Women’s Poker Week 2026: Aria Ladies Mystery Bounty Tournament a Roaring Success

As 2026 Women’s Poker Week rolls on in Las Vegas, Aria proved to be an outstanding host for the Ladies Mystery Bounty tournament, which featured an $800 buy-in and a $150,000 guaranteed prize pool. A total of 333 women took their seats, creating an exciting and competitive atmosphere from the start. In addition, down the street, the $150 Ladies Warm-up event was taking place at the WSOP. We couldn’t be at the latter because we were at the former, but we’ve included a brief recap of the Ladies Warm-up towards the end of this article as well.

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$800 Aria Ladies Mystery Bounty

The Aria Ladies Mystery Bounty prize pool fell just short of the guarantee, totalling $149,850, with the top 42 finishers sharing the prize money. The eventual champion took home $32,075, while players who reached the money were guaranteed at least $810 for their efforts. With mystery bounties in play and a talented field of competitors, the tournament delivered plenty of action and excitement throughout the day. The Women’s Poker Association (WPA) celebrated the final table with swag bags and an elegant trophy.

Several familiar faces found their way into the money, adding even more star power to the event. Among them were Florence Mazet, a respected sports and poker journalist, and Marguerita Spagnuola, who captured a title last year at the Wynn during Women’s Week.

Also cashing were poker personality Kyna England, poker commentator and media personality Tiffany Michelle, and Angela Vagylenko from Ukraine, who has amassed more than $200,000 in live tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob. Joining them was Thi Nguyen, who boasts nearly $2 million in career tournament winnings. Nguyen also brought along her small dog, Kalbi, who quickly became a fan favourite and enjoyed plenty of attention from the players throughout the day.

Making a deep run and reaching the money as well was Hayley Hochstetler. If you’ve had your photo taken at the World Series of Poker or a RunGood event, chances are Hochstetler was behind the camera. A talented photographer and an emerging poker player in her own right, she has become a familiar face on the tournament circuit and keeps a close pulse on the poker community.

Joining them was Anastasia Knapp of Ukraine, who is no stranger to success on the felt. Knapp made an impressive deep run in the 2025 Ladies World Series of Poker Championship and continued to showcase her tournament skills with another strong performance in this event.

Once the money bubble burst, the action accelerated rapidly as players hit the rail in quick succession and mystery bounties were being claimed throughout the room. The night’s biggest bounty winner was Cindy Spier, who enjoyed an incredible run at the bounty table, pulling the top $15,000 prize along with bounties worth $5,000, $2,000, $1,000, and $500. Her remarkable haul assured she would be one of the biggest winners of the evening, regardless of where she ultimately finished in the tournament.

Chen-Wen Lee

Fan favourite Jamie Kerstetter was the first player to fall at the final table, and her departure likely brought a collective sigh of relief from the remaining competitors. With more than $1 million in live tournament earnings, Kerstetter has earned a reputation as one of poker’s most respected players. She is also a familiar and well-loved voice in the industry, having provided commentary for many of the game’s biggest events. Her combination of talent at the tables and insight behind the microphone has made her one of poker’s most recognizable personalities.

Following Kerstetter to the payout desk was Jacqueline Collins of Colorado, who earned an eighth-place finish after navigating her way through a tough field.

Seventh place belonged to Babette Chao of New Jersey. In addition to her deep run, Chao enjoyed tremendous success in the bounty portion of the event, collecting an impressive $10,500 in mystery bounties. It was a strong result for the rising grinder.

The next elimination was Wenxin Huang from California. Huang continued her hot streak after finishing eighth in the Wynn Ladies Event the previous evening. She added a sixth-place finish here and boosted her earnings with $9,000 in bounty prizes.

Taiwan’s Hua-Wei Lin exited in fifth place, adding another noteworthy score to her growing poker résumé. She also picked up $3,500 in bounties during her run.

Fourth place went to Vivienne Gentry, who continues to enjoy an exceptional summer. This marked her second final-table appearance of the week after finishing third in the Ladies Event at The Orleans, further cementing her status as one of the hottest players on the circuit.

Third-place finisher Seina Asagiri showed remarkable resilience after losing the majority of her stack to Lynn Kucharo and being left with just a single chip. Refusing to give up, Asagiri staged an impressive comeback, scoring back-to-back double-ups to keep her tournament hopes alive. Her inspiring run finally ended when her ace-jack failed to improve against the pocket deuces of Chen-Wen Lee. Asagiri collected $2,750 in mystery bounties in addition to her third-place prize, capping off an unforgettable performance.

When play reached heads-up action, Lynn Kucharo and Chen-Wen Lee agreed to an even chop, with each player taking home the same first-place prize money. Kucharo was awarded the Aria trophy, while Lee claimed the WPA trophy, and both women were thrilled with the outcome.

