A History of Women in the WSOP Main Event
- 1973: A woman from Houston (Bonnie Baez? Alice Young?) plans to play the Main Event but backs out at the last moment.
- 1978: Barbara Freer becomes the first woman to play in the Main Event. She outlasts over half of the field before exiting in 18th place.
- 1979: The Main Event field contains two women for the first time as Betty Carey joins Freer.
- 1980: The Main Event field contains four women for the first time as Vera Richmond and Ireland's Colette Doherty join Carey and Freer.
- 1981: Vera Richmond ends Day 1 of the Main Event with 50,250 chips and the lead among the 38 remaining players. Amarillo Slim Preston famously promises, "I'll cut my throat" if she holds on to win the Main Event, but she busts late on Day Two without cashing.
- 1986: Wendeen Eolis becomes the first woman to cash in the Main Event, finishing 25th out of 141 players and earning her entry fee back.
- 1990: A record five women play in the Main Event.
- 1993: A record eight women play in the Main Event.
- 1993: Marsha Waggoner and Wendeen Eolis become the first women to reach the final 20 of the Main Event, finishing 19th and 20th respectively to win $12,000. Eolis is the first woman to cash twice, while Australian Waggoner is the first non-American woman to cash.
- 1994: Barbara Samuelson becomes the first woman to finish in the final 10 of the Main Event. She wins $26,880 for her 10th place finish.
- 1995: A record eleven women play in the Main Event.
- 1995: Barbara Enright becomes the first woman to reach the Main Event final table. A bad beat knocks her out in fifth place for $114,180.
- 1996: England's Lucy Rokach becomes the first non-American woman to cash in the Main Event (26th for $19,500).
- 1997: A record twelve women play in the Main Event.
- 1998: A record thirteen women play in the Main Event.
- 2000: A record eighteen women play in the Main Event.
- 2000: Kathy Liebert ends Day 2 of the Main Event with 283,500 chips, leading the 45 remaining players.
- 2002: A record nineteen women play in the Main Event.
- 2003: A record thirty women play in the Main Event.
- 2003: Annie Duke becomes the first woman to cash in the Main Event three times (26th in 1994 for $16,800, 10th in 2000 for $52,160, and 47th in 2003 for $20,000).
- 2004: A record of approximately 100 women play in the Main Event. For the first time, three women cash.
- 2005: A record 202 women play in the Main Event. A record 13 of them cash.
- 2005: Tiffany Williamson finishes 15th for a women's Main Event record $400,000, outlasting a record 99.73% of the field.
- 2006: Annie Duke becomes the first woman to cash in the Main Event four times (88th for $51,129). In total, a record 21 women cash.
- 2008: A record 209 women play in the Main Event.
- 2008: Argentina's Veronica Dabul becomes the first female to cash in consecutive Main Events, banking $39,445 for 314th in 2007 and $35,383 for 235th in 2008.
- 2008: Tiffany Michelle finishes 17th, outlasting a women's record 99.75% of the Main Event field.
- 2010: A record 216 women play in the Main Event.
- 2011: A record 242 women play in the Main Event.
- 2012: Gaelle Baumann finishes Day 2 with 505,800 chips, the most of the 1,753 remaining players.
- 2012: Gaelle Baumann and Elisabeth Hille win a women's Main Event record $590,442 for placing 10th and 11th. Baumann outlasts a record 99.85% of the field.
- 2013: A record 298 women play in the Main Event. At 4.69%, women make up the second highest percentage of the field ever.
- 2016: A record 35 women make the money in the Main Event.
- 2018: A record 301 women play in the Main Event. A record 41 of them make the money.
- 2018: Liv Boeree and Melanie Weisner become the first (and still only) women with three consecutive Main Event cashes (2016 to 2018).
- 2018: Kelly Minkin becomes the first (and still only) woman with multiple $100,000 cashes (29th for $211,821 in 2015 and 50th for $156,265 in 2018).
- 2019: A record 350 women play in the Main Event.
