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Time Stamps

The four superstar talents were presented as the newest WiPHoF inductees in the PokerGO Studio, with a watch party simultaneously being held at TABLE ONE of the ARIA Las Vegas poker room. The induction ceremony was supported by several stand-out poker entities, including Playtika, PokerGO, the World Poker Tour, PokerStars, and the World Series of Poker.

The celebration coincides with the 2022 Women In Poker Winter Festival, which boasts the $200,000 Guaranteed, $1,100 buy-in WIP Championship event, an exclusive Bounty Tournament, and the WPT Ladies Passport Main Event, presented by the World Poker Tour.

Emceed by Women in Poker Hall of Famer Jan Fisher, the event was attended by almost 200 people there to represent and show support for the industry’s and game’s brightest female stars.

Women In Poker Hall Of Fame: Class of 2022

Vanessa Selbst

Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Vanessa Selbst has been instrumental in catapulting Women In Poker into the global spotlight since 2008, when she earned her first World Series of Poker bracelet for her performance in the $1,500 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha event.

From there, the Yale University graduate would amass over $2.1 million in WSOP tournament cash prize winnings, including her 2014 outright victory in the Mixed-Max No Limit Hold’em tournament for a take-home award of $871,148.

Overall, Vanessa Selbst is ranked in the Top 100 All-Time Money List for live poker tournaments with more than $11.9 million in career cash prize winnings, according to The Hendon Mob. In September 2010 alone, she won the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event for more than $1.8 million.

These days, the Brooklyn native moonlights as a casual poker player while dedicating the majority of her mental prowess to her day job as an options trader. While she was unable to attend the ceremony in person, Selbst sent in a heartwarming thank-you speech.

Angelica Hael

WPT Vice President of Global Tour Management Angelica Hael has been with the company for 13 years and has received numerous accolades for her knowledge and professionalism within the poker industry.

The lead developer behind the WPT Women’s Poker Initiative, Hael was recognized in April 2019 with a GPI Industry Person of the Year Award. The poker visionary is also the go-to talent for organizing the 2022 WIP Championship, which boasts a $200,000 prize pool guarantee ($1,100 buy-in NLHE re-entry) at the 2022 Women In Poker Winter Festival.

Hael was inducted by World Poker Tour CEO Adam Pliska, who delivered an incredibly touching speech that had most in attendance reaching for tissues.

Terry King

Poker trailblazer Terry King caught the “poker bug” in the early 1970s – finally gathering up the courage to sit at a live poker table after watching her friend compete at the tables in 1972.

In 1978, King earned her World Series of Poker bracelet in the WSOP Ladies Championship, and would go on to become the first woman to ever deal in the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event.

After moving to California, King competed as a prop player at the (now) Parkwest Bicycle Casino and served in the role of Shift Manager at the Hollywood Park Casino.

Known by many fans as a poker historian through her poker documentary efforts, King currently runs the Action Now Sports Poker Facebook page, where she regularly shares 50 years worth of great poker stories.

Jennifer Tilly

Famed television and film actress Jennifer Tilly has gifted global pop culture with unforgettable portrayals of Tiffany Valentine in the Child’s Play horror movie series while performing alongside Jim Carrey in the 1997 box-office hit, Liar Liar.

Beyond her on-screen achievements in the entertainment industry (including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the mid-1990s), the Hollywood star is equally and fondly recognized by poker fans worldwide for her aptitude at the poker tables.

Tilly has accrued more than $1 million in live poker tournament cash prize winnings, highlighted by her June 2005 WSOP Ladies Championship bracelet victory. Her six-figure payday in the WSOP came just one year after finding her life partner – fellow poker player Phil Laak, who inducted her with a delightful and hilarious speech.

Tilly remains a fixture on the live poker scene after 25 years of participating in the game and supporting Women In Poker colleagues who have been cast to appear on popular TV shows such as the Celebrity Poker Showdown, Poker Night In America, and High Stakes Poker.

REGISTER NOW: 2022 Women In Poker Championship Event

Less than 48 hours remain until the start of the 2022 Women In Poker Championship event in Las Vegas, which will feature a guaranteed prize pool of $200,000!