For Kucharo, the victory was especially meaningful. She had not even planned to play in the event until a close friend persuaded her to register. Beaming after the win, she said, “This is my first final table, my first trophy, my first time winning a bounty.” Having taken up poker just four years ago after retiring, Kucharo described her previous tournament results as modest. This breakthrough performance more than made up for the countless events she had spent grinding over the years. Along the way, she also collected an impressive $5,000 in mystery bounties.

Lee’s story was equally heartwarming. A regular participant during Women’s Week each summer, she reflected on the last few years of near misses, saying, “I have been coming to Women’s Week for several years now, and I have not had any decent results. I finally broke the seal.” The tournament was also her first experience cashing in on the mystery bounty format, and she made the most of it by pulling $7,500 in bounty prizes. When asked about her bounty haul, Lee could hardly contain her excitement, responding simply, “Super excited about that.”

For both champions, the event represented far more than a payday. It was the culmination of years of dedication, perseverance, and belief in their game, making their shared victory one of the most memorable moments of the tournament.

Player of the Day: Trishelle Cannatella

This 2026 Women’s Poker Week recap Player of the Day is brought to you by Texas Card House.

“At TCH, we’re passionate about providing an unparalleled poker experience for our members. Founded by a team of dedicated poker enthusiasts, we understand the thrill of the game and strive to create an environment where players of all levels can come together to enjoy the excitement of poker.”

Trishelle Cannatella is no stranger to the spotlight. Best known for her appearances on The Real World: Las Vegas, The Traitors (where she won season 2), and The Challenge, she has spent years entertaining audiences on television. She even stepped into the wrestling world on Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling, where she underwent intensive training to become “The Red-Hot Redneck.”

These days, however, Cannatella is also focused on making a name for herself in poker.

Her poker résumé already includes a third-place finish in the 2010 World Poker Tour Invitational, where she earned $20,000. In 2013, she travelled to Barcelona to film a pilot for a poker reality show called Living the Life, combining her passion for poker with her background in entertainment.

Recently, Cannatella has begun taking the game more seriously, and the results are starting to show. She made a deep run in the WSOP Millionaire Maker earlier this week, although she described the experience as a “heartbreaker” after falling short of an even deeper finish.

“Now, I am treating this like a job,” she explained. “I’m studying a few hours a day and learning more.”

Like every tournament player, Cannatella has learned how to handle disappointment. When asked how she recovers from a tough bust out, she said, “I catch up with friends, have a relaxing chat, and forget about the tournament.”

She also credits several poker friends for helping her improve, including Katie Lindsay, whom she describes as “the queen of knowledge for poker.”

Among all the stops on the poker circuit, her favourite remains the European Poker Tour Barcelona. Between the competition, the city, and the memories she has made there, Barcelona continues to hold a special place in her heart.

Cannatella believes women’s events present their own unique challenges. “It’s more challenging,” she said. “Women are very hard to read. You can’t use your charm on them because they see right through that B.S.”

When discussing her poker ambitions, she couldn’t help but smile: “I would love to final table a WSOP event and win a circuit ring. I would just like some jewelry.”

As for fuel during a long day at the tables, her choice is simple, peanut M&M’s: “I love chocolate. It gives me energy. That’s what I had for breakfast.”

One skill Cannatella has developed through both poker and reality television is reading people. She believes that ability served her particularly well during her appearance on The Traitors, where she often relied on subtle physical tells. “I could tell who was a traitor by their heartbeat,” she joked, noting that the same observational skills now help her make decisions at the poker table.

When asked about the best poker advice she has ever received, her answer came with a laugh and a bit of regret: “Don’t go broke with kings in the Main Event on Day 1.” Unfortunately, she ignored that advice, ran her pocket kings into pocket aces, and saw her tournament end abruptly.

For the remainder of her stay in Las Vegas, Cannatella plans to play the Main Event again, the Ladies Championship, and Mystery Millions, although she is taking her schedule one day at a time.

One thing is certain: beneath the glamorous television persona lies a dedicated competitor who puts in the work. Anyone sitting down with Trishelle Cannatella would be wise not to underestimate her; she’s ready to grind, compete, and make some serious noise on the poker felt.

$150 Ladies Warm-Up

A total of 218 players ponied up the $150 buy in for the Ladies Warm Up event at the WSOP, creating a total prize pool of $23,980. A $305 minimum payout awaited the 33 ladies who’d eventually make it into the money, with over $5,000 being awarded to whomever would make it out on top.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to capture a picture of the ladies who made the final table, but each of them was awarded a sweet WPA swag bag, pictured below (along with their prize monies, of course).

We do, however, have the details of everyone who made the Ladies Warm-Up final table, which you can see in the table below. Ultimately emerging victorious was Linda Vaughan, of Fredrickburg, Virginia, to take home the lioness’ share of the prize pool and the prestigious WPA trophy.

2026 Women’s Poker Week: What’s Next?

Cardplayer Lifestyle’s exclusive coverage of 2026 Women’s Poker Week continues Wednesday, June 24th:

• LIPS Ladies at The Venetian at 11:10 a.m. $800 buy in with a 150K guarantee