The Eight Best Female Poker Players of All Time
By
Jane Shaw
Senior Editor Updated: 02/23/2023
We count on Jane to inform our readers about the latest slot games in the US market. With her passion for video games and a degree in engineering, she’s our gambling tech expert. Jane’s also active in our blog section, where she tackles the curiosities and changes in the industry.
The Best Female Poker Players
It’s always difficult to put together a list of the top athletes, and the same goes for poker players. Deciding on the best female poker players of all time is somewhat subjective. However, on this page, we’re going to give you a rundown of the top eight best female poker players who – in our opinion – have earned their way into the Hall of Fame for good.
But before we start, if you’re looking to play a game that’s a little less demanding than poker, but still offers huge prizes, take a look through our guide to online slots.
- Best Female Poker Players
- Who Are The Top Female Pros?
- Vanessa Selbst
- Kristen Foxen
- Jennifer Harman
- Annie Duke
- Barbara Enright
- Liv Boeree
- Vanessa Rousso
- Kathy Liebert
- Frequently Asked Questions
Best Female Poker Players
The best female poker players all tend to be either solid cash game or tournament players, but some of them excel in both formats, and below, we’re going to be giving you a rundown of eight female poker pros who we believe have made the cut. Before we jump in, you can be certain there are many great operators, where you can play poker online.
Who Are the Top Female Poker Players?
There are several factors at play when it comes to looking at who the top female poker players are. Their live tournament earnings are a big consideration, but we also look at their online earnings and general poker accomplishments. The latter can include things like inductions into the Poker Hall of Fame, as well as any sponsorships and awards they’ve won.
Vanessa Selbst
While Vanessa Selbst may not be at the top of her game anymore, she’s still widely considered to be one of the top female pro poker players in history. Originally from New York City, Selbst retired from poker back in 2019, and she has since taken on a position at a hedge fund. However, she still makes occasional appearances at high-stakes games.
Before she became one of the world’s top female professional poker players, Selbst was a lawyer. She ended up earning some $12 million because of playing poker, and she’s also won three World Series of Poker bracelets – all from open events. Her first bracelet was won in 2008, and the two subsequent ones came in 2012, and 2014. Her biggest win ever came in 2010, when she played in the $8,500 Partouche Poker Tour Main Event – scooping a cool $1,823,430!
Kristen Foxen
Most poker professionals consider Kristen Foxen to be the best female poker player right now. She’s been absolutely crushing the game within the high-roller circuit for the past few years, and she’s currently the three-time defending Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year. Interestingly, she’s married to Alex Foxen, who was the overall GPI Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019.
At the time of writing, Foxen has amassed some $5.5 million in live tournament earnings, and she’s managed to win three WSOP bracelets so far. This number is likely to increase if she continues to play as she has been.
Today, Foxen largely focuses her poker attention on playing in high-stakes tournaments. She’s never been a major cash game player, and hasn’t seen as much success online as some of the other famous female poker players on this list.
Jennifer Harman
Jennifer Harman is one of the most recognizable faces in poker. Diehard poker fans will remember her from the popular TV series High Stakes Poker – and while she’s never been much of a tournament player, she’s still managed to earn some $2.7 million in live tournament earnings.
One of the biggest cash games Harman has participated in was the “Bobby’s Room” game in The Reno. She played in some of the most high-stakes poker games in the world for several years, and Daniel Negreanu considers her to be the best female poker player in history.
Interestingly, the two have been very close friends for several years. There was even speculation that the two were dating for a while, although this was never officially confirmed. Here are Harman’s WSOP Bracelets:
| Tournament & Year | Prize |
|---|---|
| $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw (2000) | $146,250 |
| $5,000 Limit Hold’em (2002) | $212,440 |
Annie Duke
Annie Duke is a pretty controversial figure, and it’s probably fair to say she’s not one of the nicest people in the world. Unfortunately, she was involved in the Full Tilt Poker scandal back in 2011, along with Howard Lederer, and ever since, she has been essentially shunned from the poker community. With that being said, she’s still had an excellent career, earning her spot on this list.
Before everything happened, Duke managed to rack up more than $4.2 million in live tournament cashes. Currently, that’s the most live cashes by any female poker player in history. She’s also won a number of WSOP bracelets, including one in 2004. Her biggest win to date was during the WSOP Tournament of Champions, when she beat Phil Hellmuth to win a cool $2 million.
Barbara Enright
Barbara Enright is an old-school player, and some of our younger readers may not be familiar with her. Still, she’s known to be one of the best female poker players in history, and in 1995, she managed to reach the final table of the WSOP Main Event. She ended up finishing in 5th place, taking home $114,180 in the process. She was the first woman to reach the final table and this feat has yet to be repeated!
During her poker career, Enright managed to win a number of WSOP bracelets, and in 1996 she became the first female player to win an open WSOP event. This was the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event, and she walked away with $180,000. She managed to beat 180 other players, and, interestingly, the vast majority of these players were male.
In 2007, she was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame alongside Phil Hellmuth, and during her career, she earned more than $1.75 million in live tournament earnings. Don’t forget, this doesn’t take her cash game winnings into account!
Liv Boeree
Liv Boeree is a female who’s had several different careers over the years. She’s been a professional model, she played guitar in a semi well-known heavy metal band, and she also managed to get a first-class honors degree in physics from the University of Manchester. In 2005, she became a random contestant on a poker reality TV show – and it was then that she realized she had a real talent for the game.
Just three years later, by 2008, Boeree had managed to win her first Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship title, and she started traveling the world to play in more poker events. She cashed in events such as the Poker Million and the Aussie Millions Poker Championship.
It wasn’t until 2010, however, that Boeree scored her biggest hit – walking away with $1.25 million at the EPT Sanremo Main Event. During her career, Boeree spent nine years as a sponsored PokerStars player, and now, she spends her time between poker and TV presenting.
Vanessa Rousso
Vanessa Rousso is a professional poker player and television personality. She is considered one of the top female players in the world and has won over $4 million in tournament earnings. Rousso has made appearances on several reality shows, including Big Brother 17 and Poker After Dark.
She is also a spokesperson for GoDaddy.com and has been featured in various magazines, including Sports Illustrated. Additionally, Rousso is known for her philanthropy, particularly in the areas of education and children’s rights. She is a graduate of Duke University, where she earned a degree in economics.
Kathy Liebert
Kathy Liebert is a professional poker player with over $6 million in tournament earnings. She is considered one of the most successful female players in the game and was the first woman to win a million-dollar first prize at the PartyPoker Million tournament in 2002.
Liebert has won multiple World Poker Tour events and was inducted into the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame in 2008. She is known for her aggressive playing style and has been featured on numerous poker television shows, including the World Poker Tour and Poker After Dark
