By Staff
As we break down our picks for the top female poker players in the world, we want to clarify that we consider each one of these competitors to be top-tier pros.
They aren’t just “great for women” – They’re great!
Criteria
We used a variety of criteria when preparing our list including career earnings which was the number one factor, but not necessarily the determining one. For tournament earnings, we relied on thehendonmob.com which is the largest poker database in the world. In addition to lifetime tournament earnings, the number of first-place finishes and deep runs in large field events, weighed heavily, as well as the number of six-figure-plus-cashes. WSOP (bracelets wins) and WPT titles were given extra consideration. We also took into consideration a player’s reputation in the industry, how they faired head-to-head against other top pros, and the length of a player’s career compared to money earned. Players who received sponsorship deals from online poker sites benefit in the reputation category, and players who weren’t sponsored or had limited sponsorship deals were given additional consideration due to the success they’ve had and/or continue to have without that luxury.
Jennifer Harman
The Greatest Female Poker Player Of All Time
When discussions arise about who the best female poker players in the world are, most agree Vanessa Selbst, Kathy Liebert, and Kristen Foxen (Bicknel) top the list. After all, they’re number one, two, and three in the Hendon Mob “All Time Money List” rankings for women, and when you get right down to it, isn’t that what it’s all about?
With no way to track live cash-game results however, high-stakes pros like Jennifer Harman are often left out of the conversation, but when all facets of the game are considered and Harman’s overall body of work spanning three decades, the two-time WSOP bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Fame member is in a league of her own.
Harman’s two WSOP bracelets and $2,795,348 (#13 Women All Time) in tournament cashes, while impressive, aren’t the accomplishments the Reno Nevada-born card sharp is known for. Harman’s path to legendary status is unique, in that she’s the only woman to make a career playing regularly at nosebleed stakes with the greats – Doyle Brunson, the late Chip Reese, Johnny Chan, Gus Hansen, and Phil Ivey to name a few.
Harman not only survived, she won her fair share of the loot dumped into the “Big Game” by outmatched “whales” and fresh WSOP millionaires looking to take their shot. The Big Game is the legendary high-stakes cash game played in “Bobby’s Room” that originated at the Bellagio around the time it opened its doors in 1998.
After the room’s namesake, Bobby Baldwin, who also happened to be the casino president, parted ways with MGM in 2018, the room was eventually renamed “Legends Room.” The games are so big and juicy that when the World Series “comes to town” many opt to stay put in their seats rather than spend days chasing a final table payout that pales in comparison to a good thirty-minute heater.
When the biggest whale of them all, multi-billionaire banker Andy Beal, took on the core group dubbed “The Corporation” in a 3-year battle with antes as high as $100,000-$200,000, Harman was one of the go-to ringers counted on the most.
As folklore has it, in one span Harman won $3M in each of three consecutive sessions against Beal, who turned out to be more than a formidable opponent, getting the better of several of the seasoned pros, some of whom were out of their comfort zone at the life-changing stakes.
Harman wasn’t one, and when others became flustered when Beal went on winning streaks, she remained stoic. In the book The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King“ author Michael Craig gives details of a session when Beal demolished the group one day to the tune of $11.7M. Harman, who’d been out of commission with serious health issues was beckoned by the wrecked crew. Not one for excuses, she came straight from the doctor’s office, high fever and bloated feet be damned – ready to play.
After initially cutting The Corporation’s $10M deficit for the day in half, Beal turned the tables in the final 30 minutes, quashing the “Cinderella comeback” and booking a $1.5M win. As he headed to the cage Harman commented, “It’s good, you know, that he wins. He’s a nice guy. He’s allowed to win…”
Her prediction that he’d return came to fruition less than two weeks later when he walked into the Bellagio with a boatload of cash ready to bury his “on-the-ropes” foes.
