South African woman wins WPT Winter Open at Hard Rock
Ronit Chamani, a resident of South Africa, won the main event Monday at the World Poker Tour Winter Open at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Chamani earned $53,951. Ben Anthony Sagan was second $49,257, followed by Anthony Ruberto Jr. ($38,881), Michael William Morton ($35,094), Michael Larocca ($34,030) and Juan Mubarak Peralta ($30,163).
The $2,200 buy-in event drew 152 entrants, including Greg Raymer, the World Series of Poker champion in 2004. Other notables included Tristan Wade, an instructor for DeepStacks Live (12th, earning $4,560), Hard Rock regulars Doron Malinasky ($3,344, 17th) and William Michael Beasley (18th, $3,344).
I'm trying to track down the whole story, but it looked like a chop for the top six. Originally, first was $97,280, second was $51,680 and third $33,440.
NICK SORTAL began playing 3-card "gut" and "Indian poker" on high school band trips, moved on to "night baseball" and "pass the trash" during a Dr. Pepper-infused midnight game in the 1980s at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and now play in a regular neighborhood Hold 'Em game in Plantation. I have been given the assignment of writing about the gambling life in South Florida casinos for the Sun-Sentinel...which means sitting around watching poker on TV now counts as research.
