Poker has never been a game that forgives mistakes. The players who succeed over decades do so because they approach the table with discipline, mathematical awareness, and the ability to remain calm when money is on the line. Among the best to ever compete, a handful of women have accumulated results that place them alongside anyone in the sport. Their records speak for themselves.
Kristen Foxen, Vanessa Selbst, and Victoria Coren Mitchell represent three different paths to the top. Foxen has won the GPI Women’s Player of the Year title five times, most recently in January 2026. Selbst holds the distinction of being the only woman to reach number one on the Global Poker Index. Coren Mitchell became the first woman to win a European Poker Tour event and remains the only player, male or female, to win two EPT Main Events.
Kristen Foxen and Five Years at the Top
Foxen’s record over the past several years is difficult to argue against. According to The Hendon Mob database, she has accumulated $13,416,462 in live earnings, placing her 118th on the all-time money list. She holds five WSOP bracelets. Two of those came from live events in Las Vegas, while three were won online.
Her consistency matters more than any single result. Winning one bracelet requires skill and timing. Winning five requires an approach to the game that holds up across different formats, opponents, and pressure situations. Foxen plays a style that adjusts to the table, and her opponents have found her difficult to read over extended sessions.
In 2024, Foxen was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame alongside Jeanne David.
Reading Opponents and Staying Composed
Foxen, Selbst, and Coren Mitchell each built their careers on the ability to assess opponents with precision. Sitting at a poker table for hours requires patience and the mental discipline to avoid reacting emotionally to losses or bad beats. These players learned to process information quickly and act on incomplete data, a skill that separates professionals from amateurs.
Physical tells, betting patterns, and timing all factor into their decision-making. The best female players treat each hand as an isolated problem, detaching from previous outcomes while staying alert to how others behave under pressure.
Vanessa Selbst and the Number One Ranking
No other woman has reached the top spot on the Global Poker Index. Selbst did. She is also the only woman to win three WSOP bracelets in open field events, meaning she competed against full fields without gender restrictions and won three times.
Her total live earnings sit at $11,928,957. After stepping away from professional play for years, Selbst returned to the WSOP Main Event in 2025. Her absence did little to diminish her reputation. The results she posted during her peak remain among the best ever recorded by any player.
Selbst played an aggressive style that punished passive opponents. She bet when others checked. She raised when others called. That approach created variance, but it also created results that few have matched.
Victoria Coren Mitchell and the European Circuit
Coren Mitchell built her reputation on the European Poker Tour. Winning one EPT Main Event is a career-defining result. Winning two has never been done by anyone else. Her first win made her the first woman to take down an EPT title. The second confirmed that the first was no accident.
In 2016, she was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. Her career outside poker includes work as a writer and television presenter, but her standing in the game rests on what she accomplished at the table. The EPT fields she defeated included some of the best players in the world at the time.
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame recognizes players who have contributed to the game over time. As of 2024, the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame includes two women: Linda Johnson and Jennifer Harman. Both built reputations over decades of play and involvement in poker’s growth.
The 2024 induction class for the Women in Poker Hall of Fame brought in Foxen and David. These selections follow a pattern of recognizing sustained excellence rather than isolated results.
What Separates the Best
The players mentioned here share certain traits. They play for hours without losing focus. They adjust when their opponents adapt. They manage money with discipline, avoiding the mistakes that end careers before they peak.
Foxen’s five Player of the Year titles suggest someone who prepares thoroughly and executes under pressure. Selbst’s number one ranking reflects peak performance against the strongest competition available. Coren Mitchell’s two EPT wins demonstrate repeatability in a format that rewards consistency.
None of these results came easily. Poker rewards those who put in the work away from the table, studying hands, reviewing decisions, and identifying weaknesses.
Current Standing
Foxen remains active and continues to add to her totals. Selbst’s return to the Main Event in 2025 suggests she may compete again at the highest level. Coren Mitchell’s place in poker history is secure regardless of future play.
The records held by these three women will remain reference points for years. Their earnings, titles, and rankings provide a measure of what is possible in professional poker. The game will produce new champions, but the standard has been set.
