| The REAL Top Ten Hottest Women In Poker |
| Written by Earl Burton |
| Wednesday, 02 November 2011 05:33 |
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Several months ago, WPT Magazine came out with a list of the “Top 20 Hottest Women In Poker.” The list was replete with models and hostesses that have nothing to do with the game and, yes, some women who have some skill at poker but have yet to reach lofty heights. It was a very contentious subject here on Woman Poker Player (the He Said/She Said was quite memorable), but no one really stepped up to look at who would be the REAL hottest women in poker. After all, we are all poker players and it is the results that speak, right? With that, I took upon myself to seriously examine the issue of who are the BEST women poker players in the game. While there’s room for discussion, here’s the Top Ten that made my list.
10) Cyndy Violette - Over her three decades in the game, Cyndy has been able to do everything that
There are some women who could also make this list – Susie Isaacs, Betty Carey, Mimi Tran, maybe even Vanessa Rousso and Maria Ho – but perhaps it may be best to go to a Top Twenty, much like the WPT did with its rankings.
What would your Top Ten look like? |
1) Jennifer Harman - Not only has Jennifer won two World Series of Poker bracelets in open (read: anyone can enter) events, she has played at the highest stakes in the biggest games around the world. While overcoming her physical disabilities (kidney transplants), Jennifer has continued to excel at the game.
2) Annie Duke - Love her or hate her, she has been a transcendent part of the poker world. The winner of a WSOP bracelet and the 2004 Tournament of Champions victor, Annie has continued to show her skills by winning the 2010 National Heads Up Poker Championship. In her position now as the Commissioner of the Epic Poker League, she continues to lead the way for women in poker.
3) Vanessa Selbst - Currently the best woman poker player in the game. Her wins at the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun event in 2010 and 2011, along with her WSOP bracelet win in 2008, put her in the position of perhaps passing the top two women.
4) Kathy Liebert - While the women ahead of her have more notoriety, Kathy continues to put her skills on the line in the biggest events around. Why she hasn’t been the first woman to take a WPT championship is hard to understand.
5) Linda Johnson - Linda has been a figurehead when it comes to poker. Whether it is through publications (former owner of Card Player Magazine), as a tournament director (founder of the Tournament Directors Association) or through philanthropy (a founder of Poker Gives), the WSOP bracelet winner has been one of the most influential women in the game of poker for over three decades and now has been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
6) Joanne “J. J.” Liu - One of the veterans of the game, J. J. has been able to make her mark in not only the tournament world but also the cash game arena. Along with Liebert, she has been perhaps the best chance for a woman to win a WPT event.
7) Victoria Coren - Yes, her last big championship was five years ago (2006 EPT London), but the woman has been able to earn a living from not only her poker play but also her skill as a broadcaster. She earns respect as the first ever female EPT champion (something that the WPT hasn’t seen yet), but Vicky also deserves kudos for a no-holds-barred book regarding the game, where she bared many insights not only into her but also poker itself.
8) Barbara Enright - It is potentially underscoring Barbara to put her this low. The first woman to ever make the final table of the WSOP Championship Event, Barbara has been the pioneer for women in the world of poker. To this day, Barbara continues to be a fixture at the poker tables and, more often than not, comes out on the positive side of the equation.
9) Lucy Rokach - Along with Enright, a pioneer of the game in the United Kingdom. With over $1.3 million in tournament earnings in her career (and untold winnings in cash games), Lucy is probably a player that no one considers for a Top Ten list. She has deserved such placing, however.
poker requires. She’s earned a living as a professional, she earned the kudos of a champion (a WSOP bracelet) and she has carried herself as a pro. What else could you ask?
Yes, no swimsuit photos here, no cheesecake. This is an admittedly biased look at what most poker players consider to be the bottom line . . . performance on the tables.|
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Comments
With regards to the above, I think it is somewhat strange that you have left the likes of Vanessa Rousso and Liv Boeree off of this list. After all, if we are in the business of results is it not fair to point out that both are currently among the top ten female earners in the game with $3.4 and $2.1 million respectively?
So - save for a flippant mention in your penultimate paragraph - why the omission? Could it be, as you say, that the list is biased towards your own personal opinion or that in the process of being contrary to the WPT Poker article, you've left out two obvious candidates because they don't fit in with your argument? I would say that the poker ability of the two is beyond doubt, yet both have openly and admittedly used their physical appearance and femininity to advance their careers. For Rousso it was Sports Illustrated and for Boeree it was her "marketability" that first got her on the reality TV show that launched her career. While I agree the WPT Poker article was inflammatory to omit these two players makes you look incredibly petty.
There have been many who have questioned why such players as Liv Boeree, Vanessa Rousso, Maria Ho or Annette Obrestad were left off of the list. Although they all have verifiable career earnings, the one thing they don't have is longevity.
One of the criteria for the Poker Hall of Fame is to "have stood the test of time." For anyone to be truly successful, they have to have been playing and maintaining a level of success for many years.
If these ladies are still at the pinnacle of their games in another ten/fifteen years, then by all means they would be considered and, more than likely, be on the list.
Kes: Van Nguyen's win was not in an open event. She won the WPT Invitational that year and, although a nice achievement, it is not counted as a woman winning an open WPT event.
Thanks for reading!
Earl
(Hands down the best player on this list, but arguably not eligible under your criteria)
Is it simply because they are young? These three women have proven their skills as "hot" players in the game a lot more than many of the women in your list, whilst all of whom are great women, are unjustly put above these three who have the real results.
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