While poker remains a male-dominated game, there is no shortage of ladies who have done well for themselves at the green felt.
From tournament superstars like Vanessa Selbst and Kristen Foxen to old-school cash game legends like Jennifer Harman, the world of poker continues to produce champions among the fairer sex.
Keep reading for our list of the top 10 best female poker players of all time, and find out the names and histories of the toughest female opponents who just plain know how to win in poker.
All the numbers and statistics on the list are current as of March 2024!
#1 – Kristen Foxen
- Age: 37
- Nationality: USA
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $7.5 million
Born in 1986 in Canada, Kristen Foxen is a four-time WSOP champion and two-time EPT final tablist, making her one of the most successful female poker players still playing the game.
Kristen has been playing the game since 2006, and she scored her first WSOP bracelet in 2013 when she took down the $1,000 Ladies Event at the Series.
Ever since, her name has instilled fear in her opponents, as her aggressive playing style and absolute composure at the table have made her a force to be reckoned with.
Kristen is married to Alex Foxen, who is widely considered to be one of the best tournament poker players in the world and the private coaching she no doubt received from her spouse has made her an even fiercer opponent.
A regular in WSOP and PokerGO events, Foxen may not be the most decorated female poker player out there, but she is likely the toughest female player who still actively plays the game, regularly takes on new poker challenges, and continually evolves with the latest GTO poker strategies.
#2 – Vanessa Selbst
- Age: 39
- Nationality: USA
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $11.9 million
A Yale University Doctor of Law, Vanessa Selbst is the most decorated and successful woman in all of poker, with $11.9 million in tournament poker winnings, three WSOP bracelets, and countless other accolades to her name.
The only woman to ever hold the number one spot on the Global Poker Index, Selbst was one of the most dominant poker players between 2008 and 2018. With absolutely no fear and an uncanny ability to read her opponent, Selbst is a master of finding spots to bluff, building a massive stack, and pulverizing her opponents with an onslaught of painful decisions at every turn.
Despite her incredible success in the game, Vanessa decided to quit poker for a while and dedicate herself to other areas of her life, which is the only reason we have not put her in the #1 spot on this list.
Yet, despite her hiatus from the game, Selbst has recently announced a partial return to poker and will likely be seen playing more poker in the near future.
Her dominant spot as the most successful woman in tournament poker will likely remain untouched for some years to come, and her undeniable talent will make her a tough opponent whenever she does come back to the game, regardless of the time spent away from the green felt.
#3 – Maria Ho
- Age: 40
- Nationality: Taiwan
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $5.3 million
Born in 1983 in Taipei, Taiwan, Maria Ho is a poker player and media personality with incredible success across the board.
During her career, which started in 2005, Maria has won over $5.2 million in tournament winnings while being one of the most entertaining personalities in the world of poker.
Ho was the “last woman standing” in the WSOP Main Event on four different occasions but has not been able to reach the final table of this prestigious event just yet.
While she has not captured any WSOP bracelets, she has won a WPT Main Event, along with many other poker tournaments on various tours worldwide.
A consistent presence at the highest level of poker for nearly two decades, Maria Ho is a staple name that few poker fans are not familiar with.
Along with her success in poker, Maria has also appeared on several reality TV shows, including American Idol, The Amazing Race, and Deal or No Deal.
In 2023, she merged those two passions and appeared on the first season of GGPoker Game of Gold, where she defeated a star-studded field of poker pros and influencers and walked away with a $456,000 cash prize.
#4 – Victoria Coren Mitchell
- Age: 51
- Nationality: UK
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $2.5 million
While many of the world’s best poker players dedicate their entire lives to the game, Victoria Coren Mitchell is a poker champion who has had a versatile career in many different areas of life outside of poker.
A journalist, TV presenter, host, and writer, Victoria excels at many things and has managed to do well at the poker tables despite not playing the game full time.
In her poker career, Coren Mitchell won not one but two EPT Main Event titles, a feat that few players in the world can boast.
She has won a total of $2.5 million playing tournament poker despite never playing in events where she bought in above $10,000 and commonly played much smaller events as well.
Her entertaining personality makes her a joy to watch in action, while her poker talents allow her to overcome any opposition in any poker game out there.
Had she been dedicated fully to poker, Victoria would likely have become the most successful female poker player of all time, but even by playing poker as a side hustle, she’s managed to put her name very close to the top of the list.
#5 – Kathy Liebert
- Age: 56
- Nationality: USA
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $6.9
Born in 1967 in Tennessee, Liebert is a part of a slightly older generation of poker players who had been playing the game for some years when the Poker Boom came around.
She has been around poker since 1994 without any prolonged breaks and is one of the most consistent female poker players in the world.