Ringleader Doyle Brunson wasn’t able to rely on his 5’ 1” warrior for this battle – she was undergoing a life-saving kidney transplant in San Francisco. The woman with gambling in her blood and ice in her veins didn’t miss out on the action though. While a surgeon performed a miracle in The City by the Bay, she was in for her cut in Vegas when Todd Brunson and Howard Lederer dismantled The Banker for $15M – marking the end of the biggest poker challenge in history, and a new lease on life for one of poker’s most prized possessions.
*In 2006 Beal “un-retired” from poker and renewed the high-stakes challenge after being goaded by news articles reporting what he described as “fishermen’s tales” about the extent of his losses. In the fresh challenge, he started out strong winning $7M, but Doyle’s new “go-to” guy Phil Ivey crushed “the banker” for $17.5M in a three-day span, resulting in a $10M profit for the Corporation. The 29-year-old Ivey, already considered one of the best ever, gained even more respect and adoration from the those he respected most.
Top 10 Female Tournament Players
#1 Vanessa Selbst
Selbst, who semi-retired from competitive poker at the end of 2017 to start a family and pursue a career on Wall Street, was one of the top tournament players in the world during her peak. Beginning in 2010 when she took down the first of two back-to-back NAPT Main Event Titles at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville for $750,000, Selbst went on a tear winning over $10.7M in a five-year span. In September 2010 she topped a 764 player field in the PPT Cannes Main Event for the largest cash of her career, $1,823,430.
The Brooklyn, NY native who shines against top competition on the big stage, won the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25k High Roller for $1,424,420 in January 2013. In June 2015 she emerged victorious once again in a big spot, this time for $1,000,000 in the $100k Super High Roller Celebrity Shootout held at Aria in Las Vegas, defeating a made for TV table of the world’s best along the way.
You may have heard of her tablemates – Doyle Brunson, Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth.
Although No-limit Hold’em is considered her specialty, and specifically heads-up play, two of her three WSOP bracelets were earned in disciplines other than no-limit, proving she’s not just a one-dimensional pro.
The Yale Law graduate and former PokerStars pro recently announced in an interview with PokerNews she’d be returning to the felt in a limited capacity explaining, “You can leave poker, but I don’t think poker really ever leaves you.” Her much-anticipated return will include an appearance in this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event. Don’t expect rust to be a major factor for the tenacious pro. If she chips up early, look out!
At just 38 years old, and depending on how much time she dedicates to the felt, the future Hall of Famer could set a new standard for women’s poker that will be very difficult to top.
All Time: $11,906,246
WSOP: $2,201,877
Vanessa is making a bit of a “comeback” which is exciting. It’s difficult to predict how many more titles and money Selbst could have earned if she had stayed active. She truly is one of the greats of the game. Players are eligible for the Poker Hall of Fame when they turn 40 years old. Vanessa turns 40 next year on July 9, 2024. As it stands now, you can’t be nominated until after you turn 40. Hopefully, the WSOP will make an exception and we’ll see Vanessa inducted next year.
#2 Kristen Foxen
If there’s a player capable of overtaking Selbst in money earned on the tournament trail its Kristen Foxen (Bicknell). Although she’s only earned half of what Selbst has to date, the 36 year old is just now entering the prime of her poker career and with the sizes of today’s prize pools, closing the $6M gap is not unrealistic. The recently married mtt crusher has the support, knowledge, and experience to make a run to the top.
The St. Catherines, ON, Canada native who honed her skills playing millions of hands online, booked her first big “live” score with a first-place finish in the $1,000 Ladies Championships at the 2013 WSOP for $173,922. In 2016 she captured her second bracelet in the WSOP $1,500 Bounty Event for $290,768, paving the way for an ambassadorship deal with PartyPoker.
Foxen continued her rise in 2017 with over $500k in tournament earnings highlighted by a $5k NLH event at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $199,840, securing her first of three consecutive GPI Female POY awards.
