TEXHOLDEMTOURNAMENT

Female Journalist Wins At The European Poker Tour

Victoria Coren, a London-based author, journalist and TV presenter, is the recent winner of the London Leg of the European Poker Tour, making her the first woman to win in the history of the event.

Coren pocketed 500,000 UK Pounds from the EPT after she beat 400 other players from more than 30 countries.

It may be time to give up the day job. Victoria Coren, London-based author, journalist and television presenter, is 500,000 UK Pounds richer after becoming the first woman to win one of the most prestigious events in the international poker calendar.

Coren, aside from being the first woman to win an EPT event, is also believed to have bagged one of the biggest wins by a female in a poker tournament in the world.

"I was totally dazed and shocked," said Coren, 33, daughter of humorist Alan. "I got lucky. I had the enormous advantage of playing on my home turf."

When she was asked about what her post-win plans are, she said: "To go and play in other events and probably never achieve such an impressive result again, like Joseph Heller after he wrote Catch-22."

"It was like a festival," said Conrad Brunner, European head of communications for event sponsor PokerStars, of the scene surrounding her winning. "Everyone was going nuts."

Her biggest win prior to the EPT was in 2004 when she won the televised Celebrity Poker Club.

"When I won 25,000 UK Pounds I bought a new kitchen, and people said, 'That's why women should not be allowed to play poker.' I have a new kitchen now, so I don't know what to do with it. It's more money than I can count in pairs of shoes."