EVENT:  WPT Women In Poker Championship

DATE:  December 16th-18th, 2022

VENUE:  Wynn Las Vegas Poker Room

BUY-IN:  $1,100 – unlimited re-entries until registration closes

GAME:  No Limit Texas Hold’em

LATE REGISTRATION:  All registration closes at the start of Level 10 on ‘Day 1’

WPT ACTION CLOCK:  Yes – starting from ‘Day 2’ until tournament completion

OFFICIAL DETAILS:  WPT Women In Poker Winter Festival 2022

Players can earn their seats into ‘Day 1’ through in-person Satellite qualifiers that are scheduled in the Wynn Las Vegas Poker Room. Participants can also choose to buy in directly for $1,100 between now and the start of Level 10 on Friday.

If this year’s WPT World Championship festival attendance numbers are in any way representative of what women poker players can expect this weekend, the 2022 WPT Ladies Championship could easily attract a field exceeding 200 entrants.

Best of luck to all players who will be competing for their share of a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool in the WPT Ladies Championship the at the Wynn Las Vegas this weekend, and congratulations to Vanessa Selbst, Angelica Hael, Terry King, and Jennifer Tilly for their 2022 induction into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame!

Women in Poker Hall of Fame Founder Lupe Soto talks about LIPS and Women in Poker Hall of Fame

Women in Poker Hall of Fame Founder Lupe Soto discusses how to increase women’s poker participation

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Lupe Soto

In this episode of The Bernard Lee Poker Show on the Cardplayer Lifestyle Podcast Family, Bernard Lee interviews founder of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, Lupe Soto.

At the start of the interview, Lupe discusses her induction into the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame. Lupe talks about her background in poker including her online women’s poker group.She  discusses the creation of the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS), and the creation of the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame.

During the second part of the interview, Lupe talks about the 2022 Women in Poker Hall of Fame and WPT Ladies Invitational in December 2022 at the WPT World Championship. Lupe discusses the process of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame nominations and induction. She also talks about how to grow women’s participation in poker and her future plans.

The most recent WiPHoF inductees, as part of the class of 2018, were Maria Ho and the organization’s founder Lupe Soto, and two new members will be selected this year after the full list of nominees gets whittled down to the shortlist. The induction ceremony will be taking place on December 17 at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Much like the Poker Hall of Fame, the WiPHoF has a vast talent pool to choose from, and the list continues to grow. Below are my top seven choices for those most deserving to be inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

Vanessa Selbst

We will get the most obvious choice out of the way first. Vanessa Selbst is #1 on the Women’s All-Time Money List at Hendon Mob by almost a 2-to-1 margin. That’s a feat she already achieved by the end of 2016 before essentially stepping away from the game!

She is also the only woman in World Series of Poker history with three open field bracelets and also boasts two NAPT titles, a Partouche Poker Tour title, and a PCA High Roller title on her resume.

Remember the Super High Roller Celebrity Shootout in 2015? She won that for $1 million. A little-known fact is that Selbst’s first live tournament victory was a WPT Ladies Event title at the 2008 L.A. Poker Classic. She finished runner-up at the Ladies Event of the WPT World Championships that year.

Selbst has career live tournament winnings of $11.9 million. While Selbst has largely retired from professional poker, her resume is more than worthy of induction.

Shirley Rosario

Out of everyone on this list, Shirley Rosario is easily the most well-rounded poker player. She has over $670,000 in live tournament earnings, but what is most impressive is her skill in a multitude of poker variants. According to Hendon Mob, she has 17 tournament victories in a wide variety of poker variants. However, keep in mind that her career dates back before accurate records were kept for tournaments, so her total earnings number is likely much higher.

Rosario is also a successful cash game player and has advocated for women in poker for decades. Some of you longtime poker fans may remember Poker-Babes.com, one of the first websites that celebrated women in poker. She founded and operated that site until it was sold to PokerStars in 2010.

With tournament cashes dating back 20 years now, Rosario continues to school players half her age at the tables. In 2022, she has three final tables and a victory at Winning O’ the Green in CA. She also ran deep in two WSOP events, including the $10k HORSE. It’s not a matter of if Shirley Rosario gets into the WiPHoF, but rather when.

Kristen Bicknell Foxen

Kristen Bicknell is easily the most successful active female player in the world today in terms of earnings. In the live arena, she has tournament earnings of $5.59 million. This includes three WSOP bracelet victories. She won the 2013 Ladies Championship and two open field bracelets in 2015 and 2020.

