Famous Female Poker Players: The Women Who Changed the Game

No woman has ever won the WSOP Main Event. Only two have reached its final table in over 50 years. Women still make up roughly 4% of the field.

But behind those numbers is a generation of players who have won open-field bracelets, broken earnings records, and forced the game to take them seriously. This page profiles every notable female poker player past and present. Every figure is verified through Hendon Mob and official tour reporting.

Every player below also appears in our main poker players section alongside the full roster of profiles. As of March 2026, women have won open-field WSOP bracelets 37 times. Kristen Foxen leads all women with $13.4 million in career earnings and a record five bracelets.

The Women in Poker Hall of Fame has inducted 28 members since its founding in 2008.

The players in this section built their careers when women in poker were an anomaly, not a category. Several competed in open-field events decades before a Ladies Championship existed.

Vanessa Selbst

The highest-earning female poker player in history until Kristen Foxen overtook her in September 2025. Selbst holds $11,928,957 in lifetime earnings (88 cashes) and three open-field WSOP bracelets (2008 PLO, 2012 Ten-Game Mix, 2014 $25K Mixed Max).

She is the only woman to reach #1 on the Global Poker Index. Officially retired in January 2018 to pursue civil rights law, but returned to play the 2025 WSOP Main Event. Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee (2022).

▶ Read Vanessa Selbst’s Profile (coming soon)

Jennifer Harman

Two-time WSOP bracelet winner in open events (2000 NL 2-7 Lowball, 2002 $5K Limit Hold’em) and Poker Hall of Fame inductee (2015). Harman’s $2,988,058 in tournament earnings vastly understates her poker wealth.

She was a fixture in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio and part of “The Corporation,” the group that battled billionaire Andy Beal at limits up to $100,000/$200,000. Won her 2000 bracelet after receiving a five-minute tutorial on a game she had never played.

▶ Read Jennifer Harman’s Profile (coming soon)

Kathy Liebert

First woman to win a poker tournament with a $1,000,000+ first prize: the 2002 Party Poker Million Cruise, where she beat poker’s most decorated tournament player, Phil Hellmuth at the final table. Liebert also won a WSOP bracelet in 2004.

She holds $7,246,817 in lifetime earnings across an extraordinary 594 cashes, second on the all-time female money list. Won a WSOPC ring as recently as January 2026. Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee (2010).

▶ Read Kathy Liebert’s Profile (coming soon)

Annie Duke

Won the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions for $2,000,000 (winner-take-all invitational) and a WSOP bracelet in the 2004 $2K Omaha Hi-Lo. Her $4,273,973 in lifetime earnings (80 cashes) put her among the top female earners of the boom era.

Stepped away from poker in 2012, now a bestselling author (Thinking in Bets, Quit) and corporate speaker. Returned to live play briefly in July 2025. Her reputation was complicated by association with the Ultimate Bet superuser scandal.

▶ Read Annie Duke’s Profile (coming soon)

Linda Johnson

Known as the “First Lady of Poker,” Johnson won a WSOP bracelet in the 1997 $1,500 Razz event and co-founded the Tournament Directors Association in 2001, establishing standardised poker tournament rules globally.

Former owner/publisher of Card Player magazine and WPT commentator for the first six seasons. Poker Hall of Fame inductee (2011) and Women in Poker Hall of Fame founding class (2008). Still active at 72.

▶ Read Linda Johnson’s Profile (coming soon)

Barbara Enright

The first woman to reach the WSOP Main Event final table, finishing 5th out of 273 players in 1995 for $114,180. That result stood alone for 30 years until Leo Margets matched it in 2025.

Enright holds three WSOP bracelets (1986 Ladies, 1994 Ladies, 1996 $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em) and $1,884,214 in lifetime earnings across 328 cashes. She is the only person inducted into all three poker halls of fame: Poker Hall of Fame (2007), Women in Poker Hall of Fame (2008), and Seniors Poker Hall of Fame (1995).