Her winning ways continued in 2018 with a first-place finish in the APPT $10k High-Roller for $279,549 followed up a week later with a 4th-place finish in a $12.5k buy-in event for $194,081. Her runner-up finish to her future husband, Alex Foxen, in the MSPT $5k Main Event at Venetian for $200,000 was the icing on the cake to a terrific year that saw her winning over $1,000,000 on the tournament trail for the first time.
2019 highlights include a first-place finish in the $25k Poker Masters for $408,000, a $238,684 score at the Triton Super High Roller, a 3rd place finish good for $254,770 at the Merit Poker Classic in Cyprus, and an 11th-place finish in the PSPC $25k Players Championship for $328,500.
Forced back to her online roots during the Covid pandemic in 2020, “krissyb24” won over $1.3M. Her biggest score was a first-place finish for $356,412 in the WSOP $2,500 6-handed event at GGPoker, Online. Two months prior she finished 3rd in the $25,000 PartyPoker Super High Roller Bowl Online for $236,000. Limited live action due to lockdowns and cancellations of major events, marked the end of Foxen’s GPI dominance. *GPI points are not awarded for online play.
In 2021 the World Series of Poker banned the unvaccinated from attending the annual festival, which had untold negative effects on Foxen’s WSOP career stats.
All Time: $ 5,941,928
WSOP: $1,348,282
Although we have Vanessa Selbst listed as the #1 female tournament player of all time, Kristen Foxen has been the best player by far over the past 6 years, and it’s not even close. While Foxen is known for her incredible poker skills, her greatest “read” so far may have been her ability to withstand enormous pressure and see through the propaganda that convinced numerous other highly intelligent poker pros that “vaccines” stopped transmission and the implementation of a mandate at the 2021 WSOP was justified.
#3 Annette Obrestad
It’s difficult to make a case for anyone else as the GOAT in tournament play, but if we were, Annette Obrestad gets the nod. The online phenom known for winning an event without looking at her cards took the poker world by storm in 2007 when she became the youngest person to ever win a World Series of Poker bracelet after topping a 362-player field in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event in London for $2,013,733, a day before her 19th birthday.
The poker prodigy who played millions of hands online before most girls her age attended their high school prom, followed up her bracelet win just over a month later with a 2nd place finish in the EPT Main Event in Dublin, Ireland for $429,181.
After the blazing start, Obrestad had relative success over the next three years including a 7th place finish in the Aussie Millions Poker Championship in Melbourne for $161,518, and first place in a heads-up event at EPT London, for $187,788. In 2011 she finished 2nd in the Wynn Classic $5k Main Event in Las Vegas for $215,922.
The Norway native hasn’t been active on the poker scene since the 2018 WSOP. Her last substantial score was in 2013 when she finished 89th in the WSOP Main Event for $71,053, but she still ranks 6th all-time with $3,942,233 in lifetime earnings.
Many speculated burnout was a factor in her short-lived career. She’s since revealed she lost her passion for the game in 2012 and turned her focus to fitness and health after being bullied over her appearance. “I wasn’t happy with the way I was treated in the poker community because I was overweight. I got a lot of hate for it. I got a lot of sh*t on forums for how I looked.”
From 2012 to 2015 she became obsessed with her diet and working out, losing 45 lbs, but in the process incurred an injury resulting in chronic leg and back pain that doctors weren’t able to remedy.
Rarely has an injury ended a poker career but it seems to have played a big role here. So we’re left to wonder what might have been.
Obrestad currently resides in Las Vegas with her loving husband who stuck by her side when the chips were stacked against her. With poker and her dream of becoming a fitness instructor in the distant past, one of the greatest minds the game has ever known seems content spending her days posting make-up tutorials on her YouTube channel, ‘Annette’s Makeup Corner.’
In addition to being one of the most skilled poker players of all time, the 34 -year-old is one of the most fascinating as well.
