Maria Lampropulos wins first-ever Women's Winter Festival Main Event

Argentina's Maria Lampropulos stormed to victory on Sunday in the PokerStars Women's Winter Festival Main Event, taking home the tourney's £20,000 winner's prize. Lampropulos started the day tenth among 17 returning players, with a below-average stack, but she powered into the lead late in the day.

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After reaching heads-up play, Lampropulos outdueled Belgium's Ann-Roos Callens for the title. Callens collected £12,610 for second place, The United Kingdom's Marta Porter finished third for £9,000, to top five British players who made the final table.

Early leaders fade on Day 3

Day 3 action began with four players bunched at the top, led by Jennifer Steele, with the four each having double the chips of the closest of 13 other players. Yet the leaderboard changed quickly. Christina Solli, who began the day just behind Steele, ran into rough going early and exited in 13th place. Steele battled but faded to a sixth-place finish, while Lampropulos and the US's Lisa Roberts moved into contention.

Final day chip leader Jennifer Steele bowed out in sixth place.

Danny Maxwell Photography

Roberts busted in fifth spot, while the UK's Franky Green was sent to the rail in fourth. Three-handed play began with Lampropulos, Callens, and the UK's Marta Porter all jostling for the lead, but from there Porter's cards went dry. She ultimately exited in third after getting the last of her chips in with A-8. Lampropulos called with K-9 and caught a nine on the flop, which held up for the knockout.

Lampropulous hits flops

Lampropulos catching a piece of the flop was a recurring theme in the heads-up duel. She almost ended the tournament soon after heads-up play began, in a hand where a river ten made a pair on the board. That gave both players queens and tens and counterfeited a pair of deuces that Lampropulos, with Q-2, had hit squarely on a Q-9-2 flop. 

Callens had started heads-up play narrowly behind Lampropulos, and after the chop she took down a couple of pots to take the lead, but her surge soon ended. Numerous times in the remaining action, Callens was the aggressor with a pre-flop raise and better starting cards, while Lampropulos often called to see a flop, and then made a pair. Callens, meanwhile, missed flop after flop and more often than not fired a continuation bet. Lampropulos made call after call with a middling pair, which would hold up through the rest of the hand. 

A late surge gave Maria Lampropulos the victory in heads-up play.

Most hands found the chips being pushed Lampropulos's way, and the final hand stayed true to form. Callens moved all in with , and Lampropulos quickly called with . The appeared in the window, though the accompanying and still left Callens seven outs to the double-up. It wasn't to be, however, as a turn and river left Lampropulos's queens ahead, sealing her win.

£220 Women's Winter Festival final table results

^{Photos courtesy of PokerStars/Danny Maxwell}