▶ Read Barbara Enright’s Profile (coming soon)

Clonie Gowen

Early female poker pioneer who won WPT Ladies Night in 2003 (the highest-rated WPT episode ever) and was one of only two players to win three Poker After Dark titles. Lifetime earnings: $1,639,064 (42 cashes).

Retired from poker around 2009 and transitioned to web development. Born “Cycalona,” named after the cyclone occurring during her birth.

▶ Read Clonie Gowen’s Profile (coming soon)

Sandra Naujoks

Won EPT Dortmund in 2009 for €917,000, becoming the second woman to win an EPT Main Event after Victoria Coren Mitchell. German player and former professional model.

Lifetime earnings: $1,796,536 (28 cashes). Formerly a PokerStars sponsored pro. Semi-active, with a small cash in August 2025 after a long hiatus.

▶ Read Sandra Naujoks’ Profile (coming soon)

Annette Obrestad

Youngest WSOP bracelet winner in history: she won the inaugural 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event for £1,000,000 at age 18, one day before her 19th birthday. Norwegian prodigy who built her entire bankroll from $0 through freerolls starting at age 15.

Lifetime earnings: $3,942,664 (73 cashes). Famously won a 180-player sit-and-go claiming she played almost the entire tournament without looking at her cards. Returned to poker in January 2026 after an eight-year hiatus.

▶ Read Annette Obrestad’s Profile (coming soon)

Erica Schoenberg

Crossed over from the MIT Blackjack Team to poker during the early WPT era. Best result: 3rd at the 2007 WSOP $1,500 NLH for $261,646. Lifetime earnings: $867,795 (69 cashes).

▶ Read Erica Schoenberg’s Profile (coming soon)

Gaelle Baumann

The “final table bubble girl” of the 2012 WSOP Main Event, finishing 10th for $286,900, one spot from the October Nine. Notably, two women (Baumann and Elisabeth Hille at 11th) were alive in the final 11.

French player with $1,480,490 in lifetime earnings (82 cashes). Currently sponsored by Winamax.

▶ Read Gaelle Baumann’s Profile (coming soon)

These are the players producing results right now. Kristen Foxen became the all-time female earnings leader in 2025. Leo Margets made the WSOP Main Event final table.

Shiina Okamoto won back-to-back Ladies Championships for the first time in WSOP history.

Kristen Foxen

The all-time female live tournament earnings leader with $13,416,462 across 284 cashes. Foxen holds a record five WSOP bracelets and is a five-time GPI Female Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2025).

She overtook Vanessa Selbst for the top spot in September 2025. Best single cash: $1,104,000 at the 2025 Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju. Married to fellow pro Alex Foxen.

Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee (2024).

▶ Read Kristen Foxen’s Profile (coming soon)

Cherish Andrews

2022 GPI Female Player of the Year and one of the most prolific female tournament players in the modern game with 247 live cashes. Won a WSOP online bracelet in 2022.

Started learning poker at age 14 from her older brothers. Lifetime earnings: $4,221,440. From Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

▶ Read Cherish Andrews’ Profile (coming soon)

Ebony Kenney

Breakout super high roller performer whose $1,700,000 cash at the 2022 Triton $200K Coin Rivet Invitational launched her into elite territory. Also finished runner-up at the 2025 Triton ONE Jeju $15K High Roller ($614,500).

Lifetime earnings: $3,958,995 (128 cashes). ACR Poker Team Pro since late 2020. Most recent cash: March 2026.

▶ Read Ebony Kenney’s Profile (coming soon)

Natasha Mercier

Her $1,800,000 cash for 6th at the 2025 WSOP Paradise $25K Super Main Event actually surpassed the largest single tournament score of her husband, six-time bracelet winner Jason Mercier.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon. Lifetime earnings: $3,332,008 (100 cashes). Jason proposed at the 2016 WSOP final table immediately after she busted 3rd ($348,374).

▶ Read Natasha Mercier’s Profile (coming soon)

Leo Margets

Made history as the second woman ever to reach the WSOP Main Event final table in 2025, finishing 7th for $1,500,000 out of 9,735 players. The largest Main Event cash by a woman in history.

