Shiina Okamoto Wins Back-to-Back Bracelets for $184,094 in WSOP Ladies Championship

After finishing runner-up in 2023 and taking the title in 2024, Okamoto came back to Event #70: $1,000 Ladies Championship and dominated again. She outplayed a 1,368-entry field at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas to claim her second WSOP bracelet, and $184,094 for the win.

Heather Alcorn, a WSOP Circuit ring winner and former Dealer of the Year, fought hard but couldn’t overcome Okamoto’s momentum. She took home $122,654 for second place after a sharp run at the final table.

WSOP Event #70: $1,000 Ladies Championship Results

Final Table Action

It didn’t take long for Shiina Okamoto to remind the table who was boss.

Elisa Nakagawa was the first out, running 10♦10♣ into Juliet Hegedus’ A♣Q♠. An ace on the turn sent Nakagawa to the rail in ninth.

Next was South Africa’s Tanith Rothman, who shoved A♦9♥ and couldn’t get past Alcorn’s A♠K♥. Another ace on the turn sealed it.

Okamoto then picked up her first knockout, calling Sumire Uenomachi’s shove with A♣Q♣. Okamoto’s two pair held, sending Uenomachi out in seventh—the last remaining Japanese player besides the champ.
Hegedus made her stand with 4♦4♣ but couldn’t fade Okamoto’s A♥6♥ pairing the flop. Another one down.

Sonia Shashikhina, who started the day third in chips, ran out of runway fast. She jammed K♦7♠ into Julie Huynh’s A♠A♥ and didn’t survive the turn.

But Huynh didn’t get to enjoy the momentum. In a three-way pot, she shoved with J♥9♠ against Okamoto’s 10♠7♥ and Alcorn’s 7♦6♥. Alcorn’s straight took the pot and Huynh’s seat.

Then came the hand that flipped the whole table. Stephani Hagberg had been right on Okamoto’s heels all day, but this one broke it wide open. Hagberg opened with 10♦9♥, Okamoto defended with 6♣5♣.

Flop: 7♣J♥10♣ — top pair, flush draw.

Turn: 9♣ — flush hits.

Stacks went in, the 7♠ river bricked, and Hagberg was done in third.

Okamoto’s Path to the Repeat

Shiina Okamoto didn’t just win another bracelet, she cemented her place in WSOP history. After a runner-up finish in 2023 and a win in 2024, she came back in 2025 and did what no one else has: back-to-back titles in the WSOP Ladies Championship.

And she felt the weight of that moment.

“I really believed I was going to win,” she said through a translator. “I didn’t feel rushed or like I needed to force anything. I just focused on what I needed to do properly.”

Coming in as chip leader only added pressure. “Everyone expected me to win again,” she said. “So I focused on staying calm. No panic. Just control.”

The final stretch wasn’t easy. “Once we got down to three players, everything shifted,” she explained. “My opponents started adjusting, and I had to adapt all over again. That part was tough.”

But Okamoto knew her presence at the table was already shaping how others played. “Some players start calling lighter to catch bluffs. Others tighten up. I use that. This event fits my game.”

Now with two bracelets and over $1 million in live earnings, she’s not just dominating—she’s leading. Especially back in Japan, where her run is inspiring more women to step into the game.

“Most people don’t learn poker alone,” she said. “You learn from someone. And picking that person matters.”

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The Final Hand

Going into heads-up play, Shiina Okamoto held a massive chip advantage over Heather Alcorn. An 11:1 lead that left little room for error.

Alcorn, to her credit, didn’t go down without a fight.

On the very first hand of heads-up, she scored a quick double-up after getting in with a better hand and holding. But the mountain ahead was still steep, and Okamoto never let control slip.

The final hand began with Okamoto limping the small blind with 9♣9♠. Alcorn shoved her remaining stack with A♦2♠ and was quickly called. The board ran out 3♥10♠K♣J♥3♣, clean for Okamoto’s pocket nines.

With that, Shiina Okamoto secured her second WSOP bracelet and became the undisputed queen of the Ladies Championship.

What’s Next?

With back-to-back WSOP Ladies Championship titles, Shiina Okamoto has secured her place in poker history, and she’s not slowing down. Calm under pressure and deadly when it counts, she’s now passed $1 million in live earnings and is quickly becoming one of the game’s most recognizable faces.

As the 2025 WSOP heads toward the Main Event, Okamoto’s run is already fueling conversations—about her legacy, and about the rise of Japanese talent on the global stage. She’s already made history. A third in 2026? Well within reach.

For updates, bracelet winners, and everything leading up to the Main Event, check out our WSOP 2025 coverage hub.