For years, poker was considered a man’s game. However, over the last decade, more and more female players have taken to the felt. Some famous female poker players are: Jennifer Harman, Annie Duke, Kathy Liebert, Vanessa Selbst and Annette Obrestad. Studies have shown that women are equally skilled, if not better at poker.
One of the reasons that have been cited for this is their sharp observational skills which help them capture the non-verbal nuances of their opponents. In addition, their less aggressive behavior in general helps them keep their cool and play better. This also results in their opponents underestimating them. The poker community is now a more unisexual one, with both men and women competing against one another on an even playing field.
Some of the Top Female Poker Players
Some of the first successful women poker players were Annie Duke and Jennifer Harmon. Both women struggled to compete with the men on the circuit but are now regarded as legends in the poker community.
Jennifer Harmon-Traniello: She began playing poker at 16 in her home town Reno. Harmon continued playing throughout school and college and even when she moved to Los Angeles. She started by buying into large scale tournaments by the mid 90s. Her legendary win at Deuce-Seven Lowball was due to a quick tutorial session from Howard Lederer. She won despite never having played the game before. She took home the title and over $200,000.
Jennifer has had wins both at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and on the WPT circuit. She has also been a final table contestant at WPT thrice. She continues to play cash games and regularly plays mixed games at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Annie Duke: The sister of poker legend Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, is one of the best known women players in the poker community. Though she began as an academic, Duke quickly discovered her passion for poker and eventually moved to Las Vegas with her family in order to pursue it professionally.
On her brother’s insistence, she tied her hand when playing at WSOP and finished 13th overall. This was the first tournament she had participated in. Annie is now the commissioner of the Epic Poker League, a WSOP bracelet winner and has career winnings of approximately $3,500,000 to her name. She also teaches poker and is involved in writing and consultations on the subject.
Female Poker Player Currently Dominating the Poker Scene
Most of the new additions to the poker community began their careers at real money online poker rooms. Their style of playing is more aggressive and fast paced than their older contemporaries. A current female player who has shown great promise is Annette Obrestad. She won her first big title as soon as she turned 18 and participated in WSOP Europe.
She dominated the Texas Hold’em game and took home more than $2,000,000. She is the youngest player to win a WSOP title and also has the distinction of being the female player with the largest cash win at a live poker event. She went on to win a tournament held online while in the dark. Obrestad also won a Hold’em tournament in a field of 180 players without glancing at her cards. Annette is one of the highest earning Norwegian poker players.
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