2025 Was HUGE for Women in Poker

Regardless of being a minority on the reside match circuit, ladies in poker carried out phenomenally nicely in 2025, breaking a number of data and profitable a mixed 4 million-dollar prizes in a number of the world’s most prestigious poker tournaments. Moreover, greater than 40 of the sport’s most notable ladies achieved their greatest reside match wins in 2025.

Throughout the month of Could, Xuan Liu grew to become the primary lady to win an occasion on the Triton Poker circuit with the WPT World Slam $25K in Montenegro, the place she took dwelling the trident-shaped trophy and her greatest profession prize of $860K. Her phrases after the victory: “That is the spotlight of my profession, and I don’t assume I can high it sooner or later. However I imagine different ladies will win extra Triton trophies. On this occasion, for instance, three ladies cashed, and two of us made it to the ultimate desk. I do know many ladies who’re taking part in low and mid-stakes video games in the present day, and I’m positive they’ll be taking part in excessive stakes video games sooner or later. It will likely be very thrilling to look at them play when that occurs.”

The primary feminine Triton Poker champion / Photograph: Triton Poker

In June, Shiina Okamoto achieved one thing unprecedented by profitable the WSOP Women Occasion two years in a row. Within the 2025 version, she triumphed over 1,368 entries and took dwelling her greatest profession prize of $184K. That is what she mentioned after her victory: “I actually believed I used to be going to win. I didn’t really feel pressured or pressured. I merely centered on doing what I needed to do nicely. There was nonetheless loads of strain, as everybody anticipated me to win twice in a row. I assumed that if I stayed calm and did all the pieces proper, I’d in the end come out on high. So I used to be very aware of not letting panic take over and sustaining my composure.”

Shiina Okamoto together with her two WSOP bracelets / Photograph: Spencer Sembrat

In July, one other historic occasion came about: 30 years after Barbara Enright first completed the feat (the one time it had ever occurred), a lady as soon as once more reached the ultimate desk of the WSOP Principal Occasion in Las Vegas. The girl chargeable for this feat was Spain’s Leo Margets, who completed in seventh place and gained a seven-figure prize of $1.5 million, receiving a rousing ovation from all her opponents and the followers in attendance. It was the most important money prize ever gained by a lady within the Principal Occasion.

Additionally in the course of the WSOP in Las Vegas, one other lady notched a milestone within the prestigious $50K Poker Gamers Championship. Esther Taylor reached the three-handed stage, the place she confronted Michael Mizrachi and Bryn Kenney. She in the end completed third, profitable $595K, the very best consequence ever for a girl within the match, which many take into account the hardest on the earth to win.

Esther throughout 3-handed play on the 2025 PPC / Photograph: Alicia Skillman

One other lady who stood out in 2025 was Kristen Foxen, who reached 14 closing tables and gained 3 titles, incomes $4.6 million. She completed third in a Triton Jeju occasion, the place she earned her high prize of $1.1 million. Along with her 2025 outcomes, she reached $13.4 million in profession winnings and have become the highest-earning lady in poker of all time, surpassing Vanessa Selbst, who had held the report for over a decade.

Kristen taking part in in Jeju / Photograph: Triton Poker

The exceptional 2025 yr for girls in poker closed in December with WSOP Paradise, the place one other lady shone within the $25K buy-in Tremendous Principal Occasion, which had 2,891 entries. Natasha Mercier made the ultimate desk, in the end ending sixth and taking dwelling a large $1.8 million prize. It was the third-largest prize ever gained by a lady on the reside poker circuit.

The finalists of the Tremendous Principal Occasion / Photograph: Regina Cortina

The ten finest outcomes for girls in poker in 2025

These had been the highest 10 outcomes for girls in poker in 2025:

Natasha Mercier: Sixth, Tremendous Principal Occasion $25K WSOP Paradise – $1,800,000Leo Margets: Seventh, WSOP Principal Occasion $10K Las Vegas – $1,500,000Sosia Jiang: Second, Occasion #5 NLH $60K Triton Jeju – $1,381,000Kristen Foxen: Third, Occasion #10 NLH $125K Triton Jeju – $1,104,000Xuan Liu: First, Occasion #1 WPT World Slam $25K Triton Montenegro – $860,000Monika Hrabec: Ninth, Occasion #5 Triton Invitational $250K WSOP Paradise – $771,000Eboney Kenney: Second, Occasion #15 Excessive Curler $15K Triton One Jeju – $614,500Esther Taylor: Third, Occasion #66 WSOP $50K Poker Gamers Championship Las Vegas – $595,136Safiya Umerova: Third, WPT Prime Championship $1K Las Vegas – $575,000Meng Ling Lin: First, Single Day Tremendous Excessive Curler $25K Korea Poker Cup Sequence – $479,300

Meng Ling Lin together with her trophy

Reflections from 2025’s Prime Ladies in Poker

We reached out to a few of 2025’s main ladies in poker to ask about their achievements, and that is what they mentioned:

Natasha Mercier: “It nonetheless feels unbelievable. It was by far the toughest match I’ve ever performed (field-wise). I’ve labored arduous, however I additionally know the way a lot luck and timing it took to make it this far).”

