The Texan earned her spot after a solid run in a number of games last year
Not only live poker tournaments were affected by the coronavirus pandemic but the events that are planned around them, too. During the summer, the female members of the Women's Poker Association (WPA) hold a planned ladies' week, where they would go and pick among poker tournaments around Las Vegas to participate in, but it got canceled along with all live poker events. Instead of just missing being together, the association held the first edition of its Virtual Excellence Awards Gala, an online celebration to, somehow, replace the live event. Among several women who got recognition from the association, the most notable one went to Texas player Ruth Hall.
The award given to her was the WPA Player of the Year award, which is defined through a leaderboard that runs for North American players. The points are given based on their participation in a tournament with at least a $100 buy-in and that draw a minimum of 40 people - there were a total of 60. Hall got her award for getting the most points based on what she earned in 2019, and most of her points came largely from two victories she had. The first was at Planet Hollywood in the Goliath Phamous Poker Series event, where she won $7,867, and the second one at the Orleans Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS) Championship just a few days later, which gave her an additional $14,614.
During the one-hour video call ceremony, Hall - who is also a member of the WPA Board of Directors - received a special commemorative ring from the organization. "Everyone should try to find at least one new poker friend to bring to the game that we love," she said. "I think if you have a friend to go do that and enjoy what we love, you're gonna succeed, and I've been fortunate to have that with poker."
