It has been a banner year for women in poker all over the world, with six different countries represented among the top ten female money earners.
Big stories and larger-than-ever prize pools have pushed the game to new heights, culminating in the remarkable run of Leo Margets at the WSOP Main Event final table, the first woman to do so since Barbara Enright did it in 1995.
The deep run made her one of two women who have grabbed more than $1 million at the payout window in 2025. Kristen Foxen, the other one, has already piled up more than $2.2 million this year, thanks to deep runs at the PokerGO Studio and big finishes in the Triton series.
Cherish Andrews continues to be a consistent force in the third spot, along with Xuan Liu — the first woman to win a Triton event — just behind her. Esther Taylor, who finished third to Michael Mizrachi in the Poker Player's Championship, rounds out the top five. Not to be outdone, Shiina Okamoto, who won his second WSOP Womens Event in a row this summer, rounds out the top ten.
Record-breaking prize pools and an increase in the volume of women's events have pumped more money into the list than ever before. Here are the ten winningest women in poker of the year so far...
Top-10 women money winners in 2025 (so far)
1st: Kristen Foxen (Canada) – $2,228,353
Kristen Foxen is well on her way to reclaiming GPI Female Player of the Year. - Career earnings: $10,896,662
It is no surprise to see Foxen at the top of the list, and she is closing in on the #1 all-time spot, which currently belongs to Vanessa Selbst. Foxen is within about $1 million of Selbst, who popped back up this summer at the WSOP — perhaps to try to put some more distance between herself and the hard-charging Foxen. It may be inevitable.
Foxen's year is bouyed by multiple final tables on the Triton circuit and three wins on the PokerGO Tour. She didn't make any serious noise at the WSOP, but she did cash six times, including a 13th-place finish in the $25K Six-Max.
2nd: Leo Margets (Spain) – $1,641,241
Leo Margets made history at this year's WSOP Main Event final table. - Career earnings: $3,590,706
Leo Margets finished seventh at this year's edition of the WSOP Main Event, good for a high score of $1.5 million. The career-defining run makes up a vast majority of her 2025 earnings, though she quietly put together a deep run in the Millionaire Maker, as well (23rd, $61,240).
Margets already has a bracelet from 2021's The Closer, and she can be seen throughout the year on the European Poker Tour. With three stops left, she has a few opportunities to catch up to Foxen.
3rd: Cherish Andrews (United States) – $901,780
Cherish Andrews is the defending GPI Female Player of the Year. - Career earnings: $3,586,639
The reigning, defending GPI Female Player of the Year trails Foxen on this year's list, with a big chunk of her points coming from a win in the $25K High Roller at WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.
Andrews also had a runner-up finish in the $3K 8-Max at the Wynn Summer Classic for $99K and seven cashes at the WSOP. Two final tables at the PokerGO Studio have her firmly among the top women in the world with more to come.
4th: Xuan Liu (Canada) – $896,144
Xuan Liu was the first woman to win a Triton Series event. - Career earnings: $3,308,925
The Canadian pro and Texas regular picked up a career-high score in the WPT Global Slam at Triton Montenegro, securing $860K as the first woman to do so. It is an otherwise modest 2025 for Xuan Liu, who had one cash at the WSOP and a seventh-place finish in the Ladies event at the Wynn Summer Classic.
5th: Esther Taylor (United States) – $739,336
Esther Taylor finished third in the world's most prestigious mixed-format poker tournament. - Career earnings: $3,061,990
Esther Taylor cashed nine times at this summer's WSOP, but none of them more impactful than her third-place run in the Poker Player's Championship. It was the best performance by a woman in that tournament's history, good for $595K and a career high.
She followed it up with a 152nd-place finish in the WSOP Main Event, earning another $70K, and an 18th-place run in the $10K Stud8 Championship.
Livschitz, Okamota complete top ten
Meng Ling Lin fronts the rest of the top ten, boosted by a victory in the $25K Super High Roller at the Korea Poker Cup Series in Jeju. That win was good for $479K, another career-high for a woman on this year's list.
Cecile Ticherfatine isn't far behind after final table finishes in Dakar, Los Angeles, France, and Las Vegas, including a second-place effort in the Wynn Millions Championship this past spring. Dusti Smith, who finished second to Scott Bohlman in the $2K NLH tournament at the WSOP, followed that up with a win in the Ladies High Roller at the Wynn Summer Classic to earn a spot in the top ten.
Shiina Okamoto is not letting go of the WSOP Women's title. Meanwhile, Victoria Livschitz and Shiina Okamoto round out the top ten. Livschitz jumped out early with a third-place run at the PGT Last Chance and stacked up several cashes throughout the rest of the summer. Okamoto, of course, won her second WSOP Ladies Event in a row in one of ten 2025 final tables on her 2025 resume.
- 6th: Meng Ling Lin (Taiwan) – $700,709 ($1,089,135 career earnings)
- 7th: Cecile Ticherfatine (France) – $581,338 (Career earnings: $1,263,143)
- 8th: Dusti Smith (United States) – $404,782 (Career earnings: $1,127,528
- 9th: Victoria Livschitz (United States) – $315,327 (Career earnings: $2,423,859)
- 10th: Shiina Okamoto (Japan) – $314,694 (Career earnings: $1,028,383)
There is still a lot of poker left in 2025, with plenty of opportunities for the list to change. A regular slate of tournaments will continue in places like Florida and Las Vegas, three more EPT events remain, and WSOP Paradise and the WPT World Championship are officially on the books for this December.
Data courtesy of The Hendon Mob.
