Female Poker Players – Queens Who Slay Aces!
October 10, 2019 Ken JohnsonWhen we’re talking about skill, a strong mindset and eyes set on the prize, there is no gender inequality – everybody has a chance of winning in poker! In fact, female poker players just might have an edge over the established male poker players. Due to the fact that females are usually underestimated on the poker tables, most of them are one step ahead with a well-conceived skillset and experience. Furthermore, the major perception is that females play tight and rarely bluff, which isn’t justified at all! Those are just some of the advantages which have helped in most cases to some of the best female poker players. Stay with us to find out who are some of the queens on the poker table.
How Have We Chosen These Female Poker Players
Before starting with our official list, there are some key factors we’ve looked at when choosing our list of female poker players. One thing is the prize money they’ve won. Success in poker is mostly measured with the prize money won. Another key factor we’ve looked at is the popularity of our female players. Being a recognized and influential person is of major importance in the poker industry. A subjective factor we’ve included is the correlation between beauty and skill. We won’t put too much weight on this factor, although it’s still interesting to be observed, so without further ado, let’s start the list in no particular order!
Victoria Coren Mitchell
Vicky Coren makes our list as one of the most famous UK female poker players. Besides the gambling trivia, her excellent deductive skills and poker accomplishments make her an outstanding player, a respected worldwide poker ambassador, and writer. In 2006 she made history by becoming the first female poker player to win the European Poker Tour. Throughout the years, Victoria Coren Mitchell has amassed a fortune of more than $2.5 million in poker earnings- an amount worthy of respect, which speaks volumes about her skills.
Vanessa Rousso
As a hard-working woman with excellent education and high interest in Poker, Vanessa Rousso makes our list not only because of winning more than $3.5 million dollars but also because of her personal poker contributions. She has held an instructional poker camp back in April of 2009, spoke in favor of gambling changes in Florida and has written a lot about game theory. Apart from that, ‘Lady Maverick’ has been widely regarded as one of the sexiest female poker players out there!
Liv Boeree
No list can be left without UK’s own Liv Boeree. Named as the ‘Iron Maiden’ in poker, Liv has become a female poker sensation with her great analytical thinking and excellent poker attributes. She is the first female poker player to win both the ETP Tour and a WSOP bracelet. Not only that, but Liv Boeree has won three consecutive Female Player of the Year awards back in 2014, 2015 and 2016. She is also a speaker on different events, such as TEDx and appeared as a guest speaker at Oxford University, Jesus College and more. Boeree’s poker earnings are more than $4 million which makes her more than deserving to be on our list!
Maria Ho
This Taiwanese-American poker player makes our list not only because of her good looks but because of her promising poker abilities. Maria Ho is only 36-years old but has been involved in poker tournaments since 2007. Her passion for poker dates back to her college years where she fell in love with the psychology and competitive spirit of the game. As of today, Maria has won close to $4 million dollars and apart from her career at the poker table, she is a well-established tv host and commentator.
Vanessa Selbst
As probably the most feared female poker player on the list, Vanessa Selbst has been left for last due to her impeccable skills and outstanding poker achievements. Her aggressive poker play and tons of experience have earned her more than $11 million in live tournament earnings – the most a female player has ever won. There are many unique cards combination that one could use to win such a big prize. Examples include the card combination of Dead Man’s hand, as well as the Moneymaker’s KO or the Doyle Brunson, among others. Ms. Selbst has also won 3 WSOP bracelets and has an impressive 20 money finishes! Despite her more-than-successful poker career, Vanessa has decided to focus on a financial career and currently works for Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Finance fund. This might seem like an odd move for many, but Vanessa wants to settle and have a normal lifestyle. However, she decided to play in various poker tournaments occasionally.
Top Female Poker Players- Interesting Facts and Honorable Mentions
We are ready with our list of best female poker players, but still, there are some interesting facts we would like to mention. Apart from that, there are some poker ladies which are great contributors to the game and have done a lot to popularize it across the world. In the following list we’ve added some of the most interesting female poker facts and personalities to date, so make sure to check them out!
- Jennifer Harman is the first woman to win two WSOP bracelets in open events
- Barbara Enright is the first female poker player to be inducted in the Poker Hall of Fame
- Jennifer Harman was part of ‘The Corporation’ – a group of poker players who took on banker Andy Beal in an ultra high-stakes heads-up poker match
- Linda Johnston’s nickname is ‘The First lady of Poker’ and she has won her first WSOP bracelet at just 21 years of age
- Annie Duke, another female poker pro, is the sister of poker legend Howard Lederer
- Maria Ho has been coached by ‘The Poker Brat’ himself, Phill Hellmuth
- Annette Obrestad is the youngest player to win a WSOP bracelet. This happened one day before her nineteenth birthday
- Annie Duke is the first female to win the National Head-Up Poker Championship. She defeated Eric Sidel in the last match
- Annette Obrestad has won an online poker tournament without looking at her hole cards
- Barbara Enright is the first female player to win 3 WSOP bracelets
The Top Female Poker Players Are a Force To Be Reconned With!
So there you have it – our list of the top 5 female poker players of today! We must admit, it was a tough list to make due to the colorful personalities of so many poker ladies! Needless to say, those females can crush most poker opposition relatively easy due to their natural analytical abilities and loads of experience behind their backs. There’s no question about the level of professionalism these ladies have, so next time think twice if you consider underestimating a woman at a poker table!