Won a WSOP bracelet in the 2021 $1,500 The Closer ($376,850). Lifetime earnings: $3,599,081 (127 cashes). Spanish pro from Barcelona, sponsored by Winamax.

Also won the Spanish version of The Traitors (2023).

▶ Read Leo Margets’ Profile (coming soon)

Esther Taylor

Became only the second woman to reach the final table of the $50,000 WSOP Poker Players Championship in 2025, finishing 3rd for $595,136. An astonishing 62 WSOP cashes and 9 WSOP final tables.

Lifetime earnings: $3,245,538 (157 cashes). Portland, Oregon native known for a “no solver, all heart” approach. Quit her job at Wells Fargo to play poker full-time.

▶ Read Esther Taylor’s Profile (coming soon)

Xuan Liu

Became the first woman to win a Triton Poker event: the WPT Global Slam at Triton Montenegro in 2025 for $860,000. Also the only woman to reach a PCA Main Event final table (4th, 2012, $600,000).

Canadian player born in Tianjin, China. Lifetime earnings: $3,383,495 (98 cashes). Appeared on Season 9 of High Stakes Poker.

▶ Read Xuan Liu’s Profile (coming soon)

Rania Nasreddine

Won 2024 GPI Breakout Player of the Year after back-to-back EPT Main Event final tables: 3rd at EPT Monte Carlo (€442,900) and 4th at EPT Barcelona (€518,600).

Her 2024 alone produced $1.2 million in winnings, more than double her entire career before that year. Lebanese-American lawyer from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Lifetime earnings: $2,190,226 (96 cashes).

▶ Read Rania Nasreddine’s Profile (coming soon)

Nadya Magnus

2021 GPI Female Player of the Year known for consistency and high volume: her 192 cashes are among the highest totals for any female player. Russian-born, now based in Florida.

Lifetime earnings: $2,421,321. Major advocate for women in poker who regularly gives away WSOP Main Event seats to female players.

▶ Read Nadya Magnus’ Profile (coming soon)

Maria Ho

One of the most accomplished and visible women in poker with $5,543,363 in lifetime earnings (219 cashes), 80+ WSOP cashes, and 8 WSOP final tables. Primary commentator for PokerGO and ESPN’s WSOP Main Event coverage.

Four-time “Last Woman Standing” in WSOP Main Events. Won GGPoker’s Game of Gold Season 1 ($456,000). Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee (2018).

▶ Read Maria Ho’s Profile (coming soon)

Safiya Umerova

Won a WSOP bracelet in the 2016 $1,500 NLH Shootout ($264,046) and had a breakout 2025, including a final table at the WPT Prime Championship ($575,000). Russian-born, now based in Los Angeles.

Lifetime earnings: $1,361,818 (93 cashes). Most recent cash: January 2026.

▶ Read Safiya Umerova’s Profile (coming soon)

Angela Jordison

Oregon-based grinder who won the 2022 Global Poker Awards Breakout Player of the Year after nearly $600,000 in tournament cashes that year. Built her bankroll from $0.01/$0.02 PLO8 stakes starting in 2004.

Lifetime earnings: $1,754,909 (205 cashes). Two WSOP Circuit rings.

▶ Read Angela Jordison’s Profile (coming soon)

Kelly Minkin

“Last Woman Standing” in the WSOP Main Event twice: 29th in 2015 ($211,821) and 50th in 2018 ($156,265). Licensed attorney from Tucson, Arizona who maintains a dual career as player and lawyer.

Lifetime earnings: $1,560,406 (83 cashes). Self-funded throughout her entire career, which is rare among tournament pros.

▶ Read Kelly Minkin’s Profile (coming soon)

Ema Zajmovic

First woman to win an open WPT Main Tour Championship: WPT Playground Poker Club Main Event in Montreal (February 2017, C$241,500). Nearly won a second WPT title in 2018, finishing runner-up at WPT Montreal ($668,388).

Born in Bosnia & Herzegovina, raised in Canada. Lifetime earnings: $1,237,312 (38 cashes). Won her historic seat through an online qualifier on partypoker.

