Japanese poker dealer Ruiko Mamiya is only the third female player to win an APT event
Ruiko Mamiya, a former poker dealer from Japan, has officially made history at the Asian Poker Tour Championship (APTC) series in Taipei. Mamiya secured a victory in the TWD 15,000 (US$495) buy-in National Cup Championship. Her win earns her the Pewter Lion trophy and a substantial payout of TWD3,087,700 (US$102,000).
Mamiya faced a massive field of 2,398 total entries, setting a new record for the largest side event field in the entire history of the APT. The high attendance quickly overshadowed the TWD12 million (US$385,000) guarantee for the event. The huge turnout pushed the final prize pool to TWD29,855,675 (US$985,000). This prize pool is the tour’s third richest non-High Roller event ever.
Mamiya’s win also places her in an elite group of female champions on the tour. She becomes only the third female winner of an APT event. Furthermore, she is the first female to win an open event at the current APT Championship series. The only other female winners of a major APT event are former APT Main Event champions Kitty Kuo and Dang Thi Hue.
The Japanese player, who reached a final table at the World Series of Poker last summer, did not have an easy path to victory. At the final three players on Sunday, she held the shortest stack when the remaining players paused to discuss a deal. Following an agreement to chop the prize money nearly evenly, Mamiya quickly reversed her fortunes. She proceeded to eliminate her last two opponents to claim the trophy and the slightly larger share of the prize pool.
Hong Kong’s Wilfred Yiu finished third, and Taiwan’s Wei Chun Kuo came in second place, with both receiving around US$100,000 for their efforts. Mamiya confessed that she does not consider herself a No-Limit Hold’em specialist, noting that she rarely enters trophy events for the game. However, she was delighted by the victory, which also includes a TWD 311,000 (US$10,000) seat into the upcoming APTC Main Event, which guarantees over $5 million.
