
- Valerie Morris – £3,100
- Saara Benlamine – £2,600
For the record: Maria Lampropulos won the champion title of the 2024 Women's Winter Festival last November.
What Did Claire Taylor Lack to Win?
Good fortune in the closing hand. If not the river’s queen, there could be a few more hands played. But then again, Shahade controlled 75% of the chips at that moment in action – a strong advantage. To take dominance back and even the odds, Taylor needed substantial wins. Coming closer to the final blow, Jennifer’s power was too visible, but Claire struggled till the end.
What’s the Idea Behind the Women's Summer Festival?
The main idea behind the Women's Summer Festival is to create a comfy, friendly and accessible environment for women in poker. Today’s level of competition in the game is pretty tough, and it’s challenging to oppose male players who dedicate much time (if not all) to studying and improving. Many female players lack confidence and feel intimidated at big tournaments. Hence, women-only competitions give them the desired space where they can relax and compete in a supportive atmosphere.
These ideas reflect what Janna Leach, a poker enthusiast, puts in her RAISE Women initiative. Janna also took part in the ME of the PokerStars Women's Summer Festival but didn’t manage to make it to the final table. The girl finished the Main Event in 18th place (£1,300). However, her performance at £192 + 28 No Limit Hold'em (Tournament #6) was much more noticeable – 5th place and £1,610 in prize money.