From playing $100 tournaments three decades ago to being a regular at the WSOP and WPT these days, Liebert has etched her name in the poker history books.
In 2002, Kathy won a cool million dollars in a single event, the Party Poker Million, playing Limit Hold’em poker before No Limit tournaments were widely spread.
In 2004, she won her first WSOP bracelet as well and has continued to post significant results in poker tournaments since.
Her $6.9 million in poker tournament winnings put her close to the top of the all-time money list for female players, and her friendly personality makes her one of the more enjoyable poker players to share the table with.
#6 – Jennifer Harman
- Age: 59
- Nationality: USA
- Specialty: Mixed game cash games
- Live Tournament Winnings: $2.8 million
If you grew up in poker during the early 2000s, Jennifer Harman is probably the one female poker player name you will never forget.
A regular on the legendary High Stakes Poker show and one of the few ladies to play in the biggest poker games in Las Vegas, Jen Harman is a true poker legend.
Her legendary status was made official in 2015 when she was made a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, an accomplishment that only the most elite poker players can boast.
While cash games have always been her specialty, Harman has also won two WSOP bracelets and won $2.8 million playing tournament poker without ever delving into the super high roller scene at all.
Her success has come across different poker games and formats, as she is one of the few female players who truly thrive in mixed-game formats.
Jennifer has been less present in the game in recent years, but her incredible success in poker is one that few female poker players have been able to replicate since her prime.
#7 – Leo Margets
- Age: 40
- Nationality: Spain
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $1.8 million
Born in Barcelona, Spain, Leo Margets is a Master of Communications Management, a WSOP bracelet winner, and one of the best active female poker players around.
Margets started playing poker in 2008 and has been traveling the circuit ever since, scoring wins to the tune of $1.8 million over the course of her career.
She was a part of Team PokerStars for several years and has helped grow the game with female audiences by demonstrating how ladies can compete on equal footing with the boys in poker.
Margets’ most significant success came in 2021 when she won The Closer event at the WSOP and took home $376,000 for a $1,500 investment, one that most players can only dream of.
She continues to play poker actively and has plenty of years left in front of her to prove to the world just how great of a poker player she truly is.
#8 – Gaelle Baumann
- Age: 40
- Nationality: France
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $1.45 million
Another member of the younger generation of poker players, Gaelle Baumann is a French player with an impressive poker resume.
She started playing poker in 2011, and by 2012, she was already a household name, thanks mostly to her performance at the 2012 WSOP.
That year, Baumann was the last woman standing in the Main Event, and she eventually ended up placing 10th. Despite the heartbreak of not getting to the final table, Galle walked away with $590,000 in cash and the knowledge she has what it takes to battle on the big stage.
She never left poker, playing tournaments and tours across different continents and landing a sponsorship with Winamax, one of the biggest online poker operators in France.
Baumann’s extreme poker talents have contributed to her success at the table, but her persistence and consistency have been key in posting results and maintaining her spot at the top of the female poker player leaderboards for all these years.
#9 – Ana Marquez
- Age: 37
- Nationality: Spain
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $2 million
Another young and successful poker player of European birth, Ana Marquez was born in Spain and currently resides in Brighton, United Kingdom.
Marquez is a tournament professional who started playing the game in 2009 and has been a regular on major poker tours for 15 years.
In 2013, Marquez walked away the winner at a $2,500 Hollywood Poker Open event, taking home $320,000 for her troubles.
Following many successful events in the meantime, she placed third in the $10k partypoker Millions tournament in 2019, winning $445k on the day, just days after placing 10th in the WSOP Millionaire Maker event for $95k.
While Marquez does not have any WSOP bracelets or WPT titles just yet, her resume includes over $2 million in tournament cashes and plenty of excellent results that put her in the top echelon of poker players of any gender.
#10 – Ebony Kenney
- Age: 45
- Nationality: USA
- Specialty: Live poker tournaments
- Live Tournament Winnings: $2.4 million
A Texas Hold’em player on the rise, Ebony Kenney is a name that’s recently been appearing more and more in poker media titles, thanks mostly to her social presence.
A poker player since 2011, Ebony Kenney has had reasonable success in lower-stakes games over the years, but it was not until recently that she’s been seen playing high-stakes games as well.
She has cashed for $2.4 million in tournaments over the years, but the vast majority of that came from a single $1.7 million cash that resulted from her 5th place finish at the $200,000 Coin Rivet Invitational at Triton Poker Tour.
Kenney has been a proponent of female inclusion in poker, and her strong social media messages have certainly helped plenty of ladies gain the confidence needed to play and succeed in poker.
While Ebony still continues chasing her first major tournament poker title, her name in the poker industry is already one that cannot be ignored even by the much more successful poker players.
If you want to keep exploring this topic, take a look at our list of the best poker players in the world.
