There was no shortage of great poker action and fun at the fifth annual Nevada State Ladies Poker Championship held at the Peppermill in Reno, March 25-29. Jan Fisher and I got to host this event again as part of the Ladies International Poker Series. LIPS CEO Lupe Soto, executive director Angela Garcia, and Reno’s Regional Director Gina Trampusch, along with regional directors Kittie Aleman and Rachel Morris worked night and day to ensure that everyone had a good time. They treated the players to extracurricular activities like silent auctions and even organized a late night pajama party.
The Peppermill treated the ladies like royalty too. Director of Poker Operations Mike Nelson and his tournament staff including Mike Nelson, Cathi Wood, Nick Giuliani, Tim Malone, and Trung Luan, were hands-on throughout the weekend making sure that things ran smoothly. As far as the tournament poker action, there were Sit N Go satellites, bounty events, Survivor events, tag team events, and the main event. Each was run professionally and started on time. I was impressed with the openness of the new poker tournament room and definitely enjoyed sitting on the new, plush, comfortable chairs in the tournament area.
I had lots of fun interacting with the ladies both in and out of the poker room. We had a welcome party and a game night benefiting When Charity Works. I got to host a table of Left, Right Center, a great party game. There were also bunco games on some of the other tables. There was a silent auction and raffle prizes. The Peppermill served a buffet brunch for the ladies and Jan and I gave a poker seminar to more than 100 attendees. By the way, the ladies asked very good questions!
The Peppermill poker room is one of the nicest poker rooms in the country. There is a high-limit poker room hosted by the charismatic and energetic Jimmy Horakawa who knows the players well and has an extensive Rolodex of phone numbers to call when needing to start high-limit games. There is a self-serve snack area in the poker room offering complimentary homemade soups, sandwiches, and a variety of beverages.
The entire Peppermill resort has had major renovations over the past few years. The standard rooms in the Tuscany Tower, where I stayed, were luxurious and even had televisions in the bathroom, and mirrors so you could relax and be entertained while soaking in the jacuzzi tub. There are lots of great restaurants and a dance lounge on the premises. I heard great things about the all-you-can eat sushi at Oceano. The Peppermill buffet is one of the best in Nevada and we hope to give it a try again today!
I enjoy playing in the LIPS events. There are some very strong players, yet they still are there to have fun. There are some novices working on becoming better players. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the weekend and look forward to many more happy moments at the Peppermill. It’s no wonder that so many women came from all over the country to participate in the festivities. I was delighted that we ended up with 143 women in the main event… great turnout ladies! I am looking forward to the LIPS Ladies Poker Week the last weekend in June.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at cardplayercruise@aol.com.
Linda Johnson