Australia’s largest ladies’ event for 2024 kicks off at the King’s Room at St Georges Leagues Club in Sydney on Australia Day. 

The first-place prize for the ‘Ladies First’ poker event in Malta is worth more than $5000 and includes roundtrip airfare from Sydney, Australia to Malta, five-night accommodation at the Hilton Hotel Malta with daily breakfast buffet, and entry into the tournament. The winner will be presented with two trophies in Malta: one from the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS Tour) 20th Anniversary and one from the Women’s Poker Association International (WPAI). by the director of Malta Poker Festival, Ivonne Montealegre. The first-place prize is guaranteed.

Australians WPAI board members. Di Collins and Janet Wyvill, with the support of the entire International Women’s Poker Association board, have been working tirelessly to get this event off the ground. Their focus was to bring an Australian lady to compete internationally on the beautiful island of Malta at the prestigious Malta Poker Festival.  Australian ladies often miss out on satellites and the oppurtunity to win seats to international events due to strict gambling laws in Australia.

In a statement by Di Collins, she expressed the following sentiments: “We are extremely grateful to Kings Room at the St Georges Leagues Club in Sydney for accommodating this prestigious Ladies First event. We are so proud to be able to send an Australian lady to compete on an international level for an amazing week of first-class poker on the beautiful island of Malta”.

This is a special event for women, marking the start of the 20th Anniversary of the LIPS Tour, founded by Women in Poker Hall of Famer Lupe Soto two decades ago in Las Vegas.

Lupe Soto had the following to say about celebrating 20 years of women in poker: The LIPS Tour is unique, but hosting the launch of this milestone anniversary tour in Sydney with Kings Room is beyond exceptional; we couldn’t be more excited.”

Ivonne Montealegre, director and owner of the Malta Poker Festival, has confirmed the tournament in Malta will be on Saturday, 27 April, and said: “I am delighted to have an Australian lady join us in Malta at the Ladies First event. I look forward to meeting the lucky lady who will have a fabulous time in Malta.”

The ladies event will be on Friday, 26 January at Kings Room in the St Georges Leagues Club. It has an entry fee of $125 and a starting stack of 40,000 chips, with blind levels at 25 minutes and unlimited re-entries. Registration opens at 3:00 PM, with the tournament beginning at 5:00 PM.

Keep updated via the Kings Room website and WPA International Facebook page for more information.

Audio clip of Lupe Soto explaining the LIPS_ Tour 20th Anniversary. 

Reordered in Las Vegas on the 5 December 2023