As poker becomes ever more popular, women are becoming increasingly involved. Although men still dominate live poker events, more and more women are joining the ranks as they explore this exciting pastime.

Misogynist hatred should have no place in any game, yet women players still encounter it every day. To fight back and make a difference in society, many of the best female poker players are doing what they can to change it.

Vanessa Selbst

Vanessa Selbst is one of poker’s best-known female players and currently holds the number one tournament ranking among female tournament players. With lifetime earnings exceeding $10.9 million and five bracelet wins to her credit – including being the only woman ever to have taken down the World Series of Poker Main Event – Selbst has risen quickly up the rankings as a tournament and cash game player over five years since she quit professionally playing professionally; though she no longer competes regularly against professional opponents, Selbst still finds time for occasional tournaments and cash games.

Her success has helped disprove the stereotype that poker is solely the domain of men, or that men are better at it than women. She has been very open about her struggles with sexism in poker circles and done an outstanding job promoting women’s interests within poker.

Selbst was born in New York City and attended MIT for one year before transferring to Yale, earning both her political science degree and JD simultaneously. Today she works for Jane Street Electronic Trading LLC of New York.

Kathy Liebert

Kathy Liebert stands as an exceptional example of female poker pioneer. Her achievements have broken stereotypes, increased visibility and promoted an inclusive gaming community.

Professional player since 1994, she is best known as having won one WSOP bracelet and multiple final tables on the live tournament circuit. Amassing over $5 Million in lifetime tournament winnings to date, she made history when she became the first woman ever to bank a $1 Million prize at any single event.

Liebert began her poker career as a prop player at low stakes games before graduating to tournament play. Following this experience and receiving her degree in business and finance from University of Tennessee Knoxville, Liebert worked for Dunn & Bradstreet for one year before following her passion and joining cash and tournament competition – becoming well known for her cool, calculated game plan that helps women break through in poker world. Liebert serves as an inspirational role model to women seeking success within this realm.

Annie Duke

Though men still outstrip women in live poker events, more and more women are making an impressionful statement through winning titles, playing major events and giving back to charity.

Annie Duke is an acclaimed author and speaker renowned for her intellectual approach to game theory, early applications of it, and ability to apply decision science concepts effectively across both personal and professional settings. Her presentations and best-selling books on emotional control, evaluation of feedback, sunk cost analysis have resonated with audiences nationwide.

She regularly appears on The Moth, an organization dedicated to spoken-word storytelling. In 2020, she and her husband created Poker Power as a company which uses this game to teach one million girls and women “major skills” that support career advancement and acceleration – workshops with negotiation tactics may even help close gender pay gaps!

Alison Gelman

Women tournament players such as Vanessa Selbst, Kathy Liebert and Annie Duke have made waves in poker by outwitting men at their own games at the highest levels.

But casino gaming doesn’t serve as an accurate representation of society; gender dynamics vary considerably when placed within this setting. Blaming external influences like social expectations or gender norms or targeted advertising and marketing might not always be appropriate solutions.

But I would also argue that the game itself plays a part. Men often jump headlong into things without much consideration or study, which often extends to poker tables as they use aggression as an unwise means of strategy at times when used inappropriately. Erin Lydon of Poker Power and candidate for Manhattan Comptroller joined Kai Ryssdal from Marketplace TV show Marketplace Live to discuss these issues and what she thinks poker teaches us all about living an EV+ life.