- 2019: Kathy Liebert sets women's record with her fifth Main Event cash: 17th in 1998 for $30,000, 17th in 2000 for $39,120, 275th in 2006 for $38,759, 251st in 2017 for $40,181, and 652nd in 2019 for $22,190.
- 2020: Maria Ho is Last Woman Standing in the Main Event for a record third time. Her 22nd place finish on the U.S. side of the Main Event for $35,194 is her fifth Main Event cash, matching Kathy Liebert's woman's record.
- 2021: Jessica Cai becomes the first woman to lead at the end of Day 3 or later, ending the third day with 1,796,000 chips, the most of the 1,000 remaining players.
- 2021: Kathy Liebert edges back in front of Maria Ho with a women's record sixth Main Event cash, 938th for $15,000.
- 2022: A record 375 women play in the Main Event.
- 2022: Gaelle Baumann becomes the first woman with three $40,000 cashes (10th for $590,442 in 2012, 102nd for $49,108 in 2016, and 302nd for $40,900 in 2022).
- 2023: A record 395 women play in the Main Event.
- 2024: Kristen Foxen finishes 13th and sets women's Main Event records for largest prize ($600,000) and percent of the field survived (99.87%).
- 2025: Leo Margets finishes 7th and sets women's Main Event records for largest prize ($1,500,000) and percent of the field survived (99.93%).
Women in the WSOP Main Event
| Year | Entries | Women | % Women | Paid | Women
Paid | % Women
Paid | Last Woman | Place | Prize | % |
|---|
| 1978 | 42 | 1 | 2.4% | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1979 | 54 | 2 | 3.7% | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1980 | 73 | 4 | 5.5% | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1981 | 75 | 3 | 4.0% | 9 | 0 | 0.0% | | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1982 | 104 | 3 | 2.9% | 9 | 0 | 0.0% | | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1983 | 108 | 2 | 1.9% | 9 | 0 | 0.0% | | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1984 | 132 | 4 | 3.0% | 9 | 0 | 0.0% | | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1985 | 140 | 4 | 2.9% | 9 | 0 | 0.0% | | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1986 | 141 | 4 | 2.8% | 36 | 1 | 2.8% | Wendeen Eolis | 25 | $10,000 | 17.7% |
| 1987 | 152 | 2 | 1.3% | 36 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1988 | 167 | 1 | 0.6% | 36 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1989 | 178 | 1 | 0.6% | 36 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1990 | 194 | 5 | 2.6% | 36 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1991 | 215 | 2 | 0.9% | 36 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1992 | 201 | 2 | 1.0% | 36 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 1993 | 220 | 8 | 3.6% | 27 | 2 | 7.4% | Marsha Waggoner | 19 | $12,000 | 8.6% |
| 1994 | 268 | 8 | 3.0% | 27 | 2 | 7.4% | Barbara Samuelson | 10 | $26,880 | 3.7% |
| 1995 | 273 | 11 | 3.0% | 27 | 1 | 3.7% | Barbara Enright | 5 | $114,180 | 1.8% |
| 1996 | 295 | 9 | 3.0% | 27 | 1 | 3.7% | Lucy Rokach | 26 | $19,500 | 8.8% |
| 1997 | 312 | 12 | 3.8% | 27 | 1 | 3.7% | Marsha Waggoner | 12 | $33,920 | 3.8% |
