Take Barbara Enright, for example. In 2007, Enright was the first woman to enter the Poker Hall of Fame, alongside Poker Brother Phil Hellmuth. Impressively, Enright is the only woman to make the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, ending up in fifth place. Enright was also the first woman to win three WSOP bracelets, and since then only Linda Johnson (2011) and Jennifer Harman (2015) have won that many times.
In every poker room and every major poker event, you can see the tide change. Since the poker boom in the 2000s, more and more women have started playing poker, during which time poker has become more accessible both online and live.
Not only do more women play poker, the best of them compete with the best male players. In fact, for the first time in a dozen years, two women, French Gaelle Baumann and Norway, Elizabeth Hille, made it to the top 20 of the WSOP Main Event. Baumann finished in a bubble in 10th place, while Hille finished behind in 11th. Unsurprisingly, their prowess and WSOP success have led to huge sponsorship deals.
And let's not forget the female celebrities like Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth and Mimi Rogers, who are very outspoken in their passion for poker and are skilled players themselves.
The most famous women in the poker world
1) Mitchell was the first player to win two European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event titles (2006, London and San Remo 2014). She was also the first to win a professional television event (EPT London 2006) and a celebrity television event (Celebrity Poker Club). In addition to writing poker columns and providing commentary for several UK poker series, Mitchell participates in several tournaments each year and generates most of his cash game income.
2) Harwood is one of the most successful grinders on the tournament circuit. She won two WSOP bracelets (2012 and 2013), both in No Limit Hold'em events.
3) Jennifer Harman is one of the most famous and successful female poker stars in history. In addition to his two WSOP bracelets, Harman boasts a whopping 12 WSOP final table games and 32 cash finals, as well as two WPT final tables and 14 cash finals.
Harman has been a regular after Dark and High Stakes Poker player, and she is the only woman to regularly play high stakes cash games at Bellagio known as the Big Game. As previously mentioned, Harman has been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. in 2015.
After two kidney transplants, Harman is very active in the charity circle. She founded the nonprofit Organ Donation Awareness (CODA) and runs various charity poker events that go to the National Kidney Foundation.
4) Joan 'JJ' Liu came to the United States in 1985 to attend college. One day in 1996, Liu went to the Bay 101 Casino in San Jose and took up a new and soon very lucrative hobby.
In 2004, Liu quit her job as a full-time poker player and has since established herself as one of the most prominent professional women in poker. Liu's accomplishments include ten WSOPs and five WPT prizes, a 2006 WPT Ladies Night IV win, and a runner-up in the 2007 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars. She is also the only woman to win money in the inaugural Asian Poker Tour (APT).
5) Nicknamed "Poker" and "Lady Maverick", Russo's impressive poker career includes 17 WSOP finals, two WPT final tables and numerous appearances at the Poker After Dark. Russo has also been voted one of the sexiest poker players in the world, and has made several big deals, including GoDaddy and PokerStars. An avid game theory student, Russo also wrote for the American Poker Player.
Russo also did two things that very few came in third on the TV game show Big Brother, and she silenced Tony J. this time after punching him. Who else has these bragging rights? Take a look and try not to laugh too hard.
6) Another of the most famous poker players today is Liv Boeree, who got her start when she appeared on the Ultimatepoker.com Showdown in 2005. In addition to his success, Boeri was coached by Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth and Dave Ulliott.
Bori has been both a player and a reporter for the WSOP, EPT and WSOP Europe. She is the only female poker player with a WSOP bracelet and EPT championship. Borye also won the European Women's Poker Awards in 2014, 2015 and 2016 for her Global Poker Index Points over the years.
7) This Scandinavian poker prodigy started her online poker career at the age of 15 under the name Annette_15. In 2005 and 2006, she won nearly $ 1 million on PokerStars, UltimateBet and Full Tilt. She was once recognized as the best in the world at PocketFives.
The day before his 19th birthday, Obrestad won the first World Series of Poker Europe for an impressive £ 1 million. Since then, she has won a WSOP bracelet, won ten times and finished the European Poker Tour (EPT) final table.
8) Annie Duke, also known as the "Duchess of Poker", has had a great career. (Poker runs in Annie's blood, obviously - many people know her as the little sister of Howard Lederer.)
Her first run in major events was at the 1994 WSOP, where she had three great shows, including 14, 5 and 26 in the Main Event. After that, she and her husband moved to Las Vegas to pursue their poker career. In addition to the 2004 WSOP bracelet, Annie won the 2010 WSOP Champions Tournament and the 2010 National Heads-Up Championship, as well as 38 WSOPs and four WPT prizes. For a while, Duke was the leading female winner in WSOP history until Vanessa Selbst claimed the title.
9) PokerKat Katy Liebert had an incredible six WPT final tables, including finishing 3rd at the 2005 Borgata Poker Open. She also won a WSOP bracelet in the 2004 $ 1,500 Limit Hold'em event in Texas and an impressive 47 WSOP winnings. Her highest WSOP Main Event win came in 2000, where she finished 17th. Liebert still plays in tournaments and currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
10) Selbst is ranked # 1 on the women's poker money list and # 41 on the All Time list. It boasts three WSOP bracelets, eight final tables, 20 cash finals and two WPT final tables. Her highest WSOP Main Event cash prize was 73rd in 2012, and she is the only woman to win three WSOP open bracelets.