▶ Read Ema Zajmovic’s Profile (coming soon)

Shiina Okamoto

First player ever to win back-to-back WSOP Ladies Championships (2024: $171,732; 2025: $184,094), after finishing runner-up in 2023. That 2nd-1st-1st streak has no precedent in WSOP history.

Japanese former architect and investment banker with $1,167,525 in lifetime earnings (110 cashes). GTO Wizard Team Pro since August 2025.

▶ Read Shiina Okamoto’s Profile (coming soon)

Nikita Luther

First Indian woman to win a WSOP bracelet: 2018 $1K Tag Team NLH with teammate Giuseppe Pantaleo ($175,805 each). Also serves as COO of the Poker Sports League in India.

Born into a military family in Delhi. Lifetime earnings: $540,813 (42 cashes). Has a TED talk on “tackling uncertainty in life.”

▶ Read Nikita Luther’s Profile (coming soon)

Jen Shahade

Two-time US Women’s Chess Champion and FIDE Woman Grandmaster who successfully crossed over to poker. Had a breakthrough 2025 with a career-best $291,800 cash.

PokerStars MindSports Ambassador since 2014, one of the longest-running poker sponsorships. Lifetime earnings: $814,981 (75 cashes). Published Thinking Sideways (2026) and Chess Bitch.

▶ Read Jen Shahade’s Profile (coming soon)

Arden Cho

Teen Wolf actress and Netflix’s Partner Track star who finished 2nd at the 2024 PGT Championship ($200,000), defeating top professionals before falling heads-up. Lifetime earnings: $436,828 (13 cashes). Also featured on our guide to celebrities who play serious poker.

▶ Read Arden Cho’s Profile (coming soon)

Jamie Kerstetter

One of poker’s most prominent dual-threat commentators and players, with an extraordinary 307 career cashes. Commentary work spans ESPN, PokerGO, CBS Sports, and WPT.

Former tax attorney who spearheads women’s Meet Up Games (MUGs), once filling an entire MGM poker room with 163 women. Lifetime earnings: $1,012,104. Currently Marketing Manager at ClubWPT Gold.

▶ Read Jamie Kerstetter’s Profile (coming soon)

Elizabeth Chen

High-stakes Triton Poker competitor who won the inaugural Triton ONE Women’s Championship on International Women’s Day (March 8, 2026). Also finished 9th in the $125K Triton Montenegro Main Event ($478,000).

Chinese national and former dance teacher. Lifetime earnings: $856,524 (27 cashes).

▶ Read Elizabeth Chen’s Profile (coming soon)

These players bridge poker with entertainment, media, science, and streaming. Some hold WSOP bracelets and multi-million dollar records. Others brought attention to the game through cultural impact that no tournament result could match.

Liv Boeree

The only female player to win both an EPT title (San Remo 2010, €1,250,000) and a WSOP bracelet (2017 Tag Team). Returned from retirement at WSOP Paradise in December 2024, finishing 4th for $2,800,000: the largest single tournament cash by a woman in poker history.

Lifetime earnings: $6,699,290 (107 cashes). Now a science communicator and podcaster with a degree in Astrophysics from the University of Manchester. Also featured on our celebrity poker players page. ▶ Read Liv Boeree’s Full Profile

Jennifer Tilly

Oscar-nominated actress and the first celebrity to win a WSOP bracelet (2005 Ladies Event, $158,335). Lifetime earnings: $1,056,898 (63 cashes). Still active in high-stakes cash games and poker TV shows.

Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee (2022). Long-time partner of poker pro Phil Laak. Also featured on our celebrity poker players page.

▶ Read Jennifer Tilly’s Profile (coming soon)

Victoria Coren Mitchell

First person to win two EPT Main Event titles: EPT London 2006 (£500,000) and EPT Sanremo 2014 (€476,100). British TV presenter (BBC’s Only Connect), author, and the first woman to win any EPT event.

