Summary
- Leo Margets wins first WSOP bracelet
- First female poker player to win open event at 2021 WSOP
- Margets collected $376,850 for first place finish
Spanish poker pro Leo Margets is now a World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion. The 38-year-old won her first bracelet and took home $376,850 in top prize in one of the final events of the festival, Event #83: $1,500 The Closer on November 21.
Margets also became the first female player to take down an open event at the 2021 WSOP.
Margets, a Winamax Team Pro, is no stranger to the WSOP. She’s been participating in the series for over a decade now and has cashed in multiple events, including a 27th place finish in the 2009 WSOP Main Event for $352,832 before finally bagging her maiden bracelet.
Her latest victory represents her biggest score to date and her fourth cash at the 2021 series. She also reached the money in the recently concluded $10,000 Main Event, finishing 452nd for $26,700.
Final Action
Margets and Bosnia’s Alex Kulev were the two remaining players at the table, with the latter holding a massive chip lead. Kulev dominated the final table, eliminating three players. He had 40 million chips compared to Margets’ seven million when heads-up play began.
For a time it seemed like Margets would eventually settle for second place, especially when she miscalculated her stack during the early stages of the game. The Spanish pro admitted it was a huge mistake and that luck was on her side when she managed to overcome that crucial hand which could have ended her chances of winning the tournament.
From there, Margets was able to accumulate more chips to close the gap between her and Kulev. She finally grabbed the lead when she defeated her opponent’s top pair with middle pair and a flush draw that improved to trips on the turn. After that hand, Kulev moved all in with ten-four against Margets’ king-jack, ending his bid in second place for $232,920.
Female Victories at 2021 WSOP
Two other women also ran deep in the tournament. Melanie Weisner finished 17th for $14,740, while Cherish Andrews also made it to the final table, taking home $74,680 for her 6th-place finish.
Margets isn’t the only female player to win a bracelet at the 2021 series. American poker pro Lara Eisenberg also clinched her first bracelet in Event #22: Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Margets is hopeful that their victories this year will serve as motivation for more women to play poker and take part in major tournaments.
