WSOP Ladies Event: History and Specifics

The Key Details of the WSOP Ladies Event

The first-ever WSOP female-only tournament was held in 1977 as a $100 Ladies’ Limit Seven Card Stud.
This event had 93 entries and was won by U.S. poker player Jackie McDaniel, who claimed her first bracelet, the first-ever title of Ladies Champion, and a $5,580 prize.
The buy-in for this event was increased to $200 in 1978, to $400 in 1979, to $500 in 1982, and to $1,000 in 1992. In 2013, it became $1,000/$10,000.

The game format also changed several times over the years:

• From 1977 to 1999: Limit Seven Card Stud
• From 2000 to 2003: Limit Hold’em / Seven Card Stud
• In 2004: Limit Hold’em
• From 2005 onward: No Limit Hold’em

From 1977 to 2004, the Ladies Event was traditionally held on U.S. Mother’s Day in May. The date was moved later after repeated complaints from women about the inconvenience of this overlap.

The Ladies Event or Championship has been part of the WSOP every year since 1977, except in 2020, when it was canceled along with other WSOP events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From a historical standpoint, the Ladies Event marked a significant step in expanding the poker community by offering women a safer space within this male-dominated field.

It was also the first WSOP tournament ever won by an African-American person. In 1983, U.S. poker pro Carolyn Gardener won the $500 Ladies’ Limit Seven Card Stud with 94 entries, earning $16,000.

The Multiple Winners of the WSOP Ladies Event

Between 1977 and 2024, three women won the WSOP Ladies Event more than once — each claiming two titles:

• Barbara Enright:
  • WSOP 1986 $500 Ladies’ Limit Seven Card Stud (82 entries, $16,400 prize)
  • WSOP 1994 $1,000 Ladies’ Limit Seven Card Stud (96 entries, $38,400 prize)

• Susie Isaacs:
  • WSOP 1996 $1,000 Ladies’ Limit Seven Card Stud (105 entries, $42,000 prize)
  • WSOP 1997 $1,000 Ladies’ Limit Seven Card Stud (95 entries, $38,000 prize)

• Kun Nan “Nani” Dollison:
  • WSOP 2000 $1,000 Ladies’ Limit Seven Card Stud (133 entries, $53,200 prize)
  • WSOP 2001 $1,000 Ladies’ Limit Seven Card Stud (106 entries, $41,130 prize)

Who Can Participate in the WSOP Ladies Event

Until the 2013 WSOP, the Ladies Event was female-only. Then, Caesars Entertainment changed the rules, technically opening the event to men — but with one condition: men must pay 10 times the buy-in, or $10,000 instead of $1,000.

So, the WSOP Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship is open to players of all genders.
However, women are eligible to participate for $1,000, while men may enter only by paying the $10,000 buy-in.

The Winners of WSOP Ladies Event

Since the WSOP Ladies Event history started in 1977, for ease of navigation, PokerListings has broken down the list of its winners into tables by decade.

WSOP Ladies Event: 1977-1986

WSOP Ladies Event: 1987-1996

WSOP Ladies Event: 1997-2006

WSOP Ladies Event: 2007-2016

WSOP Ladies Event: 2017-