Poker Girl Power - Show me the money!
When it comes to professional poker few people will be completely unaware of the presence of some extremely talented female poker pro's. To show you just how much of a dent these ladies are making on the pro circuit we take a look at 7 of the top female poker players with combined live tournament winnings which in 2008 exceed $8,907,000 .
1. Annie Duke
Total live tournament winnings exceed $3,600,000
Annie Duke (born September 13, 1965) holds the record for the most 'in the money' finishes at the World Series of Poker by women. In 2004 she won $2,000,000 in the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, which at the time was the highest winnings paid to a female poker player in any single event. She received a lot of publicity for tutoring Ben Affleck who consequently won the 2004 California State Poker Championship. Duke holds one WSOP bracelet in Omaha HiLo and now refuses to play in women's only poker tournaments saying that poker is one of the few sports where men and women can compete on a totally equal footing.
2. Jennifer Harman AKA "Jen"
Total live tournament winnings exceed $2,200,000
Jennifer Harman (born November 29, 1964) is the only woman to hold two bracelets in WSOP Open Events. She started playing poker at the young age of 8 at her father’s poker games. After having earned a degree in biology she started playing cash games at casinos and ended up bankrupting herself twice, once trying to start her own business and once at the tables. After loaning some money she eventually managed to find stability in her play and started competing in tournaments consequently winning her first WSOP bracelet in 2000 and her second in 2002.
3. Cyndy Violette AKA "Sweetest"
Total live tournament winnings exceed $1,200,000
Cindy Violette (born 19 August 1959) got into poker by playing from a young age through family members. She started playing casino poker when she reached the legal age and her first major win came when she won $74,000 at a seven-card stud tournament at the Golden Nugget in 1984. At the time this was the most money ever won by a woman in tournament poker. Violette fulfilled her dream when she went on to win a WSOP bracelet in 2004 in the seven-card stud HiLo split tournament. Consequently she managed to make three final tables at the 2005 World Series of Poker.
4. Liz Lieu AKA "Poker Diva"
Total live tournament winnings exceed $690,000
Liz Lieu (born August 2, 1974) was born in Vietnam and immigrated into the US with her family when she was still a baby. Lieu first started playing poker at age 13 and played her first live poker tournament in 2005 earning a 5th place finish in the WSOP NLHE event. Liz has managed to win both the 2006 and 2007 L.A. Poker Classic and has been donating 20% of her tournament winnings to charity ever since she first started in 2005. Her love for fashion and style is where her nickname ‘Poker Diva’ originates from.
5. Erica Schoenberg AKA "Blackjack Babe"
Total live tournament winnings exceed $630,000
Erica Schoenberg (born March 25, 1978) is a former professional model. Initially blackjack was her passion and she received training from a member of the renowned MIT Blackjack Team and went on to compete in the World Series of Blackjack. Schoenberg finally caught the bug and started playing poker in 2005. In 2007 she came third in the WSOP No-Limit Hold'em and is currently engaged to high stakes poker player David Benyamine.
6. Jennifer Tilly AKA "The Unabombshell"
Total live tournament winnings exceed $450,000
Jennifer Tilly (born September 16, 1958) is perhaps best known for her accomplishments as an actress. It was in fact a role in the gambling comedy Let it Ride which first got her interested in poker and by 2003 she started playing in tournaments. In 2005 she won a WSOP bracelet in the Ladies' No-Limit Hold'em event and soon after won the third World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational Tournament at Bicycle Casino in LA. Tilly is often named the best celebrity poker player and is currently dating professional poker player Phil Laak AKA The Unabomber which is where her poker nickname ‘The Unabombshell’ originates from.
7. Shannon Elizabeth
Total live tournament winnings exceed $137,000
Shannon Elizabeth (born September 7, 1973) is best known for her work as an actress and perhaps specifically her role in the American Pie movies. Even so she now describes poker as her second career and has been called one of the leading celebrity poker players. Much of her success is due to learning from her friends, professional poker players Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak. Elizabeth since has come third in the 2007 Special, NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship and won the 2006 Nicky Hilton New Year's Eve Poker Tournament.
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