All Time: $3,942,233
WSOP: $2,176,725
Annette winning the WSOP Main Event in London as an eighteen-year-old was one of the most spectacular feats ever in poker. In our opinion, she’s one of the most talented poker tournament players of all time. It’s a shame that health issues ultimately ended her career.
She’s the “Bo Jackson” of poker…
What could have been…
#4 Vanessa Rousso
In her heyday, Vanessa Rousso was the most marketable poker player in the world. The French-American beauty and high school valedictorian put her law degree on hold to pursue a poker career where she raked in millions in earnings and sponsorship deals from the likes of Team PokerStars and GoDaddy.
After a boost from a 5th place finish in the WSOP Circuit event in Atlantic City in February of 2006 for $17,550, the Duke grad followed it up two months later with a 7th place finish in the $25,000 WPT Championship at Bellagio for $263,625 igniting her high profile jet-setting career. She silenced the doubters and cemented her superstar status five months later when she took down the $5k WPT NLH event at the Borgata in Atlantic City for $285,450.
In addition to being the face of PokerStars for nearly a decade, the player dubbed “one of the sexiest poker players in the world” was also instrumental in changing the public’s perception of poker pros from “shady” to “cool.” Her intellect, fashion sense, and on-camera charm made her a media darling, while steamy appearances in Maxim, Rounder, and Sports Illustrated created poker’s first-ever “pinup” star.
Near the tail end of her career, in 2015, reality tv came calling giving Rousso the opportunity to display her game theory prowess on season 17 of Big Brother where she finished third, and is now considered “one of the most excellent HouseGuests in Big Brother history.”
Pursued by Paparazzi
In a video released by TMZ at the show’s wrap party in West Hollywood, Rousso announced she’d be walking down the aisle with her long-time girlfriend Melissa Ouellet.
She currently sits 9th all-time (women) with $3,554,328 in career earnings. Her biggest “live” score was a first-place finish in the 2009 $25,000 European High Roller Championship for $700,160.
In 2008 “LadyMaverick” finished 2nd in the WCOOP for $700,863, after the initial winner “TheVoid” was disqualified for “breaking PokerStars’ terms of service.” *Online results prior to 2020 are not included in The Hendon Mob’s all-time earnings reports.
In 2017 Rousso returned to the University of Miami School of Law. She graduated magna cum laude in 2018 and passed the Florida Bar Exam that same year.
Don’t be surprised if you see Rousso take a page out of Selbst’s book, and return to the felt at some point in the future. Situated in Miami, the lure of big-time poker payouts at venues like Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood may be too much to ignore.
All Time: $3,554,328
WSOP: $410,281
Vanessa has done more for poker than most stars of the game ever have, or will. She actually changed the way people think about the profession – in a positive way. Although Daniel Negreanu may be the best ambassador the game has ever seen, Vanessa was as instrumental as anyone in moving poker mainstream. Call it a perfect storm or just great timing, whatever it was, her accomplishments on the felt, combined with her star power helped create poker’s most popular era.
#5 Kathy Liebert
Is there a more dedicated poker pro than Kathy Liebert? From her first recorded cash in 1994 to the present day, the Nashville, Tennessee native who calls Vegas home, has put up a consistent stream of “in the money” finishes from year to year. Only 10 players have more documented cashes in the history of the game.
In 2002 Liebert won $1,000,000 in a Party Poker Cruise event becoming the first woman poker player to hit the mark. Over the next several years, through 2009, she made numerous deep runs resulting in six-figure paydays.
In 2005 she finished third in the WPT Championship at Borgata, for $427,115. A year later she took home $257,579 for a 5th-place finish at WPT Mashantucket.
In May of 2008, she finished 3rd in the WSOP PLO World Championship for $306,064. Later that year she finished third again, this time for $282,681 in the North American Poker Championship in Niagara Falls.
In March of 2009, she took home $550,000 for a second-place finish in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star, San Jose. Since her Bay 101 score, she’s cut way back on her travel, limiting her play to local events and online.
