Poker players are not always men. Since the invention of Poker, plenty of women have played the game, with some becoming very good at it and famous in their own right.
With that being the case, here is a list of the most renowned women Poker players ever and these fine ladies get a bit more of the recognition they so fully deserve. So, here is a choice selection of the most famous women Poker players to leave their mark on the world.
- Giving It Right to the Enright – Barbara Enright was born in 1949 and is still around. This tough biddy is one of the best poker players ever, which is not all that surprising given that she started playing Poker back when she was little more than knee-high. So, back in the days, Barbara was a pretty smart woman and was obliged to hold down no less than 3 jobs to pay the bills. It didn’t take her much time to realise that the income she made from her occasional Poker playing exceeded the combined total of what she made on all her 3 jobs. She, therefore, did what any smart lass would do, quit her job and devoted herself full time to playing Poker for earning rather than doing it for fun and thrills. By 1995, she made history as the 1st woman to make it to the World Series of Poker final table, where she finished 5th. Throughout her career, she has won no less than 3 WSOP bracelets, which is more than any other woman has won, and has also triumphed at a WSOP open event. Given her achievements, it is no surprise that she became the first woman to make it into the World Series of Poker Hall of Fame. She is also the only individual ever for being in no less than 3 halls of fame: the Senior Poker Hall of Fame, Women in Poker Hall of Fame, and World Series of Poker Hall of Fame.
- Alice Loves Poker – “Poker Alice” Ivers lived from 1851 to 1930 and was well-known in the American West for her love and skill at Poker. The lass was actually from England and came to America with her family in 1863. She loved the outdoors, moved to Colorado by 1880 and married her first husband a year later. This bloke by the name of Frank played Poker, with the result that she soon joined him. Frank was to perish in a mining accident a few short years later, but by this time Alice had honed her Poker skills to a sharp edge. To put food on the table she took the brave step of becoming a Poker dealer and worked at this job all over the US. She was a noted card dealer, eventually had 2 more husbands and was at one time the proud owner of a few gambling dens. Life was not rosy though, with her saloons being raided often and she being incarcerated for killing a guy in self-defense. She died in 1930, still as incorrigible as ever and fully deserving of being in this top female Poker players list.
- The Stuck-Up Stocker – Next up is Mayme Stocker who lived from 1875 to 1972. She didn’t have an easy life. In the year 1911, she and her hubby went to Vegas, following the railroads at which her husband was employed. While her husband was absent at his day job, Mayme sought to make small money by opening a soda shop that soon morphed into a very popular gambling den. The soda club was called the Northern Club and the games played in it included 500, Bridge, Stud, Lowball and Draw Poker. When Nevada in 1931 choose to fully legalize gambling, Mayme applied for and got a gambling license for her club. Her license made history as the first one issued by the state of Nevada. And that is why this lady has a solid place as an industry pioneer of sorts and is on this sweet top Poker player list.
- Get Your Gun Annie – Annie Oakley (1860 – 1926) was a famous sharpshooting artist, whose tricks involved throwing a playing card into the air and splattering it with bullets well before it could touch the ground. There is no evidence that she ever played Poker professionally. She is definitely an honorable mention in this top Poker players list.