Aopian Calls Light, Balan Shoves Heavy — and a Savage River Seven Sends Him to the Rail

A Year of Breakthroughs and Big Wins

2025 has been nothing short of historic for women in poker. Prize pools are bigger, media coverage is wider, and the list of female champions is more diverse than ever before. This year’s Top 10 female money earners hail from six different countries, each carrying her own story of grit, resilience, and triumph.

For the first time since Barbara Enright in 1995, a woman—Leo Margets—made the WSOP Main Event final table. Alongside her, Kristen Foxen has shattered expectations, cashing for over $2.2 million already this year. And those are just the headlines. Behind each name on this list is a journey worth knowing.

#1 Kristen Foxen – Canada’s Relentless Force

With $2,228,353 in 2025 earnings and a career total just shy of $11 million, Kristen Foxen is closing in on Vanessa Selbst’s all-time record. Her year has been fueled by multiple Triton final tables and three PokerGO Tour titles.

What makes Foxen remarkable isn’t just the number of her wins—it’s the consistency. She didn’t score a knockout blow at the WSOP this year, but still managed six cashes and a deep run to 13th in the $25K Six-Max. Off the felt, her peers often speak of her calm focus, even in the stormiest moments of high-stakes play.

#2 Leo Margets – The Main Event Trailblazer

In July, Leo Margets became a part of poker history, finishing seventh in the WSOP Main Event for $1.5 million. It was the kind of run that doesn’t just change a player’s career—it changes the conversation about what’s possible for women at poker’s biggest stage.

Her 2025 earnings stand at $1,641,241, and though the Main Event was the crown jewel, she’s been steady on the European Poker Tour circuit, with three more stops this year to possibly close the gap on Foxen.

#3 Cherish Andrews – Defending Her Crown

The reigning GPI Female Player of the Year, Cherish Andrews, has put together another strong season with $901,780 earned so far. Her biggest score came from winning the $25K High Roller at WPT Seminole Hard Rock, but her year is dotted with consistent deep runs: two PokerGO Studio final tables, seven WSOP cashes, and a runner-up finish at the Wynn Summer Classic.

For Andrews, the grind is personal—she’s built her career not on headline-grabbing one-offs, but on steady, repeatable success.

#4 Xuan Liu – Breaking Barriers at Triton

Xuan Liu made history this year as the first woman to win a Triton Series event, taking home $860K from Triton Montenegro. It’s a landmark achievement in one of poker’s toughest arenas, and it pushed her 2025 earnings to $896,144.

Though her WSOP results this year were modest, Liu’s win has already inspired a new wave of Canadian and Asian female players, showing that the ultra-high-stakes circuit isn’t just for the boys.

#5 Esther Taylor – A Championship First

Few performances captured the spirit of competition like Esther Taylor’s third-place finish in the Poker Player’s Championship—the best result ever by a woman in the event’s history. That single run earned her $595K, and with other WSOP cashes—including a 152nd-place finish in the Main Event—she’s at $739,336 for the year.

For Taylor, 2025 is proof that mixed-format mastery can still pay off in a No-Limit Hold’em-obsessed era.

#6 Meng Ling Lin – A Breakout in Jeju

From Taiwan, Meng Ling Lin rocketed into the spotlight with a victory in the $25K Super High Roller at the Korea Poker Cup Series in Jeju, banking $479K. It was her career-best score and part of the $700,709 she’s earned this year. For a player still early in her journey, it’s a statement to the high-roller world: she belongs.

#7 Cecile Ticherfatine – The Global Grinder

Cecile Ticherfatine has traveled the globe in 2025, final tabling events in Dakar, Los Angeles, France, and Las Vegas. Her $581,338 in winnings is highlighted by a second-place finish in the Wynn Millions Championship. In a field that demands constant adaptation, h

#8 Dusti Smith – Double Podiums

American pro Dusti Smith kicked off her year by finishing runner-up in a WSOP $2K NLH event, then followed it with a win in the Ladies High Roller at the Wynn Summer Classic. Those results form the backbone of her $404,782 in 2025 earnings. Smith’s style—confident, aggressive, and unafraid to play big pots—has earned her both chips and respect.

#9 Victoria Livschitz – Staying in the Mix

With $315,327 this year, Victoria Livschitz rounds out the upper part of the list. She started the year strong with a third-place finish in the PGT Last Chance, and her summer was peppered with steady cashes. For Livschitz, who already has more than $2.4 million in career earnings, 2025 is another example of her long-term staying power in the game.

#10 Shiina Okamoto – Two-Time WSOP Women’s Champion

Japan’s Shiina Okamoto made headlines in 2025 by winning her second consecutive WSOP Women’s Event—an achievement that cements her as one of the game’s great closers. With ten final tables this year and $314,694 in winnings, Okamoto’s ability to thrive in women’s fields while still battling in open events is a rare balance few achieve.

The Bigger Picture: Why 2025 Feels Different

This isn’t just a list of dollar amounts. It’s a snapshot of a movement. Record-breaking prize pools, more women’s events, and deeper integration into open high rollers have created an environment where female players aren’t just competing—they’re winning big.

From Foxen’s Triton consistency to Margets’ Main Event trailblazing, these ten women are redefining what success looks like at the highest levels of poker. And with major events still to come—EPT stops, WSOP Paradise, and the WPT World Championship—this list might look very different by year’s end.

A Final Note for the Fans

For the players on this list, the journey is ongoing. For the rest of us, it’s a front-row seat to a new chapter in poker history—one where talent, perseverance, and opportunity converge to create unforgettable runs. The future of women in poker isn’t just promising; it’s happening right now, hand after hand, final table after final table.