In 2022 she cashed nine times at the Series including a 5th place finish in the $7k super-turbo bounty event for $131,655.
She was a finalist for the Poker Hall of Fame in 2022 and will no doubt be voted in due time.
All Time: $ 6,837,194
WSOP: $1,680,004
The primary reason Kathy isn’t listed higher is because she’s cut way back on her play. Who can blame her, she deserves a break. Her $6.8M in career earnings, good for second all-time, were accumulated over 29 years. $5.9M of it was won prior to 2015. Kathy will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame at some point, so her legacy will remain intact.
#6 Maria Ho
Maria Ho has had a stellar career and currently sits 4th all-time in career earnings with $4,500,560. Her talent as a host and commentator is considered by many to be the benchmark in the poker broadcasting industry. Her insights from personal experience and her presentation are second to none.
After bursting onto the scene with her 38th-place finish in the 2007 WSOP Main Event for $237,863, Ho has been steady and shown flashes of brilliance including a runner-up finish in a $5k event at the 2011 WSOP for $540,020.
Other impressive runs include a 6th-place finish in the 2016 WPT Shooting Star Championship in San Jose for $179,930 and a 6th-place finish for $202,875 in the WSOP Europe Main Event in Rozvadov.
Her back-to-back deep runs in LA Poker Classic $25k High Roller Events, including a first-place finish in 2019 for $276,690, cemented her status as an elite pro. She followed it up a month later with another deep run in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown for $344,960.
At only 40 years of age, the glamorous Taipei, Taiwan native has a lot of poker left to play if she so chooses, and could end up in GOAT discussions when all is said and done.
All Time: $4,496,043
WSOP: $1,959,554
Maria is one of the most solid female poker players of all time. Very rarely, if ever, will you see her make a mistake or play a hand poorly. If she can find another gear, and take down a big event, there’s no limit to what she could achieve. If young female poker pros are looking for a role model, look no further.
#7 Loni Harwood
In February 2012 twenty-two-year-old Loni Harwood won the first WSOP Circuit event she ever played and never looked back. The Staten Island, NY-born pro who moved to Miami after graduating from the University of Albany, State University with a finance degree, learned the game by watching her father play online.
With confidence from her first win, Harwood hit another Circuit stop two months later and captured a second gold ring. While a $74,000 rookie year was a great start for the fresh-out-of-college pro, Harwood’s sophomore campaign turned out to be a dream.
At the 2013 WSOP Harwood cashed six times for a total of $865,000 and captured her first gold bracelet in a $1,500 NLH Event, besting a 2,541-player field for $609,017. The remarkable achievement came just a week after a 4th-place finish in another $1,500 event good for $210,456. That event had 2,816 entrants.
In 2015 Harwood won her second gold bracelet and $341,599 when she won the WSOP National Championship.
In 2017 the hometown girl took home $348,000 for a 3rd place finish in the $25,000 High Roller at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in Hollywood, Florida.
“Luscious Loni” as she’s affectionately called by friends, has $3,562,182 in career earnings good for 9th spot all-time in money earned for women. She’s fifth all-time at the WSOP with $1,933,164. She’s also earned two gold bracelets and five Circuit rings.
On November 23, 2020, Harwood married poker pro Phillip Hui forming one of poker’s most likable power couples.
All Time: $3,544,743
WSOP: $2,003,765
Loni has a legitimate shot at reaching top-3 in career earnings for women, at least, if she continues at the pace she’s on. She’s more than capable of taking down large-field, big-payday events. She also has the bankroll to take shots at $25k buy-in events where she’s done well in the past. At just 34 years of age, Loni is just one big win away from being included in women’s GOAT discussions.
#8 Liv Boeree
Liv Boeree checked “world-class poker champ” off her bucket list years ago, along with “Reality TV star,” “model,” and yes, even “lead guitarist in a heavy metal band.” While impressive accomplishments, they’re hardly the career goals you’d expect from someone who graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Astrophysics from the University of Manchester.
