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- Following a four-week female-only poker bootcamp, seven women from around the globe were invited to take part in the PokerStars x Poker Power Bootcamp Showdown tournament live in Prague
- Roxanne Johnson from Canada will join other ‘Platinum Pass’ winners Giada Fang and Rishya Iyer at the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) in January in the Bahamas
ONCHAN, Isle of Man – 13 December 2022: Former court liaison officer in the Canadian Mounted Police Roxanne Johnson, from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, has won a poker trip of a lifetime to the Bahamas in January, after winning a special women’s live poker tournament at PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague.
Roxanne took part in a four-week female only poker bootcamp hosted by PokerStars and women’s led organisation Poker Power, which saw seven women from around the globe learn and hone their poker skills to play in the ‘PokerStars x Poker Power Bootcamp Showdown’ tournament at EPT Prague for the chance to win a coveted ‘Platinum Pass’, worth $30,000, to the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) poker tournament in the Bahamas, taking place from January 30 to February 3. The showdown tournament took place on Monday December 12 at PokerStars EPT Prague.
PokerStars teamed up with Poker Power earlier in the year to help women build their confidence and skills in the game and to create more opportunities for women already active within the community. The four-week bootcamp saw novice women players from around the globe learn gameplay skills that translate to real world success including negotiation, strategic decision-making and capital allocation. The participants were also supported throughout the bootcamp by PokerStars Ambassadors; Jen Shahade, GJ Reggie and Lali Tournier.
Roxanne joined the bootcamp as the intricacies of poker and the thrill of the game has always interested her and she was inspired by the opportunity to play at a live event. Roxanne secured the Platinum Pass when her flopped Kings beat Romanian journalist, Catalina Teodorescu’s Queen, Jack suited.
On winning the Platinum Pass, Roxanne, said: “I can’t believe that just happened, it’s so surreal but I am so excited to be heading to PSPC in the Bahamas. It’s been an amazing journey so far with all the support from the teams at PokerStars and Poker Power to meeting all the other women in Prague. Can’t wait for the next chapter at the PSPC!”
She will join recent female Platinum Pass winners, Giada Fang and Rishya Iyer, at the PSPC for a truly unforgettable experience.
A PSPC Platinum Pass includes:
· Buy-in to the $25,000 PSPC, taking place in the Bahamas in January 2023
· Six nights of hotel accommodation for the winner and a guest in a 5-star hotel
· Airport transfers
· $1,900 expense money
· Platinum Pass Winner experiences during the event
The female-only bootcamp showdown tournament was part of a partnership between poker titans PokerStars and Poker Power – who created a female only poker bootcamp to help women build their confidence and skills in the game. The partnership is a key part of PokerStars commitment to the growth of the game and to supporting women in poker, encouraging more to sit down and have fun at the tables, as well as ensuring all players have a comfortable and safe place to play, both live or online. The partnership launched in November following research highlighting the stark gender gap still within the game – with just 4% of the 100 million players in the world being women¹.
Rebecca McAdam Willetts, Director of Partnerships, PR and Consumer Engagement said: “We are thrilled to celebrate Roxanne as our first PokerStars and Poker Power Showdown champion and can’t wait to see how she gets on in the Bahamas at what is set to be an unforgettable experience. We are committed to supporting women in the game and want to ensure that anyone has a chance at a seat at the table, and more importantly, a voice. The bootcamp and subsequent tournament at EPT Prague was an important element in our long-term plan to see more women learn, take part, have fun, and above all feel safe and comfortable. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Poker Power into 2023 and empowering more women to join us.”
Managing Director and General Manager of Poker Power, Erin Lydon said, “Poker Power applauds Roxanne’s success and is thrilled to be a part of her exciting journey to the PSPC in the Bahamas. The dedication of our instructors coupled with the hard work and courage of the bootcamp participants created an inspiring learning environment. Each week, we worked together to develop the players’ confidence and competence leading up to the competition. We are so proud of the cohort and thank PokerStars for this partnership which brings the power of poker to another group of amazing women”.
To find out more about Roxanne’s win, head to the PokerStars Blog.
For more information on responsible gaming please visit https://www.PokerStars.com/about/responsible-gaming/
Notes to editors
¹Figures taken from Poker Power website – https://pokerpower.com/
Poker Power is a unique organisation, led by women for women, with the goal of teaching one million women how to play the game of poker – and the skills required to play that also predict success in work and in life. Poker Power utilises gameplay (not gambling) to help women build confidence, challenge the status quo, learn strategy, and assess risk in a fun, supportive, safe-to-fail environment. By empowering women with these skills, the company is changing the future for generations to come.
PokerStars is instigating change in the poker community by creating equal opportunities and a safe space for women to succeed in the game. Over the years, PokerStars has carried out various activities to engage and celebrate women players through special giveaways and unique content and most importantly, by listening and learning from the women community. From women insights project ‘Our Voices’ which utilises women’s voices and perspective to inform PokerStars business decisions to awarding nine women on International Women’s Day an all-expenses paid trip to a major PokerStars live event, where a Platinum Pass worth $30,000 was awarded to Giada Fang who will continue to represent the female community at the tables in the Bahamas next year.
About PokerStars
PokerStars operates the world’s most popular online poker sites, serving the global poker community. Since it launched in 2001, PokerStars has become the first choice of players all over the world, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else and with the best online security. More than 200 billion hands have been dealt on PokerStars, which is more than any other site.
PokerStars is ultimately owned by Flutter Entertainment plc. (LSE: FLTR; EURONEXT: FLTR).
Play Responsibly! For more information on responsible gaming please visit https://www.pokerstars.com/about/responsible-gaming/