| 1998 | 350 | 13 | 3.7% | 27 | 2 | 7.4% | Susie Isaacs | 10 | $40,000 | 2.9% |
| 1999 | 393 | 2 | 0.5% | 36 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 2000 | 512 | 18 | 3.5% | 45 | 2 | 4.4% | Annie Duke | 10 | $52,160 | 2.0% |
| 2001 | 613 | 12 | 2.0% | 45 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 2002 | 631 | 19 | 3.0% | 45 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | | $0 | 0.0% |
| 2003 | 839 | 30 | 3.6% | 63 | 1 | 1.6% | Annie Duke | 47 | $20,000 | 5.6% |
| 2004 | 2,576 | 100 | 3.9% | 226 | 4 | 1.8% | Rose Richie | 98 | $20,000 | 3.8% |
| 2005 | 5,619 | 202 | 3.6% | 560 | 15 | 2.7% | Tiffany Williamson | 15 | $400,000 | 0.3% |
| 2006 | 8,773 | 200 | 2.3% | 883 | 23 | 2.6% | Sabyl Cohen-Landrum | 56 | $123,699 | 0.6% |
| 2007 | 6,358 | 200 | 3.1% | 621 | 15 | 2.4% | Maria Ho | 38 | $237,865 | 0.6% |
| 2008 | 6,844 | 209 | 3.1% | 666 | 21 | 3.2% | Tiffany Michelle | 17 | $334,534 | 0.2% |
| 2009 | 6,494 | 187 | 2.9% | 648 | 13 | 2.0% | Leo Margets | 27 | $352,832 | 0.4% |
| 2010 | 7,319 | 216 | 3.0% | 747 | 13 | 1.7% | Breeze Zuckerman | 121 | $57,102 | 1.7% |
| 2011 | 6,865 | 242 | 3.5% | 693 | 13 | 1.9% | Erika Moutinho | 29 | $242,636 | 0.4% |
| 2012 | 6,598 | 211 | 3.2% | 666 | 19 | 2.9% | Gaelle Baumann | 10 | $590,442 | 0.2% |
| 2013 | 6,352 | 298 | 4.7% | 648 | 18 | 2.8% | Jackie Glazier | 31 | $229,281 | 0.5% |
| 2014 | 6,683 | 282 | 4.2% | 693 | 14 | 2.0% | Maria Ho | 77 | $85,812 | 1.2% |
| 2015 | 6,420 | 252 | 3.9% | 1,000 | 20 | 2.0% | Kelly Minkin | 29 | $211,821 | 0.5% |
| 2016 | 6,737 | 268 | 4.0% | 1,011 | 33 | 3.3% | Gaelle Baumann | 102 | $49,108 | 1.5% |
| 2017 | 7,221 | 272 | 3.8% | 1,084 | 34 | 3.1% | Yuan Yuan Li | 105 | $53,247 | 1.5% |
| 2018 | 7,874 | 301 | 3.8% | 1,182 | 42 | 3.6% | Kelly Minkin | 50 | $156,265 | 0.6% |
| 2019 | 8,569 | 350 | 4.1% | 1,286 | 39 | 3.0% | Jill Bryant | 116 | $59,295 | 1.4% |
| 2020 | 1,379 | 50 | 3.6% | 187 | 7 | 3.7% | Maria Ho | 43 | $35,194 | 3.1% |
| 2021 | 6,650 | 283 | 4.3% | 1,000 | 31 | 3.1% | Dragana Lim | 64 | $95,700 | 1.0% |
| 2022 | 8,663 | 375 | 4.3% | 1,302 | 36 | 2.8% | Shelby Wells | 97 | $73,100 | 1.1% |
| 2023 | 10,043 | 395 | 3.9% | 1,506 | 47 | 3.1% | Estelle Cohuet | 68 | $130,300 | 0.7% |
| 2024 | 10,112 | 358 | 3.5% | 1,517 | 44 | 2.9% | Kristen Foxen | 13 | $600,000 | 0.1% |
| 2025 | 9,735 | 369 | 3.8% | 1,461 | 49 | 3.4% | Leo Margets | 7 | $1,500,000 | 0.1% |
Notes:
- The number of women who played is an estimate in several years (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2020).
- The number of women who cashed may be a slight undercount from 2005 to the present as some women may have been missed.
- % Women Paid column is the percentage of players who cashed who were women. Also interesting is the percentage of women who entered that cashed, which peaked at 33.3% in 1986 (1 of 3) and was 25.0% in both 1993 and 1994 (2 of 8).
- Last Woman Standing column only includes players in the money.
- In 2020, Maria Ho finished 22nd in the U.S. section, which has been roughly doubled to 43 as an approximate combined U.S./International finish.
See Also:
[Updated 20260513]