The top female poker players are known around the world today for their groundbreaking achievements in a historically male-dominated game with some of the most exciting online tournaments and cash prizes. Take a look with our guide as we explore some of the history behind the most famous women in poker today, including the best players, their exceptional achievements and total tournament earnings to date, as well as some of the earlier famous female pioneers of the 1800s.
Some Quick Facts About Ranking Female Poker Stars
Let’s review some quick facts about the top ranking female poker players who have inspired and will continue to motivate generations of women who want to learn to play the popular card game:
- Vanessa Selbst currently holds the title of the all-time world’s best female poker player, with over USD $11.9 million in live poker tournament earnings; she retired in 2018 though she still makes some appearances.
- In 2024, Kristen Foxen, the Canadian-born top poker star with 5 WSOP bracelets, was one of 2 women officially inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF).
- Historically, Barbara Enright stands out as the first female player to reach the World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event final table.
- The world’s first ladies-only poker event took place in 1977, empowering many women with interest in all types of poker games and tournaments.
Upping the Ante – A History of Women in Poker
In the early days, the Wild West had a significant influence on women’s participation in poker in private clubs and saloons where most of the players were men. More female players started playing poker games around the turn of the twentieth century, and an even greater boom followed the women’s rights movement of the 1960s and ’70s and the poker boom in the 2000s. Today, some of the most celebrated professional poker players are women with incredible poker skills and notable tournament winnings.
The 1977 World Series of Poker Ladies Event
Held at Binion’s Horseshoe, the 1977 World of Series poker tournament was the first ladies-only event that opened doors for women who wished to compete in paid poker games. Jackie McDaniels emerged the first female winner in the USD $100 buy-in Stud Poker Tournament bringing in around USD $5,580 that game, which is relatively small change compared to more sizable recent wins among the top women in poker today. This event revolutionalised the poker industry, clearly showing that anyone could participate in a poker game and win a decent amount. The “Truth is that anyone can win,” Jack Binion famously said, after the 2019 WSOP event, adding that “all anyone needs to enter the series is money, self-confidence, an ability to play good poker, guts and the ambition to best the pros.”
The Top 10 Female Poker Stars of Today, Ranked
Anyone who wants to become a professional poker player can take inspiration from some of the most successful female players who have won some life-changing amounts in poker, proving women have what it takes to hold their own at the table. The following players have impressed the poker community with their unmatched achievements in high-stakes cash games, live tournaments, and other leading events hosted online or in different parts of the world.
1. Vanessa Selbst (USA)
Before retiring from the game in 2018, Vanessa Selbst was the world’s most successful female poker player and the only woman to have topped the Global Poker Index. The former Team PokerStars Pro has won three WSOP bracelets, made it to several WSOP final tables, won the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event, and became the Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee. The Super High Roller Celebrity Shootout was Vanessa’s last event to win in 2015, and her current live poker tournament earnings total to around USD $11.9 million.
2. Kristen Foxen (Canada)
Only a few poker stars in the world can beat Kristen Foxen, one of the most influential female players with several years of experience under her belt. She won her first WSOP bracelet in 2013, and now has 5 more that she’s earned throughout her poker career. In 2017, she became the highest-rated live tournament female poker player, and she’s won several amounts in the prestigious Super High Roller Bowl. Kristen has accumulated over USD $8.7 million in live tournament winnings, recently winning a USD $1,000 No Limit Hold’em Online Bracelet Event at WSOP in 2024.
3. Kathy Liebert (USA)
As one of the best female poker players recognised in Las Vegas and the world at large, Kathy’s achievements include winning one bracelet in 2004, accumulating several World Series of Poker cashes, and playing at six World Poker Tour final tables. She has also participated in many low-limit cash games, and her poker tournament winnings have reached USD $6.9 million as of January 2025. She recently won the USD $300 No Limit Hold’em Ladies Event in 2024, defeating Lisa Childers and Marjorie Dacko in second and third place respectively.
4. Olivia “Liv” Boeree (UK)
With a background in physics, Liv is the best female poker player in Europe and a legendary European Poker Tour (EPT) champion with exemplary historical achievements in the male-dominated card game. The celebrated poker pro topped the 2010 EPT San Remo Main Event, won a WSOP bracelet in 2017, and boasts dozens of live tournament cashes. Her total winnings have already exceeded USD $6.6 million, and in 2017, she won the USD $25,000 No Limit Hold’em Voices Carry Event as well.
5. Maria Ho (USA)
Originally from Taiwan, Maria Ho is one of the top female poker players known for playing high-stakes and mixed games. Her record in the professional poker scene includes multiple World Series of Poker cashes, one WPT title – including becoming the 2019 Global Poker Awards Broadcaster and one of the best female commentators in the Heartland Poker Tour. Maria has won approximately USD $5.5 million in her career as a professional poker player, and her last event to win was the Celebrity Poker Tour in 2024.
6. Annie Duke (USA)
Although she decided to retire from poker to become an author and focus on her education, Annie LaBarr Duke was a top female poker player during the initial 2000s poker boom. As a fan of high-stakes games, her poker accomplishments include winning a WSOP bracelet, topping the WSOP Tournament of Champions in 2004, and winning the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Her total tournament winnings exceed USD $4.2 million, and her final win was USD $500,000 in the 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Championship event (USD $20,000 No Limit Hold’em) held in Las Vegas.
