Any current conversation about the best female poker players has to start with a name change most casual fans have missed: Kristen Bicknell, the Canadian pro who dominated women’s poker rankings for most of the last decade, now competes as Kristen Foxen, and she just had the biggest year of her career. But 2026 hasn’t been a one-woman story. It’s been arguably the best year in WSOP history for women’s poker overall, with a record-breaking Ladies Championship field, a rare mixed-games bracelet, and a genuine new wave of players pushing into the same rooms as the established names. Here’s where things actually stand.
Kristen Foxen: Still the Standard
Foxen overtook Vanessa Selbst for the all-time female earnings lead back in September 2025, and she’s only extended that gap since. At the 2026 WSOP, she won the $25,000 High-Roller No-Limit Hold’em event for her sixth career bracelet, a career-best single cash of $1,773,083 that surpassed her previous top score from the 2025 Triton Series in Jeju. She’s now a five-time GPI Female Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2025) and was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2024.
| Year | Bracelet Event | Notable Detail |
| 2013 | $1,000 Ladies Championship | Her first bracelet, won as Kristen Bicknell |
| 2016 | $1,500 Bounty Event | Second career bracelet |
| 2020 | $2,500 NLHE 6-Handed | Third bracelet |
| 2023 | Online bracelet event | Fourth bracelet |
| 2024 | Live bracelet event | Fifth bracelet |
| 2026 | $25,000 High-Roller NLHE | Sixth bracelet; career-best $1,773,083 cash |
Among the current group of famous female poker players, Foxen’s résumé stands apart for a simple reason: she’s not a legacy name coasting on past results. Her single biggest cash came this year, at 39 years old, in a $25,000 buy-in field against some of the toughest high-stakes regulars in the game.
The New Wave: Cherish Andrews and the Rising Group
If Foxen represents the established peak, Cherish Andrews represents the depth building underneath her. The Pennsylvania pro is one of the most consistently active female professional poker players on the circuit, with a WSOP online bracelet, three WSOP Circuit rings, and two GPI Female Player of the Year titles — including 2024, when she edged out Foxen herself for the award. She carried real momentum into the 2026 season, winning an event at the U.S. Poker Open in April for $117,407, her second career PokerGO Tour title, and she’d already logged multiple final tables across the year’s biggest series before the WSOP Main Event even started.
A handful of other names are worth tracking as part of this same rising group among top women poker players:
- Skye Chen — won the record-breaking 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship for her first bracelet and, remarkably, her first documented live tournament cash of any kind.
- Michelle Chin — took down a $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw bracelet at the 2026 WSOP, the first female mixed-games bracelet win in 11 years.
- Leo Margets — a Winamax Team Pro who became just the second woman since Barbara Enright in 1995 to reach a WSOP Main Event final table, cashing for roughly $1.5 million.
- Ebony Kenney — a newer name building visibility through both results and a growing social media presence, increasingly mentioned alongside more established pros.
2026: A Record Year for Women’s Poker at the WSOP
The numbers back up the sense that something bigger is happening this year, not just at the top of the rankings but across the whole field.
| Metric | 2026 Figure | Context |
| WSOP Ladies Event entrants | 1,475 | New record, up from 1,368 in 2025 |
| Open bracelets won by women | 5 | Not counting the Ladies Championship itself |
| Female mixed-games bracelets | 1 (Michelle Chin) | First in 11 years |
| Foxen’s career bracelets | 6 | Extends her record as the winningest female player |
Taken together, this wasn’t just a good year for one or two standout names — it was a genuinely deep year for professional women’s poker as a category, with breakout first-time winners appearing alongside established stars extending their records in the same series.
All-Time Earnings: How the Numbers Actually Stack Up
Because different tracking services count online results differently, you’ll see slightly different numbers for the same players depending on the source. Here’s a straightforward comparison using live-only figures from Hendon Mob, the most widely cited standard.
| Player | Live Earnings (2026) | WSOP Bracelets | Signature Achievement |
| Kristen Foxen | $13.4M+ | 6 | All-time female earnings leader |
| Vanessa Selbst | ~$11.9M | 3 | Only woman ever ranked #1 on the GPI |
| Kathy Liebert | ~$7.2M | 1 | First woman to win $1M in a single tournament |
| Liv Boeree | ~$6.7M | 1 | Only woman with both an EPT title and a WSOP bracelet |
| Cherish Andrews | $4.2M+ | 1 (online) | Most active modern female tournament grinder |
Practical Takeaways for Following Women’s Poker in 2026
- Track the U.S. Poker Open and PokerGO Tour, not just the WSOP. Both Foxen’s and Andrews’ biggest recent results came from PGT events outside the WSOP window — the story doesn’t pause between summers.
- Watch mixed-games events for breakout stories. Michelle Chin’s win shows there’s real opportunity in formats outside standard no-limit hold’em, where fields are often smaller and less saturated with specialists.
- The Ladies Championship keeps producing first-time winners. Skye Chen’s win with zero prior documented cashes is a reminder that the event remains a genuine entry point, not just a formality for established pros.
Follow the Full Field, Not Just the Headlines
PokerClubGames tracks results and profiles across the women’s tournament circuit — from established professional women poker players like Foxen and Andrews to first-time winners just starting to build a résumé. If you’re building a watchlist for the rest of the 2026 season, our player database goes deeper than a single ranking snapshot.
FAQs
Who is the highest-earning female poker player of all time?
Kristen Foxen (formerly known as Kristen Bicknell) holds the record, having overtaken Vanessa Selbst in September 2025. As of 2026, her live tournament earnings exceed $13.4 million according to Hendon Mob, with some trackers that include online results placing the figure above $15 million.
How many WSOP bracelets does Kristen Foxen have?
Kristen Foxen won her sixth WSOP bracelet at the 2026 World Series of Poker, taking down the $25,000 High-Roller No-Limit Hold’em event for a career-best single cash of $1,773,083. Her bracelets span 2013, 2016, 2020, 2023, 2024, and 2026.
Who is Cherish Andrews and why is she considered part of the new wave?
Cherish Andrews is one of the most active female players on the current tournament circuit, with a WSOP online bracelet, three WSOP Circuit rings, and two GPI Female Player of the Year awards (2022 and 2024). She entered the 2026 WSOP season with strong momentum, winning an event at the U.S. Poker Open in April 2026.
Did any women win open WSOP bracelets in 2026?
Yes. 2026 was a standout year for women’s poker at the WSOP. Five women won open bracelet events (not counting the dedicated Ladies Championship), including Kristen Foxen’s sixth career bracelet and Michelle Chin’s win in a mixed-games event, the first female mixed-games bracelet win in 11 years.
How big was the 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship field?
The 2026 WSOP Ladies Event drew 1,475 entrants, breaking the previous record of 1,368 set in 2025. The tournament was won by Skye Chen, who claimed her first WSOP bracelet and first documented live tournament cash in the same event.
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