Event 17, World Championship Ladies Event No-Limit Hold'em - Live Updates

Sally Anne Boyer is the 2007 Ladies' Event Champion! Defeating Anne Heft during heads-up play, Sally has won the biggest event in the history of ladies-only poker!

Boyer shipped it holding K♦ 2♠ and got a call from Heft who had her dominated with K♠ T♠. The flop came 5♠ 4♣ 3♦, giving Sally an open-ended straight draw in addition to her deuce. The turn was safe for Heft, bringing the 8♣. It all came down to the river which brought one of the three remaining twos!

With that little suck-out Sally Boyer is the new Ladies Champion, taking down $262,077. 

Congratulations to Sally, and check back later tonight for an interview with our winner!

Katja was seen leaving the tournament area and it seems there's a consensus that she went out in 4th.

Another rumor says that "The German Lady", AKA Frauke Ritter Von Sporschill, went out in third.

If math serves me correctly, That means we're down to...2 players!

Heads up time! According to Mindy Trinidad, who went out in 7th Place, the battle is between chip leader Sally Anne Bowen and Anne Heft.

Plausible Placings:

3. Frauke Ritter Von Sporschill

4. Katja Thater

5. Randi Calabro

6. Kathy Gliva

7. Mindy Trinidad

But again, we will confirm this again as information is provided. This is simply a well-educated inference, reached through logical interpretation.

The players are on dinner break...we think. They could be inside the shroud, they could not be. How do we know? We don't. So let's just say they are eating dinner.

Rumor has it that Katja Thater has been eliminated, and we're down to 4 players. Hand information will be provided as soon as it is available, and we will confirm the elimination. We are getting close to the lucky lady, and the curtain is buzzing with anticipation.

Our new chip leader is Sally Anne Boyer, who took a load off of Katja's stack, sending her from 1st to 5th place in a quick hand. 

The flat-screen television still shows an empty table but we will be back with more info as soon as the ladies are back from "dinner". We don't mean to be distrusting, but with this whole curtain situation, who knows what to believe... 

If seeing it on a one-hour delayed flat-screen television isn't bad enough, the ladies are making it even harder to watch by playing slow, slow, poker.

Katja Thater seems to agree with us and she's pushing for some action - but it's not always working out for her. Here's some Katja theater for ya:

Sally Anne Boyer Doubles Up

Sally Anne re-raised all in for $343K after raised by Katja to $100K pre-flop. Katja reluctantly called with her pocket tens - but they weren't good enough. Boyer had Kings, and the board showed nothing to impart pardon for Katja. Boyer doubled up.

Anne Heft Doubles Through Katja

Another took a piece of KT, when she raised all-in on Katja's bluff-raise with 3♦ 4♠. But since it was only a few more chips to complete the call, Katja decided to go to town with her low cards. Unfortunately for KT, Anne had a legitimate hand - A♣ 4♥. The flop however, did bring some hope to Katja with a 3, but unfortunately the turn was another ace. Anne doubled up through Katja.

Mindy Trinidad Doubles Up

Another double-up! Mindy Trinidad got all-in with A♥ J♠, and Katja called with Q♥ 3♦. The flop brought both a queen and an ace, so Mindy got to take some cash out of Katja's piggy. She doubled up and saved her tournament life.

At this point, Katja Thater seems to be in the lead, despite her wrongdoings, according to the official WSOP chip counts.

Here are where people are chippin:

Katja Thater - $925,000

Kathy Gliva - $485,000

Randi Calabro - $394,000

Sally Anne Boyer - $330,000

Frauke Ritter Von Sporschill - $259,000

Anne Heft - $145,000

Mindy Trinidad - $36,000

Vanessa Vanishes

Katja Thater has eliminated the only other aggressive player. Vanessa Selbst moved all-in to be re-raised by Thater on an isolation play. Selbst showed A♦ 4♦ to Thater's 7♠ 7♥. No aces and no fours proved the sevens lucky and Vanessa leaves in eighth place with $20,480.

