Jeanne David, Kristen Foxen Selected For Women In Poker Hall Of Fame

High-stakes pro Kristen Foxen and industry standout Jeanne David have been selected for the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, and will be officially inducted in a ceremony set for December at the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The organization saw 52 women nominated this year in total, with eight eventually headlining the ballot after more than 1,200 votes from the poker community and WiPHoF members were tabulated.

“As stewards of the hall, the members are keenly aware of the women pioneers who are deserving of induction, but their stories or contributions aren’t well known,” the group noted. “Women who took a seat at the highest levels and were respected for their ability and success. These women were real trailblazers in poker.”

Nominees who fell just short of the required votes for induction this year included Liv Boeree, Jamie Kerstetter, Kara Scott, Rebeccca McAdam Willets, Jennifer Shahade, and Annette Obrestad.

The hall also announced the debut of a pioneer induction, this time honoring Starla Brodie, the first woman to win an open WSOP tournament after teaming with poker legend Doyle Brunson in the $600 mixed doubles event in 1979. Her second bracelet came in 1995 in the $1,000 women’s seven card stud event, which later became known as the ladies championship and switched to hold’em.

Hall organizers noted that Brodie “was not only a trailblazer, but also an inspiration and role model for women like Linda Johnson – encouraging them to compete in the biggest games in poker.”

A Look At The Inductees

Kristen Foxen is a longtime Canadian poker pro who is second on the women’s all-time winnings list with $9.2 million and has five WSOP bracelets, more than any other female player. She also finished 13th in the WSOP main event this summer for a career-best $600,000.

The former Supernova Elite online player won her first bracelet at the 2013 $1,000 Ladies Championship. Her second came in 2016 in a $1,500 no-limit bounty event with the third online in the 2020 $2,500 six-handed no-limit event. In 2023, she won the $888 Crazy 8’s event before adding her latest bracelet in October in an online $1,000 six-handed no-limit event.

Jeanne David is a Las Vegas-based mixed games player who served as PokerStars’ responsible gaming manager for years and now writes about the game. During her time in the industry she has worked to advance the game, including being active in legislative work in the U.S. and Europe, promoting the legalization and regulation of online poker. That included assisting in legalizing online poker in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.

As an active lobbyist, David made several trips up to Reno and Sacramento to speak to legislators about how responsible gaming can be incorporated into online poker. She has also spoken in front of the Dutch Parliament and had several meetings with the UK Gambling Commission addressing responsible gaming. David regularly promotes mixed-game tournaments around Las Vegas and has worked to get women involved in tournaments by offering free lessons.

The Women in Poker Hall of Fame was founded in 2008 to honor women who have acquired prominence through their performance or contribution in the game. The hall is an all-volunteer non-profit organization and inducts a new class every two years.

The living hall members and a media/industry voting panel made up of eight members cast their votes for induction. Each voting member has 10 votes total that can be used for one candidate or divided among several candidates. The public also votes, acting as one collective member of the voting panel. ♠

The Women In Poker Hall Of Fame

Barbara Enright 2008
Linda Johnson 2008
Marsha Waggoner 2008
Susie Isaacs 2008
Cyndy Violette 2009
Jan Fisher 2009
June Field 2009
Billie Brown 2010
Kathy Liebert 2010
Jennifer Harman 2010
Margie Heintz 2011
Phyllis Caro 2011
Kristy Gazes 2011
J.J. Liu 2012
Kathy Raymond 2012
Deborah Giardina 2014
Allyn Shulman 2014
Debbie Burkhead 2016
Vicky Coren Mitchell 2016
Maria Ho 2018
Lupe Soto 2018
Vanessa Selbst 2022
Jennifer Tilly 2022
Angelica Hael 2022
Terry King 2022
Jeanne David 2024
Kristen Foxen 2024