The last 24 hours have seen the poker world explode with joy and praise for the Japanese player Shiina Okamoto’s back-to-back triumph in the $1,000-entry Ladies Championship. The iconic event, which gets bigger every year, is a crucial part of growing the female side of poker and Okamoto’s triumph, winning in 2024 and 2025 after being runner-up in 2023, rightly made headlines around the world.

We spoke to PokerStake’s Heather Alcorn after the runner-up had taken a quick breather on the back of an incredible achievement.

Heather on a Heater

Heather Alcorn’s runner-up result in the Ladies Championship proves how successful PokerStake players have been all summer at the WSOP. We asked Heather what the overall experience was like and how proud she is of the second-biggest result of her poker career, money-wise.

“Considering I was down to 3300 chips in level 4, I’m extremely happy about this entire experience,” Heather says. “I haven’t had the best run in NLHE this series and felt like I was always the short stack and couldn’t really play like I would like. However, when I made the first double up, I went on a heater and it didn’t take long before I was chip leader at the table and bagged a huge stack. That opened up a lot of poker play for me and it continued all the way to the final table.”

Until three-handed play, Heather was never really short again.

“That was extremely fun for me obviously. It kept my heart rate in check, and I was able to enjoy the ride the whole way! Obviously I can’t forget about the ladder gift at the end either – getting second made me very happy since I was so short at three players.”

That gift sent Heather into a final battle with the overwhelming chip leader and crowd favorite Okamoto, purely due to the incredible achievement the Japanese player was on the brink of. Heather didn’t feel like it was her against the world at that point.

“I was just really grateful at that moment,” she tells us. “I definitely hadn’t given up but knew it would be a long battle to even catch up. I was going to have to have an extremely lucky run of cards. I would have loved to have gotten revenge for Jamie [Kerstetter] for last year and spoil the headlines but after what had just transpired, I still left the stage with a huge smile on my face.

Here’s how those final moments played out.

Playing the Rush

In the moments after the Ladies Championship, Heather saw her phone light up with messages of support… and went to refuel with those closest to her.

“I was hungry!” laughs Heather. “I went straight for sushi with some friends and then tried my best to get some sleep before the $1,000 Mini Main Event the next day. That unfortunately did not happen. Once I started getting into the hundreds of messages and posts, I couldn’t get away from them. I was overwhelmed by the support and a couple of those texts even made me emotional. So, no sleep for me!”

While the runner-up result, worth $122,654, means Heather has had a hugely profitable series already, it’s the WSOP and there are still two big weeks to come.

“In a perfect world, I would have only one event left… the Main Event. I hope to have another long run to prove to myself that the first was not just a fluke.”

Heather finished 642^nd in 2023 for a result worth $30,000.

“If that doesn’t happen, I hope to take advantage of all the players that are on tilt from busting the Main!” she laughs. “I hope to continue the heater from the Ladies Event and carry it over through the rest of the summer.”

Another Heroic Run on PokerStake

While Heather’s biggest-ever win was the $129,654 she scooped in winning her WSOP-Circuit ring in 2018, more big results are surely to follow, with investors on PokerStake loving being part of the journey.

“I even had several on my rail which was such a great feeling,” says Heather. “Having had such an early score last summer, I was really getting concerned this year that I was letting everyone down. I was so happy to finally have some success for them. I couldn’t do this without them.”

Heather’s experience in selling on the site has been incredibly positive. While it’s been very profitable for investors, she’s grown a loyal following based on her magnetic personality as well as the profits.

“I love the site! It feels great having people believe in me enough to invest,” Heather says. “The site is very quick and easy to get paid as well. I’ve heard from a couple people that I didn’t even know thanking me for making them money!”

One of Heather’s many heroes in the poker world is a key part of PokerStake’s success. “As an overall personal friend for many years now and poker player, Josh Arieh is one that I have so much respect for on and off the felt,” Heather says. “I’ve really enjoyed watching him over the years and also know he is always there for me if I need advice or just a friend to vent to. Don’t worry, I spare him of bad beat hands. I’m not that kinda gal!”

As a former poker dealer, Heather was able to study up close up many of the famous professionals and friends who have become her peers. Heather admits loving being a part of their success and holds onto the memories of those days with great pride.

Back to this year’s schedule and Heather is determined to add to her success at the WSOP, making room for more tournaments later in the year.

“I have dealer classes coming up and a Ship It Poker Cruise in September, so the next time frame to hopefully play won’t be until October or November. But don’t worry… I will definitely be selling on PokerStake when I’m ready!”

Want to back Heather at the WSOP? Play the rush and invest in her events right here on her official PokerStake staking page.