It’s something most poker players will never have to even worry about, but for Kim Stone the big question was how to feed her newborn and play the final table of a $1M GTD poker tournament at the same time? Kim found a way and pocketed more than $82,000, her remarkable poker story shared on Twitter by fellow pro, Maria Ho…
This is the kind of #poker story that should be amplified. Pursuing this game as a hobby or a profession takes financial resources but more importantly, time. The kind of leisure that is often not available in abundance for mothers/homemakers/caretakers. All 👏The 👏 Props 👏 https://t.co/pMtlPljwt6
— Maria Ho (@MariaHo) September 22, 2021
“This is the kind of poker story that should be amplified”
Kimberley Stone is the founder of the Lone Star Poker Series, having previously been a dealer, player and manager, until little baby Emmy came along to add another element to her busy life.
Poker usually has to take a back seat when women in poker become mothers, but the biggest guaranteed tournament in the history of Texas was an event Kim and her partner, fellow player and LSPS co-founder, Hayden Fortini, were desperate not to miss out on.
However, a hungry 2-month-old baby waits for no man, or in this case woman, and Kim had to find way to not only play, but ensure little Emmy received her regular breast milk.
“Hayden played all the day flights and I played all the night flights,” Kim Stone explained as to how they managed to be parents and poker pros chasing a share of $1million at the Texas Card House.
With close to $1million between them in tournament winnings, the poker-playing side of things was relatively easy. As Kim explains, however, the breast-feeding mother part was far from simple.
Hero-calling with a bluff-catcher at 5am to burst the money bubble meant sleep at 7am and then up at 10am to pump milk for little Emmy before playing day two.
“I played 24 hours of poker in 36 hours on less than 3 hours sleep. I would run to the car on as many breaks as possible to pump so that my little girl would be well-fed her favourite meal later.”
Why I do what I do… pic.twitter.com/kSbDVHQmkg
— KIM STONE (@sunkimstone) September 22, 2021
Kim Stone added:
“This was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my poker career. There was never a moment I wasn’t exhausted on day two…I was even in a little pain at the table because I couldn’t pump on the final break.”
Kim Stone finishes 5th for $82,350
Kim was rewarded with a 5th place finish, an $82,350 cash the second biggest of her career, and a success justly celebrated by the Fantastic Women in Poker organisation.
Congratulations to the fantastic @sunkimstone on her 5th place finish in the Texas Card House Dallas $1M GTD event last night for an amazing payday of $82,450!👏😍👯♀️💸🥂 #womeninpoker pic.twitter.com/jwV9Z9m4Rh
— Fantastic Ladies In Poker (@flip_ladies) September 20, 2021
“This reminded me that with an amazing father like Hayden and love and support of friends, being a mom doesn’t have to kill your dreams. Women are so strong, they are literally capable of miracles – look at what I grew in my belly!”
It wasn’t just Maria Ho and her fellow women in poker who were impressed by Kimberley’s incredible feat. Several male pros couldn’t quite believe the lengths Kim went to, both Matt Stout and Faraz Jaka distinctly impressed…
super proud of you, @sunkimstone! doing it all while nursing is even tougher, but sure does provide some motivation, doesn’t it? 😁
— Matt Stout (@MattStoutPoker) September 20, 2021
Holy shit you are a super hero! In your post you wrote “This is the hardest thing I’ve done in my poker career” … I mean, that’s gotta be one of the hardest things anyone has ever done in any poker career. 👏 Congrats, you earned every single ounce of that victory
— Faraz Jaka (@FarazJaka) September 23, 2021
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