Since it has been established, not many female poker players have been inducted in the Poker Hall of Fame. To rectify this situation, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WOHoF) has opened its doors to give recognition to women who managed to influence the industry.
In the past, poker was considered a male-dominant industry, but over the years, things began to change and now women are turning into an integral part of the poker community. However, there is still a way to go, and the WOHoF helps encourage female players to become even better players!
Find out which players or influential women have been nominated – and then inducted – in the 2024 Women Poker Hall of Fame class in this Everygame poker report!
The Nominees
When announcing who was nominated to join this prestigious poker club, the WPHoF wrote: "Close to 50 amazing women were nominated for consideration … the ballot has been set with eight fantastic women who are all worthy of a place in the hall.”
And the women on that list are Kristen Foxen, Liv Boeree, Jeanne David, Jamie Kerstetter, Kara Scott, Rebecca McAdam Willetts, Annette Obrestad, and Jennifer Shahade.
While Kristen Foxen, Jennifer Shahade, and Annette Obrestad are known mainly for their success at the poker tables, not all the names on the list are renowned poker players. In fact, this year's nominees include multiple poker commentators, writers, and podcasters. Rebecca McAdam Willetts, for example, worked at PokerStars, focusing on engaging women in poker.
2024 Women Hall of Fame Class
After long deliberations, two women were chosen to be inducted into the WPHoF this year:
Kristen Foxen – The Canadian poker pro is arguably one of the most successful female poker players in the industry today. Foxen won $8,457,509 in live events over the years, collecting 5 WSOP bracelets along the way.
She won the Global Poker Index Award Female Player of the Year four times, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following her career.
Foxen is also known for her success in the online poker circuits, as between 2011 and 2013 she was praised for playing more than 2.5 million hands per year.
Jeanne David – The American player is a well-known Mixed Game tournament player, but that is not the main reason she was nominated for this prestigious award. First of all, she has held master classes on mixed games, striving to get women more involved in tournaments by offering free lessons.
In addition to that, David was the head of responsible gaming for one of the largest poker sites in the world, in addition to promoting the legalization and regulation of online poker around the US and Europe.
Even after retiring from the industry in 2021, she never really stepped away from the poker tables, as she recently hosted a tournament at the Malta Poker Festival.
Another Surprise!
This year, a pioneer induction has been made, as the WPHoF chose to honor women whose stories and contributions aren't well known to the world. The first Pioneer Induction went to Starla Brodie – the first woman to win an open-field WSOP tournament after joining forces with Doyle Brunson in 1979.
Brodie won her second WSOP bracelet in 1995, but her biggest success was turning into a role model for women like Linda Jonson, encouraging other women to shoot for the stars.
Who Do You Think Deserved to Win?
Unfortunately, not all 8 women who made the final nomination list were chosen to be inducted into the WPHoF this time around. Better luck next year! In the meantime, the poker community is planning on celebrating the newest members in a special ceremony that will take place on December 11 in Las Vegas.