Best Female Poker Players in Canada: 10 Highest-Earning Ladies
Poker is a man’s game.
Or is it?
While it may be true that the top earners in poker are men, female poker players are making themselves a name in the game. To keep yourself up to date with all the developments in the poker world, you must familiarize yourself with the best female poker players in Canada. And we’re here to help you do just that!
Whether it’s regional or international tournaments, these women have achieved the unachievable.
Let’s meet them!
Who Are the Best Canadian Female Poker Players?
These top female poker earners have taken the gambling world by storm, mostly due to their intrinsic skills and abilities, but also their bravery to tackle a game dominated by men.
So who are these commendable ladies?
1. Kristen Bicknell
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For anyone interested in poker, the name Kristen Bicknell is sure to ring a bell. She’s a three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, one of the most famous women poker players, and the only Canadian woman to ever make it to the final table of the WSOP Main Event.
Kristen was born in St. Catherines, Ontario in 1986 and learned to play poker relatively early on, in her freshman year at college, when she discovered PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. After hitting Supernova Elite on PokerStars, she went on to win events and 3 bracelets that will bring in over $5.2 million. Check out her wins:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2013 | $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship | $173,922 |
| 2016 | $1,500 Bounty No Limit Hold’em | $290,768 |
| 2018 | APPT National High Roller | $279,549 |
| 2020 | $2,500 No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed | $356,411 |
| 2020 | Super High Roller Bowl (3rd) | $236,000 |
Bicknell is currently married to a professional American poker player, Alex Foxen.
2. Xuan Liu
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Another notable name in the world of professional female poker players is Xuan Liu. Born in the city of Tian Jin, China in 1985, Xuan moved to Canada when she was just 5 years old. After attending the hub of live poker games, the University of Waterloo, she began hosting games with other poker players which propelled her into live tournaments in 2011.
The events that she’s participated in have placed her in the top 20 women players, earned her over $2 million in winnings, and gained her a sponsorship with 888poker. Here are her most notable tournaments:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2011 | European Poker Tour San Remo | $524,705 |
| 2012 | $10,000 + 300 No Limit Hold’em Main Event (4th) | $600,000 |
| 2017 | $2,300 + 200 No Limit Hold’em | $232,114 |
| 2022 | $10,000 No Limit Hold’em (3rd) | $96,200 |
If you want to know more about Xuan, check out her Youtube channel.
3. Isabelle Mercier
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As one of the top female poker players in Canada, Isabelle Mercier is no stranger to publicity. Isabelle was born in 1975 in Victoriaville, Quebec and learned to play poker as a child. After earning a law degree from the Université de Montréal and practicing law for 6 months, she moved to Paris, France and worked as a poker room manager.
So far, Mercier has raked in over $1.2 million since she started playing professionally in 2002. Take a look at some of her best tournaments:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2004 | World Poker Tour Ladies’ Night | $25,000 |
| 2005 | €500 + 50 No Limit Hold’em | $31,225 |
| 2009 | €4,000 Charity Event | $341,862 |
| 2015 | €315 + 35 Prague Poker Festival | $11,082 |
Apart from tournaments, she also has her own instructional DVD and has appeared in a documentary called That’s Poker. On top of that, she has an autobiography – Profession: bluffeuse.
4. Vanessa Kade
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Kelowna, British Columbia graced the poker world by giving it one of the richest female professional poker players, Vanessa Kade. This former video game designer turned poker player late in her life when she started streaming poker on Twitch and amassed fans by winning the Sunday Million 15th Anniversary.
At the time of writing, her total live earnings were nearly $1.1 million, with the biggest chunk coming from the Wynn Millions Poker Series. Here’s what else she’s done:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2021 | $25,000 No Limit Hold’em – US Poker Open (5th) | $138,000 |
| 2021 | $10,000 No Limit Hold’em – US Poker Open | $94,050 |
| 2022 | $10,000 No Limit Hold’em – Wynn Millions (4th) | $527,481 |
| 2022 | $10,000 No Limit Hold’em (10th) | $33,300 |
Keep in mind that this is not the full extent of Vanessa’s career. For the full list, check out her Hendon Mob page.
5. Louise Francoeur
I finally won one!!! @WSOP @WSOPTD Weeeeeee!!! @pokerwomennews pic.twitter.com/R1FbDjo4EV
— louise francoeur (@loufrancoeur) February 24, 2018
Although we don’t know much about Louise Francour outside of her poker tournaments, we do know that she’s one of the best female poker players in Canada, with total live earnings of over $801k. From what we could uncover, she’s currently residing in Montreal, Quebec and has been playing poker professionally since 2006.
Since then, she has participated in over 250 live events, mainly in the USA, Canada, and online. And although she hasn’t won a WSOP bracelet or a WPT title, she has many other tournaments under her belt, such as:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2015 | $600 Event 1: No Limit Hold’em (3rd) | $32,743 |
| 2016 | $10,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event Championship (142nd) | $49,108 |
| 2018 | $365 No Limit Hold’em #8 | $17,621 |
| 2020 | $1,700 No Limit Hold’em Main Event (6th) | $41,375 |
Since Louise is a relatively private person, the only way you can keep updated is by following her Twitter, even though she posts sporadically.
6. Kara Scott
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Out of all these girl poker players, Kara Scott might be the most multifaceted. Kara is not only a poker player but also a TV personality and journalist. Born in Northern Alberta, Scott lived and worked in the UK and after moving to California, she became a brand ambassador for 888poker and a host of 888poker News.