7. Loni Harwood Hui (USA)
Loni’s prowess at the poker table is evidenced by her two wins in the 2012 WOSP Circuit events and two WSOP bracelets. Her USD $609,017 win in the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em 2013 WSOP Event 60 made her one of the best female poker players in the world, getting the highest payout for a female player in Las Vegas as far as the World Series of Poker is concerned. Her total live winnings as a poker professional amount to approximately USD $3.9 million, and she lastly won the $400 + 100 No Limit Hold’em – Ladies Bounty Event #6 in 2024.
8. Annette Obrestad (Norway)
Annette is among the leading female players with an aggressive playing style that has helped her defeat other players at the poker table. Before creating a successful YouTube channel that focuses on makeup tutorials, she impressed many poker enthusiasts with her memorable achievements, including winning the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) main event in 2007 at the age of 19, earning the widely sought-after WSOP bracelet, and 10 money finishes. This Scandinavian poker player has won over USD $3.9 million in her career to date, last winning the $1,000 + 70 Wynn Classic No Limit Hold’em Event that was held in 2012.
9. Maria Lampropulos (Argentina)
Maria’s accomplishments in the poker world have inspired many gamblers who wish to make it to the list of the best female poker players in the world. Some of the greatest achievements in her poker career include winning several titles in different countries and emerging as the top winner at the PokerStars UK & Ireland Poker Tour in 2024. She has amassed approximately USD $3.8 million in total tournament winnings, and her most recent win as of January 2025 was the Women’s Winter Festival £400 Main Event in 2024 where she received GBP £20,000 for her hard work and dedication at the tables.
10. Vanessa Rousso (USA)
Vanessa is a popular player in the poker industry for her incredible achievements, which include winning USD $3.5 million in total live tournament earnings. Although she has not won a bracelet during her career, this American professional poker player is popular in the world of online tournaments with 17 money finishes, numerous entries into the World Series of Poker events over the years, and a win in the 2009 EPT High Roller Championship. Her last big poker win was during the 2015 World Poker Tour National Event in Johannesburg.
More Honourable Mentions to Consider
Many other promoted women have made history at the poker table as some of the best players with noteworthy skills and achievements. Here is a list of the other top female players anyone can learn from to start a successful poker career.
- Victoria Corren Michell: Born in Londo, Victoria Corren has won two EPT Main Event titles and earned a total of USD $2.5 million in live tournament winnings.
- Barbara Enright: This American poker pro is the only woman who has made it to the final table at the WSOP main event (with a $10,000 buy-in), getting approximately USD $1.8 million in live earnings.
- Linda Johnson: Born in New York, Linda Johnson started playing poker in 1974, winning a WSOP bracelet in 1997, and earning over USD $400,000 in her career as a professional poker player.
- Jennifer Harman: Born in Nevada, Jennifer is a professional tournament poker player with two World of Series Poker bracelets, experience in limited mixed games, and a total of USD $2.9 million in total live earnings.
- Vera Richmond: From the USA, Vera Richmond is famous for becoming the first woman to win an open WSOP event, and she has won one bracelet and over USD $38,500 in total.
- Hui Chen Kuo “Kitty”: Born in Taipei, Hui Chen Kuo has won over USD $ 3.5 million in live poker tournaments, becoming one of the top female poker players from Taiwan.
- Liu Xuan: Born in China, Liu Xuan resides in Canada and has reached the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure final table and won over USD $2.4 million as a professional player.
Early Female Poker Pioneers of the 1800s
The changing interests of women in the 1800s and 1900s led to a significant revolution in their participation in poker games and tournaments, with some women switching from professions as entertainers and dancers to gambling hall madams and poker players. The history of poker is remarkable for the ways in which emboldened women brazed themselves onto the Wild West’s gambling scene, where many early poker queens made names for themselves by defying the standards of the day to join in on the game. Let’s go back to the early saloon days of old frontier Deadwood, America, where other notable players like Wild Bill Hickock made names for themselves, and take a look at some of the most formidable women in poker games of the past.
- “Queen of Sin,” Maria Gertrudis “Tules” Barceló (c. 1800–1852)
- “Madame Moustache,” Eleanor Dumont (c. 1829–1879)
- “Madam Vestal,” Belle Siddons (c. 1840s–1880s)
- “Lottie Deno,” Carlotta J. Thompkins (1844–1934)
- “Big Nose Kate,” Mary Katherine Haroney (1849–1940)
- Kitty Leroy at The Mint (c. 1850–1877)
- “Poker Alice” Ivers (1851–1930)
Conclusion
While women continue to break ground in the world of high-stakes poker, it still remains a relatively male-dominated profession. Regardless, the allure of the game has always been pulling for both genders, and we also owe the early foundations of women in poker to a few female poker players whose interests in the game and Wild West gambling halls certainly played an influence on its lasting global tradition and poker history today as well. Whether you’re looking to read more about women in poker or more on the origins of early gambling days, check out our homepage at Ace Alliance for more blogs, insightful articles, highly recommended lists, reviews, and more on our leading industry events in iGaming.