It’s not a big secret that South Florida is home to some of the best poker players in the world. Our games often feature WSOP bracelet winners, WPT Champions Club members, high-rollers, and high-stakes cash game players.

We are especially proud of one notable accomplishment among a few of our regulars. Marsha Wolak and Jacquelyn Scott won the WSOP Ladies Championship bracelet in 2011 and 2015 and Jessica Dawley matched them this summer.

“The fact that Jackie, myself and Marsha (Wolak) are all from South Florida,” Dawley said the night before the SHRPO Championship. “Three ladies all have a bracelet, that’s astronomical odds that are not in our favor.”

Scott was cheering from afar as Dawley was deep in the Ladies Championship.

“I was so excited when I saw it and I was like ‘Oh my god I know she’s going to win’. I knew she was going to win.” Scott commented about Dawley’s run. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be there because I was in other tournaments. I couldn’t go for her bracelet ceremony which was a disappointment. But I knew with her talent there was no way she wasn’t going to win.”

Scott knew exactly what Dawley was going through from her title in 2015. Three years removed and Scott has had a chance to process the moment.

“You’re all fired up, you know, and then you go back to the series,” Scott said. “All of a sudden it’s very humbling because the reality is that you realize what a big deal it really is. That’s the way I feel about it. I’m still extremely proud of it. I’m still excited about it.”

When Dawley entered the Ladies Championship, she wasn’t in the best frame of mind for the game. She was tired from the grind and not running well.

“I played in so many tournaments all summer,” she said. “Up until then I only had one scheduled day off and my girlfriend said ‘Let’s go to the Venetian and play a satellite for the main event.”

When Dawley saw the field, she decided to play the tournament but things did not go well.

“I had to play this tournament. I mean it was every other table had maybe one pro at it. And that day was like the worst day of poker I’ve had probably the last six months.” Dawley explained.

“Every time I had a hand, they had a hand, and I was second best 100 percent of the time. So I was pretty dejected going into the Ladies Event.”

Dawley regrouped, got a good night’s sleep, and made her way to the Rio. A call from friend Jamie Kerstetter got her moving and heading towards the WSOP Ladies Championship.

“I went to sleep at night and said ‘I’m going to sleep until I wake up tomorrow. I’ll just get there when I get there.” she said .”No problem. I get there and it’s very late. I’m so not in a great mindset, I’m pretty over it for the summer.”

Things began to turn around when she found a table of friends at her first table.

“I walk in and I see a couple of my girlfriends and then at the table, I see Nancy Birnbaum is there and Emily (Kornuth). I was like OK great. At least it is not going to be a bad day, I’ll have some enjoyment. I was able to enjoy myself and get my mindset back in and having fun things had a lot to do with it.”

With her proper mindset restored, she still needed to improve her late-entry starting stack and one big hand helped.

“I bought in late and was already short right off the bat and I get moved to a different table. I have Kristy Arnett on my left and she had a massive stack. I think I had 6K at 500, I was barely treading water all day,” she said of her new table.

“So it folds around to the lady in the cut off, she goes all in, and then it folds the small blind and she calls all in. They both have me covered obviously. I look down and I have pocket sixes in the big blind. I thought ‘Well, I’m just trying to get on chips or be out’.” Dawley continued.

“And I’m in the nine-seat so I can’t see the flop. It comes out and the players go ‘Whoa’ and I thought I must have flopped a set of something.” Dawley laughed. “The dealer moved his hand and I had quad sixes.”

That hand gave her a workable stack. With chips and a better mindset, Dawley cruised through to the final day and final table.

“Then I could actually play, I could three-bet and take some shots because before then I was just hoping to make some hands.” Dawley continued.

“We got moved up to the live-stream table. They can see your cards on a 30-minute delay but I knew it was going to be more beneficial for myself.” Dawley said when speaking of her final table competition.

“I think some of them were a little star struck being on the live-stream and everything made them so nervous that they kind of knocked themselves out.” She said. “I didn’t have any hands in the beginning. And when I finally caught cards they were so out of their element.”

“But I never had that fear factor of like oh my gosh I hope I don’t play it wrong and everyone sees.”

“I just wanted a run of cards, just a couple of aces or kings or something just one time. Just give me a couple of hands.” Dawley continued. “And not even a half an hour after dinner I’ve got all those hands and it was amazing. It felt great just to look down at those once.”

Dawley finished off the final table and ended the day as the 2018 WSOP Ladies Champion.

“I was really happy to close it out and it felt amazing to hold my bracelet up,” she said. “Man, what a feeling.”

The rail was full of supporters, friends, and family. Some were there in person and others on the virtual rail.

“It felt great, especially for my family. None of them understand poker.” Dawley said of her family. “Still to this day, they just really enjoy being able to see me like on TV or live-stream whenever and especially I think for our parents is to see like a dream fulfilled.”

“They were a little nervous for me at the start of the journey on my own. But you know, ten years later, this is kind of the culmination and it was amazing. Having all my friends be supportive we great.”

“I’ve supported a lot of people, I’ve been to a lot of final tables for all of my friends and it was nice to have that paid back if you will.”

There was no slowing down for Dawley and she cashed in both the WSOP Main Event and Closer tournament.

“I realize it’s only been a month since it happened and I’ve been so busy since then. I want to sit down one day and just kind of feel that feeling again because it doesn’t happen that often.”

We are always extremely happy when any of our regulars make a big splash anywhere in the poker world, and to have Jessica, Jackie and Marsha all win the same prestigious event makes it that much more special!

“I’m going to win another one,” she said. “That’s for sure.”