Her decision to quit poker and pursue more meaningful endeavors could be traced back to the old adage “If you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re in the wrong room.” To be clear that’s our somewhat tongue-in-cheek interpretation as to why she left, not hers.
She has had the ear of Elon Musk since her departure, so there is that.
Being a female in a male-dominated profession never seemed to bother the fiery Brit, who more resembles an “Angel” you’d expect to see strutting down a runway than a soul crusher staring down “Devilfish” at a final table. Confident and comfortable with her stunning good looks, there’s no doubt sex appeal was part of an arsenal the highly competitive game theory expert configured to separate many of her naive macho opponents from their hard-earned cash.
Brushing off sexism which does exist in poker to some degree, or better yet exploiting it, seems to be common practice for nearly every top female poker player in the world, including Boeree, who, no doubt dealt with her fair share during her 9-year career as a PokerStars pro.
In fact, those who recognize situations when they’re being underestimated based on gender, have a substantial edge, and when you’re already competing on the most level playing field of any competitive “sport,” the exploitation can pay off in big ways.
The first substantial cash for the “Iron Maiden,” a nickname given due to her love of heavy metal music, came in the 2008 Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship where she finished in first place for $42,000. Two years later she became an overnight sensation after topping a field of 1,240 in the 2010 EPT Main Event for $1,698,300. In 2015 she had another deep run in an EPT Event, this time finishing 3rd in the €25,000 High Roller for $449,383.
She started winding down her career after capturing her first WSOP bracelets in the 2017 Tag Team Championship with longtime boyfriend and high-stakes pro, Igor Kurganov.
When Boeree and Kurganov announced their unexpected early retirement many in the poker community were baffled, and left wondering if the talented pros had made the right decision.
There’s no doubt the power couple could have achieved much, much more if they stuck around and grinded it out for years, but as the two ride off into the sunset with poker in their rearview mirror, there’s one thing we can’t help but notice.
They’re always smiling.
All Time: $3,861,839
WSOP: $408,632
Admittedly, Liv is not only one of our favorite poker players ever, she’s one of our favorite people. She’s also one of the brightest, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise to see her take her talents elsewhere. Liv placed as high as 5th in our initial assessment, but in the end, inactivity and our hope she’ll play more poker if we rank her a little lower won out.
#9 Annie Duke
Despite not having played competitively since 2013, Duke ranks 5th all-time with $4,270,548 in earnings. Could she have racked up $8m more over the past ten years and overtaken Selbst? Obviously, anything could happen, but without a gravy train sponsorship deal, we’d bet on the under. She’s left her mark though, and it’s impressive.
One of Duke’s most outstanding accomplishments, which also happens to be her biggest score, was winning the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions invitational held at the Rio in Las Vegas. Duke earned $2m in the winner-take-all format defeating Phil Hellmuth heads-up to secure the victory. Other participants, in order of finish, included her brother Howard Lederer, Johnny Chan, Greg Raymer, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, T.J. Cloutier, and David “Chip” Reese.
In 2010 Duke earned accolades once again when she defeated 63 of the world’s best players to win the NBC National Heads-Up Championship for $500,000, knocking out Erik Seidel in the final best-of-three match.
Duke has had tremendous success away from the poker table as well. She’s authored several books, most notably: Annie Duke: How I raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker. She’s appeared in numerous television shows including Celebrity Apprentice where she finished runner-up to Joan Rivers.
Duke is also well known for her generous philanthropy. In 2007 she co-founded the non-profit Ante Up for Africa which raised money through poker tournaments for charities benefiting African countries.
All Time: $4,270,548
WSOP: $1,166,567
Annie was a great ambassador for poker for more than a decade when she played, and continues to be to this day. She competed against the greatest players in the world and won. She paved the way for today’s rising female stars. Any successful female poker pro thinking about transitioning into another profession, or who’s dealing with adversity, would be wise to seek her advice.
