The World Series of Poker (WSOP), held annually in Las Vegas, is "the oldest, largest, most prestigious, and most media-hyped gaming competition in the world".[1] The WSOP bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win.[2] Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP, but titles won before 1976 are still counted as "bracelets".
The first WSOP was not a freeze out tournament, but rather an event with a set start and stop time and the winner determined by secret ballot.[3] In 1973, a second event, five-card stud, was added. Over the years, most of the major poker variants have been played at least once. In 1977, the first Ladies only event was introduced in the form of $100 buy-in Stud Poker Tournament. Jackie McDaniels won that event to become the first Ladies Champion. She won one of the smallest prizes ($5,580) in WSOP history. By 2007, the popularity of the Ladies Event had grown to the point that it became the first Ladies-only event to have a prize pool greater than $1,000,000. The Ladies played Seven Card Stud for the event's first two decades, but have been playing Texas hold 'em since 2001.[4]
Since its inception, three players have won multiple Ladies Championships: Barbara Enright, Susie Isaacs, and Nani Dollison. Dollison and Isaacs won the event in consecutive years. Between 1991 and 1997, Isaacs set an event record by qualifying for a cash prize, known as finishing in-the-money, five times.[4] The 1983 Ladies World Poker Championship was the first time that a person "of color", Carolyn Gardner, won a WSOP bracelet.[4]
Traditionally, the Ladies event was the only event held on Mother Day. Due to complaints from mothers, the event was moved to a different day in 2004.[4] Potential conflicts with Mother's Day no longer exist as the WSOP's new owner, Harrah's Casino, moved the event from late spring to the late summer.[4]
The WSOP started offering a "WSOP Academy Ladies Only Poker Camp" in 2007. This week-long event is held at Caesars Palace and is designed to equip women with the tools to compete at the World Series of Poker. It is held the week leading up to the Ladies Championship. Every year since its inception, a participant from the camp has made it to the final table. In 2007, Ladies Champion Sally Anne Boyer participated in the camp.[5] Patty Till, a 2008 attendee, finished in third place at the 2008 Ladies Championship.[6]
WSOP Ladies Championship events
| Elected to the Poker Hall of Fame. | |
| Prize (US$) | The amount of money won for winning the Ladies Event that year. |
| Bracelet # | The bracelet number from the total number of bracelets won during their career. |
| Year | Event name | Entrants | Winner | Prize (US$) | Bracelet # | Runner-up | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | $100 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 93 |  Jackie McDaniels | $5,580 | 1 |  unknown | [7] |
| 1978 | $200 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 84 | Terry King | $10,080 | 1 | unknown | [8] |
| 1979 | $400 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 53 | Barbara Freer | $12,720 | 1 | Pat Sovoia | [9] |
| 1980 | $400 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 62 | Deby Callihan | $14,880 | 1 | Linda Davis | [10] |
| 1981 | $400 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 88 | Ruth Godfrey | $17,600 | 1 | Jackie Jean | [11] |
| 1982 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 64 | June Field | $16,000 | 1 | Jackie Jean | [12] |
| 1983 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 64 | Carolyn Gardner | $16,000 | 1 | Kim Bye | [13] |
| 1984 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 62 | Karen Wolfson | $15,000 | 1 |  Marsha Waggoner | [14] |
| 1985 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 74 | Rose Pifer | $18,500 | 1 | Kathy Hudson | [15] |
| 1986 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 82 | Barbara Enright | $16,400 | 1 (of 3) | Betty Carey | [16] |
| 1987 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 84 | Linda Ryke-Drucker | $16,800 | 1 | Barbara Putterman | [17] |
| 1988 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 85 | Loretta Huber | $17,000 | 1 | Ester Rossi | [18] |
| 1989 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 93 | Alma McClelland | $18,600 | 1 | Adrienne Zoia | [19] |
| 1990 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 110 | Marie Gabert | $22,000 | 1 |  Jenny Kaye | [20] |
| 1991 | $500 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 141 | Donna Ward | $28,200 | 1 | Toni Brown | [21] |