Before immersing herself in poker, she wrote columns for magazines and is also part of a podcast called On The Rail. As the only woman who cashed in both the 2008 and 2009 WSOP Main Event, Kara has accumulated over $664k so far. Here are some notable achievements:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2008 | No Limit Hold’em – Final | $50,977 |
| 2009 | €3,200 + 200 No Limit Hold’em – Irish Open (2nd) | $413,612 |
| 2013 | €7,500 No Limit Hold’em – WPT (14th) | $26,937 |
| 2016 | £200 + 20 No Limit Hold’em – Main Event (3rd) | $14,341 |
Kara is most active on her Instagram, so follow her if you want to keep up with her life.
7. Carla Sabini
This Montreal native might just be the most elusive person on our list, as one of the only things we know about Carla Sabini is that her total live earnings currently amount to over $567k. To date, Sabini has had 2 tournament wins, one at a WPT event and the other at the Colorado Poker Championship, securing her place as one of the top female poker players.
Besides these championships, Carla has also participated in events in the UK and Spain. And although she hasn’t won a WSOP bracelet yet, she’s had 2 money finishes at the tournament and one at the EPT. Here’s what else she’s done:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2012 | $2,200 No Limit Hold’em – Deepstack (2nd) | $139,839 |
| 2013 | £10,000 + 300 No Limit Hold’em – High Roller (4th) | £214,543 |
| 2015 | $300 + 300 No Limit Hold’em – Survivor | $2,193 |
| 2016 | $200 No Limit Hold’em – Deepstack | $6,140 |
Carla is currently ranked 4,287th on the All-Time Money List.
8. Evelyn Ng
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Although Evelyn doesn’t play poker professionally anymore, she’s left an indelible mark on the poker industry in Canada and as one of the most fearless girl poker players. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Evelyn started her career at the tender age of 14 by playing pool. By 17, she was a blackjack and poker dealer and developed a unique play style.
Apart from following her poker career, you can also see Ng in the video game Stacked with Daniel Negreanu, a part of Team Bodog, and as a participant in the King of Vegas TV show. Her total live earnings currently exceed $377k. Check out some of her tournaments:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2005 | Grand Final – Poker Royale (3rd) | $15,000 |
| 2005 | $9,700 + 300 Championship Event – No Limit Hold’em (11th) | $64,942 |
| 2006 | No Limit Hold’em – Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker Tournament (7th) | $50,000 |
| 2006 | $25,000 + 500 WPT Championship – No Limit Hold’em (39th) | $73,230 |
To keep up with Evelyn, you can follow her on Twitter or Instagram.
9. Darlene Lee
Good to be back home with Milo. pic.twitter.com/dtzfRloWxb
— Darlene Lee (@dardarbinks_22) December 1, 2014
With total live earnings to the tune of over $341k, it’s safe to say that Darlene Lee is an indispensable powerhouse. Even though we don’t know much about her private life, we do know that she resides in Burnaby, British Columbia and is 315th on the Canada All-Time Money List.
So far, Lee has placed 1st in one tournament in 2019 and has participated in 28 others since beginning her professional poker career in 2010. Her largest prize sum came in 2017 when she won $87,738 and placed 3rd in the $800 No Limit Hold’em – Eight Max #53 Event in Las Vegas. Other notable tournaments include:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2013 | $5,300 No Limit Hold’em – Championship Event (39th) | $40,723 |
| 2014 | $10,000 World Championship – No Limit Hold’em (113th) | $52,141 |
| 2015 | $10,000 + 400 No Limit Hold’em WPT Main Event (47th) | $23,554 |
| 2019 | $300 + 30 No Limit Hold’em. Pot Limit Omaha Mix | $9,566 |
Darlene currently sits on the 7,470th spot on the All-Time Money List.
10. Thi Hoa Nguyen
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Thi Nguyen is a poker star who has been making rounds since beginning her professional career in 2014. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Thi boasts over $323k in total live earnings from playing poker worldwide, with her best live cash win being $120,541. Since gaining the title of a professional poker player, she’s participated in over 20 tournaments.
Nguyen made quite the name for herself when playing against Athanasios Polychronopoulos in the 2019 $25,000 PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em, where she folded a now-infamous hand. Some of her other notable tournament events include the following:
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
| 2014 | $1,600 No Limit Hold’em | $120,561 |
| 2014 | $1,000 + 100 Playground Poker Montreal Festival Main Event (3rd) | $82,635 |
| 2017 | $300 No Limit Hold’em – Ladies | $15,047 |
| 2018 | $1,500 + 100 No Limit Hold’em Championship (19th) | $21,243 |
At the time of writing, Nguyen ranks 7,950th on the All-Time Money List.
Conclusion
That would be all for our list of the best female poker players in Canada!
With so many talented ladies raising the stakes, we won’t be surprised when women begin dominating the poker charts.
The future is female, but soon poker might be too!
FAQ
By earnings, Kristen Bicknell is Canada’s best female poker player. She is adorned with 3 WSOP bracelets and has collected total earnings of over $5.2 million.
Poker is a skill-based game since players need to develop strategies and techniques in order to bring home the big bucks. Plus, this is the reason why we have poker tournaments – to see who’s the best! If it were purely based on luck, there wouldn’t be no “top” players.
Yes, poker can cause gambling addiction. In fact, research has shown that poker players might even be at an increased risk of addictions than players of other games due to the sense of control they have over the risk.
ABOUT AUTHOR
Toni always had an appetite for learning new things and random facts about almost everything, which is why when he got offered the job to work as a content writer he took it without hesitation. Writing daily took his love for words and research to a whole new level, and made him realize that this is a career he would love to pursue. Although he spends most of his time researching his next piece, you can also find him on the football court, in the gym, or at home with a book in his hand.