Katja Loses a Pot????

It had to happen sometime. Mindy Trinidad doubled through Katja Thater by moving all-in with A-8 to Thater's pair of sixes. Trinidad messed with the devil when Thater hit the number of the beast with the T-6-3 flop; but hit a heavenly runner-runner 9-7 straight to double up.

The Good Chip Lollipop

The action has been subtle lately, but unstoppable. Katja Thater has been slowly building a medieval castle of chips, with more than double her nearest competitor. Here's the official count, according to www.worldseriesofpoker.com

[[LiveUpdate:ChipholderTable]]

Randi Reigns

Randi Calabro doubled again, to move out of the chip basement -- into a low-priced chip bungalow perhaps. Lately failed aggressor Vanessa Selbst, holding A-7, put Calabro all-in pre-flop. Randi showed a dominating A-Q, which proved unbreakable, to double up.

Don't Be a Thater Hater

Katja Thater is becoming the table queen. Facing a board of A-6-8 Mindy Trinidad made a bet holding Q-T. Thater raised with A-4 to scare out Mindy and rake in a nice pot.

Earlier, Thater re-raised Vanessa Selbst pre-flop, holding A-K to Selbst's 9-8. Vanessa called to see the 2-7-A flop and then folded when Thater bet out. There is no stopping a complete Katja coup d'etat.

Blinding You With Science

Yes, through the magic of the Internet coupled with the fantastic mysticism of the world wide web, we bring you shadowy knowledge from behind The Black Shroud. Namely, the blinds are up to $8,000/$16,000 with a $2,000 ante. Use this knowledge for good.

Randi Roars (A Little)

She's still the short stack, but Randi Calabro did manage to double with pocket rockets. Katja Thater looked Randi up with pocket fives; and when the board brought no surprises Randi doubled through the gorgeous Germaness.

Dang!

What more can we say? Julie Dang moved all-in with Q♦ J♦ to be called by Katja Thater with Big Slick of hearts. The 2♠ T♦ 5♣ A♣ Q♥ board did river Julie a pair, but it wasn't enough to keep her from leaving in ninth place with $14,628.

Gleeful Gliva

The first big hand of the night came when Kathy Gliva moved all-in pre-flop with A♠ K♠. Frauke Ritter von Sporschill was a long time agonizing before she made a call -- with A♦ K♦.

Her hesitation proved well-founded when the board came 8♥ 8♠ 2♠ Q♠ 5♠ with not three but four spades. Gliva doubled through the former chip leader, bringing herself over the $300,000 mark.

The Delay is (Word for "Happy")

Yep, with the broadcast on a one-hour delay coverage is on one-hour delay. We have a word for that, and the word is *$^%#! We think that's pretty clear.

World Championship of Gigglin'!!!

True, we can't see behind the obscuring mass of the Webcast Curtains of Doom; but from the mess o' giggles pouring out it's either pillows or cards flying in the tent. We hope it's pillows, but we fear it's just world championship action.

Of course, the webcast shroud of blackness being what it is, we'll be relying mostly on keen hearing and utter cheating to bring you updates as best we can. Basically we're spying on girls for you. Don't think we're happy about it. Even though we are.

Chiptacular Countathon

Here you go, friends. Enjoy from the comfort of your own screen the luxurious chip count at press time, courtesy www.worldseriesofpoker.com

[[LiveUpdate:ChipholderTable]]

It's Ladies Night in Las Vegas! The $1,000 World Championship Ladies No Limit Hold'em Event has reached its final nine, with Vanessa Selbst and Katja Thater joining heretofore unknowns like chip leader Frauke Ritter Von Sporschill (mein Gott) and Julie "Gawsh" Dang at the final table, set to commence this afternoon at 2 p.m. Stay tuned to PokerListings.com for all of the updates from behind the shroud as the ladies play off for a $262,077 first prize!