Female Poker Stars Make Their Mark on the Biggest Stage
Several female poker players made a big splash in 2024 to highlight how the iconic casino game has become increasingly more diverse. Read on as we look at who has been hitting the headlines, starting with a woman who set a new record for earnings at a single event.
Liv Boeree Sparkles on Her Return to Action
Liv Boeree returned to action with a bang, making the headlines during the festive season by winning a record-breaking $2.8 million payout at a World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in the Bahamas. She marked her return after a six-year absence with a stunning fourth-place finish, claiming the highest single-event earnings for a female poker player.
Boeree, who has a first-class degree in astrophysics, was left starstruck at her own performance in the high-stakes tournament, especially after being away from the game for so long. She admitted her brain initially felt rusty, but the muscle memory kicked in as the tournament progressed. The fact that she could still perform at a high level is testament to her status in the game, especially coming up against some of the best professionals in the world.
Boeree initially retired from poker in 2018 to focus on public speaking and her critically acclaimed ‘Win-Win’ podcast. She only participated in the WSOP to rekindle her passion for poker, and she did it in sensational fashion, claiming a payout that will go down in the history of the game. Boeree pledged to donate 20 percent of her winnings to the most effective animal welfare charities, and they will collectively pocket a massive $560,000 windfall.
Sosia Jiang Enjoys a Remarkable Run at WSOP Paradise
New Zealand’s Sosia Jiang also made a name for herself last year with a performance that left her massive fanbase in her homeland awestruck. Despite going up against a highly competitive field of 96 players at the 2024 WSOP Paradise Triton Million Invitational in the Bahamas, Jiang walked away with an impressive $1.6m payout. She finished eighth after bowing out against Daniel Dvorress, and her performance serves as a blueprint for Kiwi players looking to follow in her footsteps.
Held at the lavish Atlantic Resort, the event split amateurs and veterans into separate fields. They joined together later on, and Jiang was one of the last few players standing in the home stretch. Given how much New Zealand players love to wager, the top 10 online casinos nz platforms will probably have an uptick in traffic on the back of Jiang’s exploits. Jiang’s remarkable rise to prominence has made her a role model for Kiwi players eager to follow in her footsteps and leave an indelible mark in the world of poker.
Kristen Foxen has a Year to Remember in Poker
Canada’s Kristen Foxen grabbed the headlines with a series of outstanding performances on the poker tables in 2024. She cemented her spot as one of poker’s all-time greats, going from crushing the PokerGO Tour to earning a coveted spot in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. The 38-year-old kicked off the year with a bang, pocketing over $300,000 in winnings during the PokerGO Last Chance and Kickoff festivals in January. She hit the ground running with a $165,000 win at the start of the PokerGO Tour, shrugging off competition from one of the biggest names in the game – Daniel Negreanu. Foxen carried her momentum into the WSOP and unsurprisingly produced an extraordinary run in the 2024 Main Event. She pocketed $600,000 in winnings after finishing 13th.
The Canadian maestro was also inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in November after claiming five bracelets and more than $8.5m in lifetime earnings. What followed was a heartfelt acceptance speech where she opened up about always being underestimated while playing poker at the top level. “In my career, I decided I was pretty determined to try, and show that women can compete,” she said. “I just wanted to be as successful as I could be, and here I am almost 20 years later.”
