poker player, 'Athena,' wins and takes the pot down after a massive bet. Should she have shown? Was she too soft?

From my experience, I've witnessed many professional, amateur, and beginning level poker players commonly overlook and underestimate female poker players when they fail to assess their abilities accordingly. Perhaps this is because so much of poker's rich history majoritarily consists of champions and poker evangelists who are predominately male players; and so it's become a common conception (even among women) that all or most female poker players do not have a clue at what they're doing at the poker table.

"Im a good poker player, and I have always used my gender to my advantage. It usually only takes one big hand to knock those kinds of men off their high horse. Confidence is key, and a fun table is a profitable one" - Unknown woman poker player

Are men truly superior at the poker table as they are in physical nature? 

Most would assume so, but lets take a look...

Here are the top 10 most successful tournament female players of all time according to poker's largest database, Hendon Mob:

10. Victoria Coren Mitchell (UK)—$2.47 million

9. Loni Harwood (USA)—$2.5 million

8. Jennifer Harman (USA)—$2.74 million

7. Joanne Liu (Taiwan)—$3.1 million

6. Vanessa Rousso (USA)—$3.56 million

5. Liv Boeree (UK)—$3.57 million

4. Annette Obrestad (Norway)—$3.93 million

3. Annie Duke (USA)—$4.27 million

2. Kathy Liebert (USA)—$6.17 million

1. Vanessa Selbst (USA)—$11.85 million

Vanessa Selbst and wife after winning her 3rd bracelet at WSOP in the $25,000 Mixed-Max No-Limit Hold'em event

Vanessa Selbst, not only ranks as the #1 female poker player but also #43 all time out of women and men. Just think, of all the great players like Phil Ivy, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negranu and others many of us are inspired by, we rarely pay attention to just how much of an impact women have made in the poker world.  It's because of women like Vanessa Selbst, who holds 3 world series bracelets, 2 World Poker tour final tables, and over 20 cashes in the WSOP, that we are forever reminded that poker isn't just a card game for men; women can play too - and damn well. 

"In every poker room and in every major poker event you can see the changing tide. Many more women have taken up the game since the poker boom of the 2000’s, during which time poker became more accessible both online and live.
Not only are more women playing poker, the best of them rival the best male players. ...
let’s not forget female celebrities like Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, and Mimi Rogers, who are very public about their enthusiasm for poker and are skillful players in their own right."  - https://upswingpoker.com/top-female-poker-player


Fun Fact 1: 

It's commonly known that the World Series Main Event Final Table $10,000 Buy-In event has never featured a woman player among the final 9 players. Interestingly enough, female poker players Gaelle Baumann, from France, and Elisabeth Hille, from Norway, both finished 10th and 11th place out 6,598 players in the 2012 World Series 10k Buy-in event, just short of making poker history. 




Fact 2:  For entertainment purposes only

Of course, women's legacy and impact in the world of poker will continue to run deep throughout time even if we see another play made like the one you'll watch below

"The worse poker hand played ever": Jennifer Tilly, a famed Hollywood actress turned poker wife and poker pro, struggles to make the right decision against cash game legend, Patrick Antonius. As forgiving as experienced poker players should be toward inexperienced play, we should probably never forget... haha









...Thanks for reading