Women in Canadian Poker: Celebrating the Success of Leading Ladies

There has been a misconception that poker is a man’s game for numerous years. While there have been many male participants to have made their fortune playing the game and become famous, there are also a number of female players who have also been able to achieve plenty of fame, too.

Canada appears to be a country where poker winners are born and bred, and this does not appear to be restricted to the gender of the player, either. There are a number of female stars of the game to have come from the Great White North, with some being among the most recognizable.

1. Kristen Bicknell

Kristen Bicknell is arguably one of the biggest names in poker. She has been incredibly successful with the cards, having won the WSOP bracelet on three occasions. She is also the only woman from Canada to have been able to reach the final table of the Main Event at the WSOP.

Bicknell – who comes from Ontario – learned how to play poker while she was in college and has since managed to accumulate earnings of over $5.2 million. The game is clearly part of her life, as she is married to Alex Foxen, a professional poker player from America.

2. Xuan Liu 

Xuan Liu is another name in the world of poker that most will have heard of when thinking about the most successful females in the game. She may have been born in China, but she has lived in Canada since she was a youngster.

Her success in poker was probably something that could be foreseen as she spent time at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. The college is one of the hotbeds for the game, with it renowned around the world for its live games. Since then, she has managed to climb into the top 20 female players of all time, having earned more than $2 million in winnings and sponsorship deals.

3. Kara Scott

Kara Scott is also well-known around the poker circle, but perhaps because people get to see her do a variety of different roles across the game. She is an ambassador for 888poker, where it is possible to play some of the best variants of poker Canada has to offer, while she fronts their News shows, too. Scott is also a journalist as she wrote columns, while she has also been on podcasts.

Naturally, her skills at the table helped her achieve the reputation that she has and gives her the respect that she deserves, as she has managed to achieve some rather impressive feats during her career as a player. For instance, she is best known as being the only woman to have successfully cashed in on the 2008 and 2009 WSOP Main Event. She also finished second in the Irish Open in 2009, where she won over $410,000.

4. Isabelle Mercier

Isabelle Mercier is one of the most famous female poker players to have been born in Canada, with the player having had a huge influence on the industry. The Quebec native learned how to play the game as a child, but it was not until after she completed a law degree and practiced for 6 months that she decided to get fully involved in the game.

Moving to Paris, France, Mercier has managed to win more than $1.2 million since going professional in 2002, with significant wins in events all over the world. Her influence has been impactful, as she has managed to release DVDs and books about her time in the sport and provides tips and tricks that can help others to find a love for the game and improve themselves.

Female players show anyone can play poker

We already highlighted beforehand that Canada appears to be a hotbed for talented poker players, and these four women are just some of the finest examples to help highlight that particular viewpoint.

Each of them has left an indelible mark on the sport and is renowned across the industry for their achievements. It could be argued that they broke barriers in what has long been considered a male sport, and has helped to provide anyone who wants to play the game that there is a platform for them to do so.

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