Most Famous Female Online Poker Players – Badass Pioneers

When people think about poker, they usually picture only men around the table. Even though times have changed, the thought that only men can become professional poker players remained a popular error. However, this is far from the truth. Women can indeed be successful in this casino card game. In this article, we will list the most famous female online poker players. Some are active, and some have already retired, but they definitely put something on the table.

Women and Poker!

So, it’s not so new that women play the game, although, for a long time, this famous card game was considered a man’s game. This began to change in the 1970s when they launched the World Series of Poker and held the first women’s event in 1977, in which Jackie McDaniels won. The game became even more popular among women in the 80s. Take Vera Richmond or Barbara Enright, for example. 

Nowadays, it’s no big deal if a woman sits at the poker table or enters online poker rooms. Although, there are certainly those who still believe that women belong in the kitchen, or at least not around a poker table. However, several women have proved the doubters wrong from the 19th century to this day. Check out the famous female gamblers throughout history! Now, let’s see some of the most famous female online poker players!

Olivia “Liv” Boeree – Smart and beautiful

Olivia Boeree is one of the most interesting players on this list. She graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in astrophysics, and even she probably did not think that she would one day become a professional poker player. By the way, when she was young, she played the guitar well, and, oddly enough, heavy metal was her favorite. Later, she also modeled and achieved acknowledgment in this profession as well.

Her poker career began in 2005 in a TV show where big players taught her poker tricks. For example, Phil Hellmuth, Devilfish, or Annie Duke. In the meantime, she wanted to get as close to the world of poker as possible, so she attended the live broadcast of the European Poker Tour as a reporter. Her first big success was in 2010 when she won the €5,300 buy-in EPT San Remo, which meant more than €1 million.

In 2015, Boeree finished in the top three again in a big tournament, finishing third in another EPT tournament in Barcelona, ​​which meant a prize of 391,000 euros. Her fortune exceeded 3,8 million dollars due to participating in many poker-related projects. She is 38 now and is not an active player, though she said we might catch a glimpse of her at a few tournaments or online poker rooms. However, her active years are over. According to online poker sites in the US, it only increased her popularity that she is a looker!

Most Famous Female Online Poker Player – Vanessa Rousso

Vanessa had already become a fan of the game during her high school years and, eventually, became one of the most famous female online poker players under the nickname Lady Maverick. From there, her interest only grew. She studied at Duke and the University of Miami School of Law. According to online poker sites in the US, she is a pretty intelligent lady. She plays the violin, mastered her Rubik’s cube skills, was a valedictorian, and graduated in a record time at Duke. She is a woman of many talents, and to raise the bar even higher, she is also easy on the eyes.

Although she eventually graduated, she didn’t use her degree until 2018 due to devoting her time to her poker career. She won six-figure sums several times, and her biggest victory was in Monte Carlo, where she won more than half a million euros, 532,500 to be exact. Her total live tournament winnings reached 3,5 million dollars. Vanessa’s last tournament was back in 2017, and we haven’t heard much about her since then, except that she has become a lawyer. Despite her two career choices seeming to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum, they work for her. 

Annie Duke Won a WSOP Bracelet!

Annie LaBarr Duke was born in New Hampshire but grew up in Los Angeles and still lives there. She studied psychology and won a National Science Foundation scholarship. She left the university a year before graduation and started playing poker at the age of 22. Texas Hold’em soon became her passion, and Annie became a professional poker player with the help of her brother. She won her first big prize in Las Vegas in 1994, winning $70,000. 

However, her biggest achievement was at a WSOP Tournament of Champions, where those with a WSOP bracelet could participate, and the winner took it all. This winner was Annie, who won two million dollars, defeating players like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, or her brother Howard Lederer. By the way, the fact that she is related to Lederer did not help her career. Her total winnings reached 4,5 million dollars. Nowadays, she is no longer active but is still one of the most well-known and respected female players.

Most Famous Female Online Poker Player – Kathy Liebert

Kathy Liebert already belongs to the older poker generation at 54 and is a real role model for the younger players. She is known as PokerKat in poker circles. She participated in WSOP tournaments for almost two decades and was able to sit at the main event several times. Kathy’s greatest successes include winning the 2002 Party Poker Cruise and the WPT Championship Event in Atlantic City. She won $550,000 at the WPT tournament in San Jose but has won more than six million dollars in her entire career. Kathy is mostly retired, but you can check out Everygame Poker, which tournament she will make an appearance in next.

Vanessa Selbst – The Queen of Online Poker!

Vanessa Selbst is at the top of our list. She is one of the most respected female players who has pocketed approximately $12 million during her career. To this day, she is considered one of the most famous poker players and not only among women. She learned to play the card game at college in the mid-2000s. At first, she only played a little, then switched to online poker. She was a natural who was successful right from the start. 

She managed to graduate and land a well-paying job but later admitted that she was already making more money playing poker, than working a full-time job. Later, after giving it a lot of thought, she gave the professional career a chance, and thank goodness she did! Due to her online success, she became one of the most famous female online poker players. She made it to the final table of the WSOP Main Event a few times and won two bracelets.

After playing online for so long, it took her some time to get used to the game, and good results started to come. Her first big win was worth $750,000, and the biggest triumph was in Cannes, where she made almost two million dollars. The list of her victories is long, but it ended in 2018 when she announced her retirement. According to Everygame Poker, she made around 12 million dollars with professional poker, making her one of the legendary women in the casino industry!

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