Top Women Poker Pros

Women have competed in the WSOP since its earliest years — Barbara Freer played in the 1970s Main Event, and the WSOP Ladies Event has run since 1977. However, the modern era of women as competitive high-stakes professionals began in earnest in the late 1990s with Jennifer Harman, who earned two WSOP bracelets and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2015. Harman competed regularly in the Bobby's Room high-stakes cash games at Bellagio — a domain almost exclusively male — and earned the respect of the most elite players of that era.

The 2003-2006 poker boom brought a wave of new women to the game. Annie Duke won the WSOP Tournament of Champions in 2004, defeating Phil Hellmuth in the final to take $2M — one of the most-discussed results in poker television history. Kathy Liebert consistently cashed in major events throughout the 2000s. Vanessa Rousso, Tiffany Michelle (2008 WSOP ME final nine), and Lucia Navarro brought additional visibility during the boom years.

Vanessa Selbst defines the subsequent era. At Yale Law School simultaneously with her peak poker career, she won three WSOP bracelets between 2008 and 2014 and earned $11.9M in live tournaments — numbers that stand comparison with many elite male pros of the same period, not just women. Her retirement in 2018 left a notable gap at the top of women's poker. Kristen Foxen has since emerged as the most active high-level woman competitor, with multiple bracelet wins and consistent high-roller circuit results through the 2020s.

The WSOP Ladies Event has been legally open to men since a 2012 court ruling, but the event's spirit is women-only. Most male players opt out of the field out of professional courtesy, though occasional entries by men have generated public backlash — including Phil Hellmuth's 2012 appearance which drew criticism from the women's poker community. The event charges a $1,000 buy-in and regularly draws 1,000+ entrants, making it one of the largest fields in the summer WSOP series by entry count.

The debate has two genuine positions. Proponents of women's-only events argue they create a more comfortable entry point for women new to competitive poker — reducing the intimidation factor of male-dominated live rooms, building community, and providing meaningful wins for developing players. Critics of the format argue that gender-segregated competition is inherently unequal and that women should compete in and win open events rather than a separate category.

The practical outcome of both being available simultaneously is positive: women's events attract players who would not enter open events, while players like Selbst, Foxen, and Ho compete primarily in open events at the highest buy-in levels. The two approaches serve different populations and are not mutually exclusive. The ongoing growth of women competing in open high-roller events — no longer a novelty — suggests the structural barriers are declining without the women-only format being eliminated.