Bicknell has excelled in the High Roller arena. Her largest win was at the 2019 Poker Masters, where she took a $25k NL Event for $408,000. She also has two World Poker Tour final tables, including a 5^th place finish at this year’s WPT Choctaw Main Event.

Bicknell has also excelled in the online arena. According to PocketFives, Bicknell has lifetime earnings of over $6.11 million. This gives her combined live and online tournament earnings of $11.71 million. She is just 35, and this is her first year of eligibility. However, she already has a career deserving of enshrinement.

Nani Dollison

If you came into poker after 2005, chances are that you’ve never met or even heard of Nani Dollison. However, she was one of the more successful female players of the pre-Boom era.

Dollison is a three-time WSOP bracelet winner and won back-to-back WSOP Ladies Championships in 2000 and 2001. The only other woman to do so is Women in Poker Hall of Famer Susie Isaacs. Dollison’s other bracelet was for winning the $2k Limit Hold’em event in 2001.

If you look at her Hendon Mob profile, the majority of her live tournament cashes were final table appearances. She finished her career with $776,992 in earnings. I’m an advocate of honoring the game’s history, and it seems logical that an old-school top performer like Nani Dollison ought to get inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

Maria Constanza Lampropulos

Maria Lampropulos reminds me a lot of the late John Bonetti in that she didn’t take up poker until a little later in life. She was in her early 30s when she started playing the game, but it didn’t take long for her to become a star. Her breakthrough moment came in 2017 when she won the partypoker Millions Dusk to Dawn Main Event in Nottingham, England for over $1.25 million.

In 2018, Lampropulos won the PCA Main Event for just over $1.08 million. She continues to be a top performer at tournaments globally and has over $3.46 million in live tournament earnings. She ranks third on Argentina’s All-Time Money List and 11th on the Women’s All-Time Money List.

Lampropulos deserves consideration based on her resume, and it would be nice to see the WiPHoF add an international presence to its ranks.

Kara Scott

Kara Scott is one of the most recognized faces in poker media today. She originally gained fame for her work with Poker Night Live before moving to Sky Poker. Scott was later the TV host for the European Poker Tour. Many people recognize her from her time on High Stakes Poker in 2010, but most modern poker fans know her from her work on the World Series of Poker Main Event broadcasts.

If you only know Scott from her broadcasting career, you only know half the story. She has live tournament earnings of $664,795. She proved she had game at the 2008 World Series of Poker when she went deep in the Main Event. In 2009, she finished runner-up in the Irish Poker Open Main Event, netting $413,612. Scott has multiple final table appearances and won the Ladies Event at the 2019 888poker LIVE Barcelona series.

Kara Scott has enjoyed success both at the tables and in the media. She has been one of poker’s best ambassadors, regardless of gender. The Women in Poker Hall of Fame will undoubtedly one day welcome her with open arms.

Karina Jett

Amazingly, Karina Jett is not in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame already, but that is also a testament to the strength of the candidate pool. Jett is known by most everyone in the poker world, either as a player or as an industry influencer.

At the tables, Jett has enjoyed a successful career in both tournaments and cash games. She has made the final table of the WSOP Ladies Championship three times, finishing runner-up in 2011. Her largest tournament score came after winning the He Said, She Said episode of Poker After Dark in 2010.

Away from the tables, Jett has worked behind the scenes to grow the game of poker, including the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. She has also worked with various charity events around Las Vegas.

Karina Jett deserves induction based on her playing career, but after considering her complete body of work, she is a sure-fire lock to get into the WiPHoF at some point.

“You’re so sweet for coming today; thank you.”

“I’m so grateful you came!”

“So nice of you to come. It means the world to me!”

One after another, Maria Ho, Lupe Soto, Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, and a handful of other legendary ladies of poker thanked me for having attended the 2018 Women in Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Time and time again, I was struck dumbfounded, wondering why on earth I was deserving of any sort of thanks. I was fortunate enough to be in Las Vegas on the day of the ceremony, so how could I have NOT attended?! To me, it’s a no-brainer.

Getting more women into poker has been on our industry’s agenda for years, now. We all know the oft-repeated statistic: a historically male-dominated game, poker tournaments tend to boast a paltry 5% female participation rate, with female cash game attendance reflecting a mere couple of percentage points higher than that.

We long for the “glory days” of the poker boom, but we’ve systematically failed to successfully tap into a potential player pool amounting to half the general population! Dare I suggest that it’s finally time that initiatives to bring more women into poker ought to be made a priority #1 item on the industry’s collective agenda.