#10 Maria Lampropulos
Maria Lampropulos has already accomplished more than most poker players could ever dream. The Argentine beauty came out of nowhere in 2017 defeating 1,204 runners to win the PartyPoker Millions Dusk Till Dawn £5,000 Main Event for $1,255,004. In doing so she became an overnight star and the toast of Buenos Aires, her hometown.
Less than a year after her breakout win, she topped a 582-player field to win the 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $1,081,100.
Lampropulos has had moderate success at the WSOP with $182,613 in career earnings and one ring, but her ability to come up big when it counts gets her the nod as a top #10 female poker tournament pro.
All Time: $3,522,672
WSOP: $182,613
A lack of consistent 6-figure scores is a case against Maria’s inclusion in our Top 10 list, but her two first-place finishes for over $1,000,000 more than make up for it. Other than Selbst, Maria is the only female poker player to win a multi-table tournament for over $1,000,000 – twice.
Truly remarkable…
Which Poker Diva Will Win Gold At The 2023 WSOP
Which player on our Top 10 list has the best chance to win gold at this year’s World Series of Poker?
Will it be the best female tournament poker player of all time who just came out of retirement, Vanessa Selbst? Maybe it’ll be 3-time bracelet winner Kristen Foxen. What about future Hall of Famer Kathy Liebert? Will she play a full schedule in her backyard and make a run ?
Maria Ho has “game” and she’s made deep runs in the past. A bracelet win at some point seems inevitable. Loni Harwood has performed as well as anyone during the WSOP. Can she recreate her magical 2013 run?
All these are fine choices and safe bets, and if any do collect the hardware we certainly wouldn’t be surprised. But the player we feel is a favorite, didn’t even make our Top 10. Not because she’s not talented, not because she’s new to the game. She’s actually been grinding it out for fifteen years, working hard, hustling, and paying her dues.
She’s had a fine career and her efforts finally paid off this past year when she was recognized as the GPI Female Poker Player of the Year.
Cherish Andrews is her name, and in our opinion, at this very moment in time, she’s the best (female) multi-table tournament player in the game. Cherish is, as they say, “in the zone.”
In the past five months, the Chambersburg, PA native has won over $600,000. She eclipsed $1M in earnings for her career seven months ago, and since then she’s well over halfway to her second million.
Cherish has arrived in a big way!
During her recent sun run she won three events outright and went deep in several more including a 2nd place finish in the WPT $10k High Roller on December 18, 2022, for $259,200. A day later she topped 736 entrants in a $1K buy-in for $131,912. Combined with her 6th place finish for $78,045 on December 15th, Cherish added $469,157 to her bankroll in three events, in just 4 days.
She wasn’t done. After several more in-the-money finishes including 9th-place for $35,200 at the 2023 US Poker Open, she took down two more events. On March 13th she topped a 671-player field in a $400 buy-in event in the Wynn Millions for $42,230 and on April 25th she beat 101 runners in the $1,100 Deep Stack Turbo at Seminole Hard Rock for $31,105.
No one in our “Top 10” list has even come close to the success she’s had in the past six months.
The World Series of Poker is where legends are made and one of the greatest things about it is anyone can play and anyone can win.
There are thousands of female poker players capable of taking home the gold in this year’s Series. Heaters in poker are real and happen quite often when a skilled player gets an added boost of confidence.
Cherish is in that enviable position and the timing couldn’t be better.
Will she come through?
First prize at the World Series of Poker is a million bucks. Does it have Cherish Andrews’ name on it? We don’t know. But, we’re gonna find out.
Legend Of The Game
Barbara Enright
There’s no way we can discuss the best female poker players ever without mentioning Barbara Enright. Barbara is a true legend. She is the only woman to ever make the final table of the WSOP Main Event. She also has three bracelets to her name.
At the 2021 WSOP Barbara finished 25th out of a field of 9,399 in the Colossus
Who are your Top 10?
