Coming into the 2013 WSOP, Loni Harwood had gained a little bit of fame for herself in the poker world after winning two WSOP Circuit bracelets. However, the acclaim she earned for her small WSOPC victories was nothing compared to the attention she’s getting now.
Last night, Harwood capped off a record-setting 2013 WSOP by winning the Event #60 $1,500 NL Hold’em tourney along with $609,017. She battled through a field of 2,541 players to grab the win and her first gold bracelet.
The $609k payout is what’s really impressive here because this is the biggest cash by a woman at the Las Vegas WSOP. It’s the second largest WSOP prize of any kind by a female, ranking behind the $2,013,734 that Annette Obrestad earned for winning the 2007 WSOPE Main Event.
The history doesn’t stop here for Harwood because she also became the third lady to make three final tables in one WSOP. She finished sixth in the Event #31 $1,500 PLO tournament ($39,803), fourth in the Event #53 $1,500 NLHE ($210,456) tourney, and first in Event #60. In all, she’s cashed six times this summer and made $874,698 – yet another single-year record for a woman at the Vegas WSOP.
As for why we haven’t heard of Harwood yet, she’s only 23 and recently graduated from college. Upon graduating, she moved from New York to Florida and began grinding in live cash games. Harwood learned how to play poker by watching her dad in online games, which naturally led her to the felt. Now she’s the female star of the 2013 WSOP and is looking towards a very bright future.
2013 WSOP Event #60 $1,500 NL Hold’em Final Table
1. Loni Harwood – $609,017
2. Yongshuo Zheng – $378,607
3. Mika Paasonen – $267,978
4. Yngve Steen – $193,265
5. Asi Moshe – $141,124
6. Daniel Cascado – $104,282
7. Cy Williams – $78,006
8. Bijon Notash – $59,036
9. Hiren Patel – $45,212