READ MORE: Why Don’t More Women Play Poker? Leading Poker Ladies Unite for Change

Trailblazers

And yet, somehow we’ve at least managed to reach this point. For women to have made any sort of inroads into such a heavily male-dominated game in the first place requires moxie. It takes guts, determination, and intestinal fortitude; traits shared by each and every member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

Listening to Ho and Soto, the newest WiPHoF inductees, deliver their speeches was deeply stirring.

Maria spoke of her main motivation for working so hard over her decade-plus in poker: She couldn’t stand hearing “No girls allowed.” Knowing smiles crossed the faces of the assembled crowd, nearly 200 strong.

How bittersweet.

We understood exactly the type of adversity she had to face on her road to becoming one of poker’s great success stories. Exuding power and grace while speaking, it was obvious to all that Maria was deserving of WiPHoF distinction already at age 35, for it’s precisely those qualities that have carried her to the game’s heights both as a player as well as on the industry side.

Hearing Lupe tell the tales of sitting in casino lobbies for hours on end just to get meetings with management to try and convince them to host ladies tournaments was radiantly heartbreaking. Two decades of fierce advocacy for women in poker were finally being dutifully recognized. If not for her work, even 5% female participation rates might still be a pipe dream.

The event was a rare occasion to see poker players – always so well-trained to be tough and aggressive at the tables – let their guard down and open up to share their gratitude. I believe Lupe captured the moment perfectly, saying that “It’s not happy people who are thankful; it’s thankful people who are happy. Today, I’m the happiest I’ve been in my entire life.”

A Keynote to Remember

Not to be overlooked was the excellent keynote speech by renowned tournament director  Matt Savage. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, he spoke passionately about the need for men to conduct themselves better, to stand up for women. “We’re all brothers and sisters in this together, and can’t allow abusive behavior to happen!” he boomed. But perhaps the most moving, beautiful, and touching moment of his speech was when Matt shared that “I brought my daughter Rizaann here so that she could be inspired by such amazing, accomplished women.”

It’s said that actions speak louder than words, so kudos to Matt for “voting with his feet,” as it were, and demonstrating to us all how it ought to be done. Not only showing up to attend, but manifestly exposing new women to just how great of a game poker can be.

Looking Towards the Future

As the founder of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, Lupe also took some time during her induction speech to share a new, exciting development, namely that the Women’s Poker Association (WPA) will begin working with poker rooms around the United States to issue official “female friendly” certifications. An initiative of this nature is sure to be quickly embraced by leading rooms around the country, so much so that Aria “Poker Boss” Sean McCormack, also in attendance, told me that he wanted to make sure he’d be “first in line.”

Multiple sponsors, including PokerStars, 888poker, Card Player Cruises, Violette’s Vegan, and The Poker Depot, stepped up to help cover the costs of the 2018 WiPHoF ceremony, and it was announced that the World Poker Tour is set to become a new sponsor as well in the immediate future. This is great news, and I hope to see additional well-respected poker organizations make the effort to show their support in the coming years.

It’s one thing to wish that more women were playing poker and involved in the industry, but it’s quite another to take the next step and invest the time, effort, and resources necessary into trying to make those wishes become a reality.

Event emcee Jan Fisher asked at some point towards the end of the ceremony “so, are you guys ready for 2020 yet?” The year was a nod the next time a WiPHoF induction ceremony is scheduled to be held, and as I heard Jan ask the question, I couldn’t help but think what a shame it is that it’s a biannual and not yearly event. Maybe there’s an ace up Lupe’s sleeve and she’ll surprise us with some more great news in this regard before too long.

A Truly Special Experience

Since the event ended, I’ve been being asked repeatedly “did you enjoy yourself?”

After reflecting upon it, I think that “enjoy” is the wrong word. This wasn’t a show. We weren’t there to be entertained. We were there to acknowledge greatness. We showed up to take part in something special. We showed up because it’s an honor and privilege to be able to attend events like these.

More people need to start showing up.

So, to all you wonderful ladies of the poker world, respectfully, I think you’ve got it the wrong way around. Thank YOU for all you’ve done thus far! Thank YOU for inspiring the rest of us to try and do better from now on.

