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WPT® Ladies Champions
The WPT® Ladies Championship was recently introduced to highlight the strength and growth of women in poker. Past winners have claimed major payouts and earned recognition on the global stage.
Here’s a breakdown of all WPT® Ladies Championship winners since 2022 and their prize earnings.
Year | Event | Location | Winner | Final Opponent | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | WPT® Ladies Championship | Wynn Las Vegas | Tirza Sanders | Jana De La Cerra | $90,432 |
2023 | WPT® Ladies Championship | Wynn Las Vegas | Lisa Costello | Ashley Sleeth | $85,297 |
2022 | WPT® Ladies Championship | Wynn Las Vegas | Lina Niu | Olga Iermolcheva | $105,136 |
The WPT® Ladies Championship builds directly on the WPT® Ladies Night legacy by offering larger prize pools, global visibility, and a permanent place on the WPT® schedule, something that was missing from earlier one-off invitational events.
WPT® Foundation Ladies Nights
The WPT® Foundation Ladies Night, held annually from 2003 to 2007, was an iconic event at the time. These televised tournaments showcased the top WPT® women players and combined high-level poker with a charitable mission. Each year, we saw a new champion crowned, which helped pave the way for today’s WPT® Ladies Championship.
Below is the full list of WPT® Foundation Ladies Night winners from 2003 to 2007.
Year | Event | Winner | Location | Prize | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | WPT® Ladies Night V | Kristy Gazes | The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, California, USA | $25,000 seat into the WPT® Championship event and a gold ring from The Bicycle Casino | Defeated Linda Johnson for the top prize |
2006 | WPT® Ladies Night IV | JJ Liu | The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, California, USA | $25,000 seat into the WPT® Championship event and a gold ring from The Bicycle Casino. | First woman to make a WPT® final table |
2005 | WPT® Ladies Night III | Jennifer Tilly | The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, California, USA | $25,000 seat into the WPT® Championship event and a gold ring from The Bicycle Casino | Academy Award Nominee and poker pro |
2004 | WPT® Ladies Night II | Isabelle Mercier | The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, California, USA | $25,500 | Became a WPT® ambassador |
2003 | WPT® Ladies Night | Clonie Gowen | The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, California, USA | $25,000 | First-ever Ladies Night winner |
There was also a one-off event in 2008, sometimes referred to as “Season 6 Ladies Night”, held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Nancy Todd Tyner won that title and $68,640 in prizes, beating Vanessa Selbst (arguably the best ever female poker player), but it was not part of the original Ladies Night series, and it did not become the modern WPT® Ladies Championship that we know of today.
By showcasing women’s talent on television, the WPT® Ladies Night series demonstrated the demand for a dedicated women’s tournament. That early success evolved into today’s WPT® Ladies Championship, which offers much larger prize pools and even an official spot on the World Poker Tour calendar.
