Who to Expect in PokerStars Women's Winter Festival High Roller
There's less than two weeks until the Women's Winter Festival and PokerStars has upped the ante for the festival by adding their first-ever Women's High Roller as a precursor to the £100,000 guaranteed Women's Winter Festival Main Event.
The new addition to the schedule will feature some of the best and most recognised female poker players battling it out in a high-stakes arena, and some huge names have already confirmed their attendance.
So, just who is expected to be at the tables at the Hippodrome Casino on Thursday, November 21?
Maria Ho
Total Live Earnings: $5,474,609
Known For: Poker legend
Arguably the most renowned female poker player in the world, Maria Ho has been duking it out on the tables for 20 years, during which time she has banked more than $5 million in total live earnings.
Her first recorded tournament cash came in 2005, and her climb up the ranks has taken her to fourth place on the Women's All-Time Money List. Only Vanessa Selbst, Kristen Foxen and Kathy Liebert have cashed for more.
The Game of Gold Season One winner has plenty of accolades, with a WPT Deepstacks Main Event and several other tournament wins littering her resume.
Ho's biggest cash came in 2011, where she finished as the runner-up in the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em event at that summer's World Series of Poker (WSOP). And she came narrowly close to bagging her first bracelet at the inaugural WSOP Paradise last December, finishing in third place in the $1,500 Mystery Millions.
Katie Swift
Total Live Earnings: $538,385
Known For: One of the best UK female players
Grosvenor Poker Pro Katie Swift nearly made history in September but fell one place short of becoming the first female GUKPT Main Event winner.
Swift's rise in the British poker scene was thanks to another runner-up finish. This time, the battleground was the 2015 GOLIATH, the most famous tournament in the United Kingdom. The poker ambassador turned £120 into £46,300 ($71,760), which she used as a career launchpad and hasn't looked back since.
Marle Spragg
Total Live Earnings: $425,081
Known For: Content Creator, 8th in 2023 EPT Prague Main Event (€123,600/$133,066)
Marle Spragg has quickly become one of the most recognizable female faces on the poker circuit thanks to the entertaining content that she produces on her social media channels.
Spragg initially cut her teeth on the poker felt by playing cash games as a full-time professional but transitioned to tournament poker in 2019. She has wins on the European Poker Tour and UK & Ireland Poker Tour, both coming in Women's events. Spragg notched her biggest career score in 2023 after she finished 8th in the EPT Prague Main Event for €123,600 ($133,066).
Rania Nasreddine
Total Live Earnings: $1,767,311
Known For: Back-to-Back EPT Main Event final tables (2024 EPT Monte Carlo, EPT Barcelona)
Few have taken 2024 by storm quite like Rania Nasreddine.
In just her second EPT Main Event, Nasreddine navigated her way to the final table in Monte Carlo. A few months later, she did the same thing in the EPT Barcelona Main Event and became only the ninth player to make back-to-back EPT Main Event final tables.
On the French Riviera, Nasreddine was cruelly denied a spot in heads-up for the title after a river card saved the eventual champion Derk van Luijk from elimination. This left the American with crumbs, and she couldn't produce her own chip and chair story, bowing out in third place for €442,900 ($473,639). Then, Nasreddine was downed in fourth place in Barcelona, which yielded her career-best payout of €518,600 ($572,962).
Alongside being a formidable opponent at the table, Nasreddine has also crafted a successful legal career.
Victoria Coren-Mitchell
Total Live Earnings: $2,504,769
Known For: First-ever player to win two EPT Main Events (2006 EPT London, 2014 EPT Sanremo), Successful British broadcaster and author
Another multi-talented player slated to be in the mix is Victoria Coren Mitchell. However, should she not be at the tables for the High Roller, we're sure Barny Boatman will try his best to coax Coren Mitchell into the 50/50 women and men's event.
Along with penning more than a handful of publications, Coren Mitchell has played a significant role in writing poker's history books. Her first chapter occurred in her home country, where Coren Mitchell reigned supreme in the 2006 EPT London Main Event. This was the first time a woman had been crowned as an EPT Main Event champion. Eight years later, in Sanremo, Coren Mitchell continued to break down barriers by being the maiden player to win two EPT Main Events. This achievement has only been matched by Mikalai Pobal and Mike Watson.
More Confirmed Names
Maria Konnikova, Jen Shahade, Alex O'Brien and Kyna England are a quartet of players also likely to be in the field for the Women's High Roller.
Konnikova recently made headlines for winning her first WSOP bracelet and is often seen wearing the PokerStars ambassador patch at EPT events alongside Shahade. The latter is a two-time United States Women's Chess Champion, and the duo has more than $1.2 million in combined live tournament earnings.
O'Brien, the author of the The Truth Detective: A Poker Player's Guide to a Complex World, should also be in attendance along with PokerNews Podcast host, Game of Gold star and 2021 Mid-Stakes Poker Tour Player of the Year Kyna England.
The Women's Winter Festival marks the first time England will head to the UK, and she can't wait to get involved in this trailblazing event.
“I am super excited for the PokerStars Women’s Winter Festival High Roller. It’ll be my first time in the UK, and London has always been on my bucket list," said England.
"Women's tournaments are always a lot of fun, and this one will be, even though it’ll be filled with some tough competition. Outside the WSOP, this might be the industry's most prestigious Women’s Event title. I hope to repeat my 2023 NAPT Las Vegas Ladies Event success by winning another title across the pond.”