Lifetime earnings: $2,504,768 (64 cashes). Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee (2016). Famously resigned from PokerStars in 2014 over ethical concerns when they launched an online casino.

▶ Read Victoria Coren Mitchell’s Profile (coming soon)

Vanessa Rousso

Won the EPT Monte Carlo €25K High Roller (~$700K) and reached the final of the 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Championship, defeating Doyle Brunson, the player many regard as poker’s greatest, Phil Ivey, and all-time WSOP earnings leader Daniel Negreanu en route.

Also finished 3rd on Big Brother 17. Lifetime earnings: $3,557,622 (70 cashes). Fully retired from poker since 2017.

▶ Read Vanessa Rousso’s Profile (coming soon)

Kara Scott

Premier poker TV presenter who has hosted and commentated for EPT, High Stakes Poker, ESPN WSOP Main Event, and WPT. Also a capable player with $664,795 in lifetime earnings (25 cashes).

Back-to-back WSOP Main Event cashes in 2008 and 2009. Currently hosts the Heart of Poker podcast. Semi-retired from playing, still active in broadcasting.

▶ Read Kara Scott’s Profile (coming soon)

Vanessa Kade

Won the PokerStars Sunday Million 15th Anniversary (March 2021) for $1,514,920, defeating 69,876 entries in one of the largest online tournament fields ever.

Central figure in the GGPoker/Dan Bilzerian controversy: she publicly criticised GGPoker’s signing of Bilzerian as harmful to women in poker. GGPoker terminated her affiliate contract. Lifetime live earnings: ~$1,317,392 (70+ cashes).

▶ Read Vanessa Kade’s Profile (coming soon)

The Numbers: Women at the WSOP

The 2025 WSOP Ladies Championship drew a record 1,368 entries. Women made up roughly 4% of the 2025 Main Event field (369 out of 9,735 entrants). Leo Margets became only the second woman to reach the Main Event final table, 30 years after Barbara Enright in 1995.

Women have won open-field WSOP bracelets 37 times through 2024 (excluding Ladies events). Vera Richmond was the first to win an open event in 1982. The current leader is Kristen Foxen with five.

The Women in Poker Hall of Fame has inducted 28 members since 2008. The most recent class (2024) honoured Kristen Foxen, Jeanne David, and Starla Brodie (posthumous Pioneer). Barbara Enright (2007) and Jennifer Harman (2015) are the only two women among the Poker Hall of Fame’s 65 inductees.

Maria Konnikova

The defining poker origin story: from New York Times journalist who didn’t know how many cards were in a deck to WSOP bracelet winner (2024 online $888 NLH), mentored by Hall of Famer Erik Seidel.

Her book The Biggest Bluff became a national bestseller. Lifetime earnings: $1,021,110 (121 cashes). PokerStars Team Pro with a PhD in psychology from Columbia University.

▶ Read Maria Konnikova’s Profile (coming soon)

Alexandra Botez

Chess champion (Woman FIDE Master, five-time Canadian National Girls Champion) turned poker’s most successful streaming crossover. Won $456,900 on Hustler Casino Live (2022).

Holds $150,873 in verified tournament earnings (14 cashes). Hosts BotezLive on Twitch (1M+ followers). Current ClubWPT Gold Ambassador.

Also featured on our celebrity poker players page.

▶ Read Alexandra Botez’s Full Profile

Marle Cordeiro

Former model and Triton Poker announcer turned poker vlogger and tournament player. Career-best cash was 8th at the EPT Prague Main Event (December 2023) for €123,600.

Won the 2024 Global Poker Award for Best X/Twitter Personality. Lifetime earnings: $537,781 (91 cashes). Married to PokerStars streamer Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg.

▶ Read Marle Cordeiro’s Profile (coming soon)

Farah Galfond

Former soap opera actress (Days of Our Lives for 847 episodes, One Life to Live) who transitioned to professional poker. Married to Phil Galfond (3x WSOP bracelet winner, Run It Once founder).

Lifetime earnings: $296,303 (50 cashes). Co-produced the “GALFOND” docuseries (2024). Played cash games as high as $2K/$4K NLH before pivoting to tournaments full-time.