The organization’s nomination process is open to the public. In order to qualify for nomination a candidate must possess three primary attributes:

1. Have been active as a player or industry leader for a minimum of 10 years prior to election and 35 yrs of age or older.
2. Have contributed to the world of poker in some significant way. This person can qualify by either winning major poker tournaments, or by making significant contributions to the industry of poker.
3. Be a proponent of women in poker.

If you feel there’s a woman out there deserving of induction to the WiPHoF, you are welcome to submit their candidacy here (you have until March 15th).

READ MORE: Why Don’t More Women Play Poker? Leading Poker Ladies Unite for Change

WiPHoF Voting

Once the nominees have been properly vetted, votes will be cast by current WiPHoF members as well as a panel of poker media members, of which we are proud to be a part. Each of us receives 10 votes, which we can spread out amongst those on the ballot or, alternatively, choose to cast in favor of one single nominee.

The top two vote-getters from amongst the nominees on the ballot will be selected for induction. As in years past, the induction ceremony will take place in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker, with this year’s luncheon taking place on Tuesday, June 26th at 11am at the Orleans Casino.

Who Is Getting Our Vote(s)?

At the present time, there’s no official list of nominees on the ballot, as nominations are still being sent in. There was one immediate name that popped into my mind and I imagine I won’t be the only one nominating her for consideration. I look forward to seeing which illustrious women will have been deemed worthy of consideration once all the nominations have been submitted.

Last time around, I cast all 10 of my votes for Victoria Coren Mitchell, who ended up being one of the two 2016 inductees. Will I act similarly once again? Let’s first see whose names end up appearing on the final ballot!

Victoria Coren Mitchell Image credit: Telegraph.co.uk

Apropos spotlight, a number of highly qualified candidates were put forth for voters’ consideration, including (in alphabetical order): Debbie Burkhead, Karina Jett, Victoria Coren Mitchell, Mandy Glogow, Shirley Rosario, Esther Rossi, and Jennifer Tilly. With 10 votes at my disposal, I was originally inclined to split them amongst multiple nominees; then I reconsidered. While it goes without saying that all of the nominees are deserving of recognition, my opinion is that – this time around – one nominee in particular deserves to be induction to the WiPHoF ahead of the others: Victoria Coren Mitchell.

Some of the aforementioned nominees’ names may not be familiar to the casual poker fan; admittedly, there were a couple who I learned of for the first time as well. While I took the time to learn more about each nominee’s involvement in and contributions to poker (and you should too!), I couldn’t shake the feeling throughout my deliberations that notoriety HAD to play some sort of role as well in my decision making. My reasoning specifically had to do with one of the four qualifications for inclusion as a nominee, namely that: “Player/industry leader must be a proponent of women in poker.” Thus, the scale on which a nominee promotes/advocates on behalf of women in poker, by definition, must be a factor as well.

I am all for appreciating the efforts of women who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes. With that said, the efforts of those whose work and accolades occur on the more public stage have a far greater impact. As far as achievements on the felt, Coren Mitchell is in a class of her own, with approximately $2.5 million in winnings and an unprecedented two EPT titles to her credit. Beyond the felt, she’s been a public figure in the UK since well before the poker boom, namely as a published author and columnist. As poker gained in popularity, Coren Mitchell frequently used her fame and celebrity status to promote the game both on the whole, and to women in particular. For a time, she was also sponsored by PokerStars, which gave her an even higher and more far reaching platform from which to promote the game.

The poker world’s gone upside down! (64 left). pic.twitter.com/VKuiBDmxv1

— Victoria Coren M. (@VictoriaCoren) April 17, 2014

Undeniably, throughout numerous interviews and articles, countless TV appearances, and of course extensively on her own website, Coren Mitchell’s enthusiasm and love for poker shine forth. She makes you want to care more about poker, and I’m positive that her ebullience and charm has translated into thousands – if not tens of thousands – of women becoming more interested in the game over the years.

While Victoria Coren Mitchell has been noticeably absent from poker over the last year and a half, due to her taking time off for maternity leave and to spend with her firstborn child, she just recently returned at the EPT Grand Final.

I’m sitting down to play EPT Monte Carlo – my first EPT for 18 months. After that kind of gap, frankly, I’d be embarrassed not to win it.

— Victoria Coren M. (@VictoriaCoren) April 30, 2016

Here’s hoping that the timing of her comeback is no coincidence: I think it’s Vicky’s time to shine brightly once again, as the newest member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.