Helen Firth has made a fantastic start to her year as a Betfred-sponsored player by reaching the final table of the Party Poker Women's World Open IV in London.

The 2009 Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour champion came through a high-quality opening heat of the televised tournament and will carry her 325,000 chips into the final against five other players.

Six top-class competitors, including Annette Obrestad, fell by the wayside as Helen built upon a fine start to the game. Her seat at the final table was assured when Lynne Beaumont, her predecessor as BLPT champion, was knocked out on the bubble by chip leader Claire Renaud.

A sign that it was to be Helen's day came when she scooped 300,000 chips after being dealt AK in consecutive hands early in the game, firstly for a 64,000 win and then a 236,000 haul after six of the eight players had stayed in on the flop.

At the end of level two Helen was comfortably the chip leader with 297,000 and she later increased that total to 344,000 after a 54k win over Lynne when AJ held up.  

At the break, at the end of level four, Claire Renaud had established control of the table as she built a healthy chip lead, but the second seat in the final was up for grabs.

Helen dealt Annette Obrestad's hopes a severe blow when the Norwegian went all in with a pair of fours, but the Betfred player hit two pair on the board - aces and eights - to boost her own prospects.

Down to three players, the bubble was a cagey affair with Lynne the most aggressive of the trio, but the former Betfred champion's final all-in came unstuck.

With a pair of 10s, Lynne got no help from the board and Claire hit a pair of Queens on the flop to leave Helen as one of the two survivors who will go forward to the next day's final.

"I'm really happy, I never thought I'd get so far in my first televised game," said the 36-year-old pub landlady from North Yorkshire.

"It was very stressful but I played my game and when it got down to the three of us I was just playing for second place.

"I will be low-stacked for the final, but the old saying is 'a chip and a chair' and I have nothing to lose."

Helen is guaranteed at least $3,000, the cost of her buy-in, for reaching the final table, but will be eyeing the $30,000 available to the winner

25th March 2010

Helen Firth's debut as a Betfred-sponsored player - and in a televised tournament - ended with a glorious second-place finish worth £10,000 at the Party Poker Women's World Open IV in London.

The 2009 Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour champion produced a sensational performance to reach the heads-up, seeing off some top-class opponents before taking the runner-up spot to Pippa Flanders.

After reaching the final table of six by finishing runner-up in her heat, Helen was short-stacked having carried over her chips from the previous day but quickly declared her intention to climb up the standings.

Some aggressive play saw the 36-year-old North Yorkshire landlady go all in three times during the first level but she was not called on any occasion, those positive moves nevertheless putting her right back into contention in the Channel Five-televised event.
Fifth place at least was guaranteed when Helen knocked out Tatjana Pasalic as AK beat A2 and the exit of Claire Renaut, who had won the Betfred player's heat, meant fourth position became the worst case scenario.

A short-stacked Eliza Burnett was added to Helen's list of victims courtesy of a Jack on the flop and after a lengthy up-and-down battle with Caroline Cove, the latter departed in third place when ousted by Pippa Flanders.

That meant Helen was in front at the start of the heads-up and won the first big pot to extend her lead, but then things turned in her opponent's favour.

It was all over when Helen went all in with KQ against AQ, and nothing on the board for the BLPT queen meant she just missed out on the winner's bracelet and the ultimate start to her year.

"I'm over the moon to have done so well but a little disappointed to have come up just short of victory," said Helen.

"In the final hand I was getting short-stacked and Pippa was running away with it, so I had to push with KQ and unfortunately Pippa turned over AQ and hit both!

"But I'm delighted to have represented the Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour so successfully and I think this performance proves just how high the quality is on the tour.

"This result shows the Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour is a gateway to even bigger things in the world of poker and I'll be aiming to build on the great start I've made during the rest of the year."