▶ Read Farah Galfond’s Profile (coming soon)

Veronica Brill

Key whistleblower in the Mike Postle cheating scandal at Stones Gambling Hall (2019). As commentary host, she noticed Postle’s statistically impossible winning patterns and went public after management dismissed her concerns.

Won an anti-SLAPP motion when Postle filed a $330M defamation countersuit. Now hosts commentary on Poker After Dark. Lifetime earnings: $36,634 (18 cashes).

▶ Read Veronica Brill’s Profile (coming soon)

Olga Iermolcheva

Ukrainian professional poker player who rose to fame on GGPoker’s Game of Gold reality TV poker show (2023). Highest-ranking female player from Ukraine on the All-Time Money List.

Lifetime earnings: $842,932 (124 cashes). CoinPoker Ambassador. Originally studied English literature in Ukraine before a classmate introduced her to poker.

▶ Read Olga Iermolcheva’s Profile (coming soon)

Robbi Jade Lew

Central figure in the most infamous hand in live-streamed poker history: the “J4 hand” on Hustler Casino Live (September 2022). She called Garrett Adelstein’s all-in for $109,000 holding :jc: :4h: and won a $269K pot.

She passed a polygraph test and an independent investigation found no conclusive evidence of wrongdoing. Lifetime earnings: $199,419 (45 cashes). Former pharmaceutical executive who started poker during COVID.

▶ Read Robbi Jade Lew’s Profile (coming soon)

Shannon Elizabeth

One of the strongest female performers in heads-up poker, defeating three bracelet holders en route to 3rd at the 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Championship ($125,000). Former Full Tilt and CarbonPoker ambassador who now channels her poker activity through charity events. Lifetime earnings: $247,851 (18 cashes).

Also featured on our celebrity poker players page.

▶ Read Shannon Elizabeth’s Profile (coming soon)

Tiffany Michelle

Held the record for deepest Main Event run by a woman in the modern era for seven years after her 17th-place finish in 2008 ($334,534 from a 6,844-player field). Partnered with Maria Ho on The Amazing Race Season 15.

Currently Creative Director and host of Gardens Poker Night. Won a WSOP Circuit ring in 2022. Lifetime earnings: $460,831 (43 cashes).

Also featured on our celebrity poker players page.

▶ Read Tiffany Michelle’s Profile (coming soon)

Qiyu “Nemo” Zhou

The first chess player signed by an eSports organisation (Counter Logic Gaming, 2020) and one of the most recognisable female faces in poker streaming. Streams as “akaNemsko” on Twitch, blending chess and poker content.

Won the inaugural Celebrity Poker Tour Invitational in 2023. Lifetime earnings: $53,512 (8 cashes). Born in China, raised across Finland and Canada.

Also featured on our celebrity poker players page.

▶ Read Nemo Zhou’s Profile (coming soon)

Molly Bloom

Former Olympic-class skier who pivoted into running the highest-stakes private poker games in the US, with buy-ins reaching $50,000 and individual hands topping $4 million. Her nine-year run (2004-2013) across Hollywood and New York ended with a federal indictment.

Pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanour charge. Her memoir became an Oscar-nominated film directed by Aaron Sorkin. Now a keynote speaker and entrepreneur.

Also featured on our celebrity poker players page.

▶ Read Molly Bloom’s Profile (coming soon)

Kylie Jenner

Not a competitive player, but her “Hot Girl Poker” tutorial for Vanity Fair’s Spring 2026 cover (March 2026) reached more potential poker players than a decade of traditional marketing.

With ~500 million combined social media followers, even a fraction taking up the game would be significant for poker’s growth. Also featured on our celebrity poker players page.

▶ Read Kylie Jenner’s Profile (coming soon)

Many of the players on this page started with the same fundamentals every beginner needs: hand rankings, position, and pot odds. If you want to understand the strategy behind their results, our guide to Texas Hold’em fundamentals covers the essentials. For the latest tournament results and industry coverage, visit our news section.