Sheila Stimson had a career day on Wednesday when she took down the Women's Event at the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas for more than just money.
The poker player from North Carolina earned her biggest score — $11,380 — and defeated Christina Gollins, a World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring winner, heads-up for the title. But she earned a little something else on top as the victory came with a package to the upcoming £100,000 guaranteed PokerStars Women's Winter Poker Festival at Hippodrome Casino in London.
North American Poker Tour Event #12: $330 Women's Event, a no-limit hold'em tournament, had 182 entries at Resorts World Las Vegas. The prize pool hit $50,960 and 27 players reached the money. No one scooped a larger chunk of the pot than Stimson, who had $68,000 in previous live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob.
There were a number of high-profile players in the field, and at the final table, including popular poker content creator Caitlin Comeskey, who took fifth place for $3,000. PokerStars ambassador Marle Spragg (18th place for $660) and PokerStars Ambassador for Women in Poker, Kerryjane Craigie (14th place for $880) cashed.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheila Stimson | $11,38 |
| 2 | Christina Gollins | $7,100 |
| 3 | Carol Harmon | $5,070 |
| 4 | Anjulie Marriott | $3,900 |
| 5 | Caitlin Comeskey | $3,000 |
| 6 | Chiori Gannon | $2,310 |
| 7 | Melinda Criddle | $1,920 |
| 8 | Gulnara Taul | $1,600 |
| 9 | Tanya Brown | $1,340 |
Carol Harmon finished in third place ($5,070), which created a heads-up match between Gollins and Stimson, of which the latter won. PokerNewsspoke with Stimson just after her big win. The crazy part about the victory, which she explained, is that she really wasn't even supposed to play.
"When I came here last night, I really wanted it so bad," Stimson said before explaining that she was supposed to be somewhere else. "I took off work and my friend filled me in, and I didn't know it was Day 2 because I might get in trouble today from my boss. So, I really wanted it bad."
Skipping work isn't usually a wise idea for anyone, but it certainly paid off for the Women's Event champion. She more than made up for any time missed at work, and she even received an extra surprise after winning the tournament — she had no idea she was also playing for a PokerStars Women's Winter Festival package, and she's never been to London. This time, she'll plan ahead time off work.
"It's one of my stepping stones," Stimson said of her win. "I love it and I've wanted to do this so bad, and I moved to Vegas last year because of this."
It appears she made a good decision moving to Las Vegas to pursue her poker dreams, and ditching out of work for a day wasn't a bad move either.