Natasha in the course of the closing desk / Photograph: PokerNews

Leo Margets: “It was the expertise of a lifetime, each on and off the poker desk, due to how I lived it. I take into account myself extremely fortunate to have skilled one thing all of us dream of and put together for. I additionally felt loads of gratitude for having introduced out the very best in myself at that second. I used to be conscious it was a high-pressure scenario, and I believe I used to be capable of be the Leo I all the time needed to be, which made me very glad. The expertise was so lovely and emotional as a result of I used to be capable of share it with shut family and friends on the rail. Typically I take into consideration what the deep run would have been like with out my buddies there, and it might have been very totally different. Personally, I paradoxically skilled it as one thing very regular, since I used to be the place I needed to be. Now I’m conscious of how super it’s to make the ultimate desk, however on the time I attempted to present 100% daily, and I believe I had an unbelievable psychological sport that made an enormous distinction. I went there to have enjoyable from Day 1, and fortunately, my temper didn’t change as the times glided by.”

Leo in the course of the closing desk / Photograph: Rachel Kay Winter

Esther Taylor: “Fairly surreal to be trustworthy, and truly fairly arduous to outline within the second, however wanting again I actually felt like a small fish in an enormous pond. I’ve accrued so much blended sport poker expertise through the years, however nothing might have ready for being on the closing desk of the $50K 9-game match, competing vs. the very best on the earth. Really indescribable, but in addition a pinnacle second that you just work all through your profession to try to attain!”

READ MORE: Interview with Esther Taylor

The ladies who achieved their finest poker leads to 2025

Throughout 2025, numerous notable ladies in poker achieved their high profession consequence on the reside match circuit, incliding:

Natasha Mercier: Sixth, Tremendous Principal Occasion $25K WSOP Paradise – $1,800,000Leo Margets: Seventh, WSOP Principal Occasion $10K Las Vegas – $1,500,000Kristen Foxen: Third, Occasion #10 NLH $125K Triton Jeju – $1,104,000Xuan Liu: First, Occasion #1 WPT World Slam $25K Triton Montenegro – $860,000Monika Hrabec: Ninth, Occasion #5 Triton Invitational $250K WSOP Paradise – $771,000Esther Taylor: Third, Occasion #66 WSOP $50K Poker Gamers Championship Las Vegas – $595,136Safiya Umerova: Third, WPT Prime Championship $1K Las Vegas – $575,000Meng Ling Lin: First, Single Day Tremendous Excessive Curler $25K Korea Poker Cup Sequence – $479,300Cherish Andrews: First, Occasion #69 Excessive Curler $25K Seminole Exhausting Rock Poker Showdown – $408,265Cecile Ticherfatine: Second, Wynn Tens of millions Championship $3K – $310,901Jennifer Shahade: Third, Principal Occasion $5K NAPT Las Vegas – $291,800Dusti Smith: Second, Occasion #17 NLH $2K WSOP Las Vegas – $290,588Lili Tang: Second, Principal Occasion Asian Poker Tour Jeju – $258,651Shiina Okamoto: First, Occasion #70 Women $1K WSOP Las Vegas – $184,094Tu Dao: Third, Principal Occasion WSOP Circuit Toronto – $178,362Yuxi Huang: First, Occasion #13 NLH 6-Max $2K WSOP Circuit Cyprus – $175,000Dora Coyle: Second, Principal Occasion $1.5K Champions Membership Winter Poker Open – $161,000Morgan McBrayer: Second, Occasion #1 NLH $400 The Beau Rivage Heater – $158,614Hayley Hanna: Fourth, Principal Occasion $1K Annual Arizona State Poker Championship – $157,900Linda Ngo: Seventh, Occasion #1 Thriller Tens of millions $1K WSOP Las Vegas – $154,140Elena Litvinyuk: Fourth, WPT Cyprus $3K – $142,000Hikaru Hishinuma: Fifth, Occasion #7 Tremendous Excessive Curler Asian Poker Tour Taipei – $138,313Arlinda Johns: Sixth, Seminole Exhausting Rock Poker Open Championship $5K – $138,000Soraya Estrada: Fourth, Principal Occasion $3K Advantage Poker Carmen Sequence – $132,100Hyndi Khomutetsky: Sixth, WPT Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open $3.5K – $127,000Yang Yang: Third, Purple Dragon Championship Jeju Poker Pageant – $125,242Pamela Balzano: Second, Excessive Curler $5K Take pleasure in Poker Week – $125,000Hannah Lee: First, Principal Occasion $2K Sydney Tens of millions – $116,892Katie Lindsay: Eighth, Occasion #75 Mini Principal Occasion $1K WSOP Las Vegas – $114,260Jia Chi Li: Third, Moneymaker Tour Principal Occasion $1.7K MGM Grand Las Vegas – $108,315Ting Wei Lee: Third, WPT Prime Taiwan $1K – $106,886Hua Wei Lin: Seventh, Principal Occasion $15K The Lord Poker Match Jeju – $100,000Irene Carey: Second, Principal Occasion $800 Orleans Summer season Open – $96,831Xialin Li: Third, Principal Occasion Dragon Poker Grand Opening, Hanoi – $86,060Jennifer Molan: Third, Principal Occasion $1.7K WSOP Circuit California – $85,666Diana Hong: Seventh, NLH $1K WPT World Championship – $83,465Lexy Gavin: 185th, Tremendous Principal Occasion $25K WSOP Paradise – $70,000Nika Futterman: First, NLH $600 Wynn Signature Sequence – $65,993Nan Min: 222nd, Tremendous Principal Occasion $25K WSOP Paradise – $60,000Bonnie Weitzel: First, Seniors $400 WSOP Circuit Cherokee – $57,669Miyoung Cho: Second, Tremendous Excessive Curler APPT Manila – $56,854Charlie Waters: Second, Principal Occasion GUKPT Luton – $51,544Anastasija Zavorotnaja: 327th, WSOP Principal Occasion $10K Las Vegas – $45,000

All outcomes had been obtained by way of The Hendon Mob. Our congratulations to all the ladies who excelled in 2025 and we want them the very best of luck in 2026.