Maria Konnikova, the Russian-American writer and poker player, made history early this week by winning her first World Series of Poker Bracelet in the WSOP.com $888 Crazy 8 event, taking home $68,477. The announced prize pool for this event was $374,000, and 468 entries were received, drawing players from around the US, including Michigan, New Jersey, and Nevada. The author was excited enough to post about her win on her social media.
Konnikova seems to be a James Bond fan, going by her screen name, ‘vesper1ynd,’ so the win should be special for someone who’s probably seen the Casino Royale scene a couple of times in her life.
Some people are asking about the “we.” Well, I can’t do it alone. And it’s true, I did have a very supportive rail last night who helped me to @WSOP bracelet victory. @PokerStars https://t.co/ZTegR3U5qr pic.twitter.com/JvUIQ3E4Sx
— Maria Konnikova (@mkonnikova) October 14, 2024
Place | Player | Prize |
1 | Maria ‘vesper1ynd’ Konnikova | $68,478 |
2 | “JGP729” | $49,645 |
3 | “2stuck2eat” | $35,980 |
4 | “supercycle” | $26,283 |
5 | “NFin8” | $19,356 |
6 | “Catchrvr” | $14,227 |
7 | “Basura” | $10,521 |
8 | “333ELJEFE” | $7,825 |
9 | “dirteharry21” | $5,841 |
The WSOP bracelet is one of the most coveted pieces of jewellery, not just in the poker community but also around the world. Maria had written a book about poker earlier and was signed by P0kerStars as a brand ambassador in 2018. Her best live cash is still $93,700, which she took at the European Poker Tour (EPT Barcelona) in September at the EPT Mystery Bounty Event, placing 5th. Her total live earnings, according to Hendonmob, were $751,044 prior to the WSOP.com win.
Also Read: List Of All Female Poker Players Who Won WSOP Bracelets
Maria Konnikova first made a splash in the poker world when she won the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) for $84,000 in 2018, but she has been active since at least 2017 and has been playing WSOP events since 2017. In 2023, she registered for at least three bracelet events, and in 2024, she took part in four such events—all this clearly states that she was in the hunt for a bracelet, so her achievement means a lot more.
This is a significant achievement for Russian-born Konnikova, who took on the mantle of a poker player from being an author and has consistently played poker. Her book, ‘The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win,’ hit the stands in 2020.
Several women have won WSOP bracelets, and the first one to do so was Jackie McDaniels in 1977 when she shipped the $100 Ladies’ Seven Card Stud for $5,580. Before Maria, Jessica Teusl won the bracelet in 2022 at the $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship, taking home $166,975. In 2015, Child’s Play actor Jennifer Tilly won the bracelet at the $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold ‘Em, taking home $158,335. The first and only Indian female poker player to win the coveted bracelet is Nikita Luther, who claimed the piece in 2018, winning the event #55 $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold’em with Giuseppe Pantaleo, splitting the prize money of $175,805.
Gutshot Magazine provides all the latest updates about the poker community, from corporate takeovers to poker players’ shipping events and details about upcoming series. For all such updates from the poker world, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram.
Roy D’Silva is a published author and has covered various beats in his decade-long experience, including Bollywood, OTT and now poker. An avid cyclist and documentary buff, Roy’s looking to be right, front, and center of that one big story in the poker world.
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