| 1992 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 155 | Shari Flanzer | $38,000 | 1 | Kim Alford | [22] |
| 1993 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 82 | Phyllis Kessler | $32,800 | 1 | Becki Vincent | [23] |
| 1994 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 96 | Barbara Enright (2) | $38,400 | 2 (of 3) | Natalie Ryke | [16] |
| 1995 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 88 | Starla Brodie | $35,200 | 2 (of 2) | Karen Wolfson | [24] |
| 1996 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 105 | Susie Isaacs | $42,000 | 1 (of 2) | Nikki Harris | [25] |
| 1997 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 95 | Susie Isaacs (2) | $38,000 | 2 (of 2) | Karen Wolfson | [25] |
| 1998 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 100 |  Mandy Commanda | $40,000 | 1 | Jerri Thomas | [26] |
| 1999 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Seven Card Stud | 85 | Christina Pie | $34,000 | 1 | LaVonne Joyce | [27] |
| 2000 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Hold'em/Seven Card Stud | 133 |  Nani Dollison | $53,200 | 1 (of 3) | Martine Oules | [28] |
| 2001 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Hold'em/Seven Card Stud | 106 | Nani Dollison (2) | $41,130 | 3 (of 3) | Patty Gallagher | [28] |
| 2002 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Hold'em/Seven Card Stud | 107 | Catherine Brown | $39,880 | 1 | Marie Sohn | [29] |
| 2003 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Hold'em/Seven Card Stud | 112 | Barb Rugolo | $40,700 | 1 |  J. J. Liu | [30] |
| 2004 | $1,000 Ladies' Limit Hold'em | 201 | Hung Doan | $58,530 | 1 | Millie Shiu | [31] |
| 2005 | $1,000 Ladies' No Limit Hold'em | 601 | Jennifer Tilly[a] | $158,335 | 1 | Anh Le | [32] |
| 2006 | $1,000 Ladies' No Limit Hold'em | 1,128 | Mary Jones Meyer | $236,094 | 1 | Shawnee Barton | [33] |
| 2007 | $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship | 1,286 | Sally Boyer | $262,077 | 1 | Anne Heft | [34] |
| 2008[b] | $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship | 1,190 | Svetlana Gromenkova | $224,702 | 1 | Anh Le | [35] |
| 2009 | $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship | 1,060 | Lisa Hamilton | $195,390 | 1 | Lori Bender | [36] |
| 2010 | $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship | 1,054 |  Vanessa Hellebuyck | $192,132 | 1 |  Sidsel Boesen | [37] |
| 2011 | $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship | 1,055 | Marsha Wolak | $192,344 | 1 | Karina Jett | |
| 2012 | $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship | 936 | Yen Dang | $170,587 | 1 | Debbie Pechac | |
| 2013 | $10,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 954 | Kristen Bicknell | $173,922 | 1 (of 3) | Leanne Haas | |
| 2014 | $10,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 793 | Haixia Zhang | $153,470 | 1 | Mikiyo Aoki | |
| 2015 | $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 795 | Jacquelyn Scott | $153,876 | 1 | Hope Williams | |
| 2016 | $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 819 | Courtney Kennedy | $149,108 | 1 | Amanda Baker | |
| 2017 | $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 718 | Heidi May | $135,098 | 1 | Deborah Worley-Roberts | |
| 2018 | $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 696 | Jessica Dawley | $130,230 | 1 | Jill Pike | |
| 2019 | $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 968 | Jiyoung Kim | $167,308 | 1 | Nancy Matson | |
| 2020 | not held | ||||||
| 2021 | $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 644 | Lara Eisenberg | $115,694 | 1 | Debora Brooke | |
| 2022 | $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 1,074 |  Jessica Teusl | $166,975 | 1 | Julie Le | |
| 2023 | $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship[c] | 1,295 | Tamar Abraham | $192,167 | 1 |  Shiina Okamoto | |
a 2005 Ladies Champion Jennifer Tilly was the first non-poker celebrity to win a WSOP bracelet. Tilly had been nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Bullets over Broadway.[38]
b On 10 June 2008, three events awarded bracelets, including the Ladies event. This was the first time in WSOP history that three people living in the same city, New York, won bracelets on the same day.[6] It was also the first time that a new "excessive celebration" penalty was implemented to minimize disruption from exuberant players.[6]
c From 2013, the entry fee was officially changed to $10,000 with a $9,000 "discount" for ladies. This was done to close a legal loophole used by men to enter the ladies event in several prior years.