Women are a minority in poker tournaments. Estimates suggest that only 5% of the field is made up of female players. These numbers reflect a sexism that has always existed in the world of cards, something that stems from prejudice against the players themselves.
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However, some women manage to overcome these disparities and achieve masterful results. This was the case of Natasha Mercier, the Lebanese woman who lives in the United States and finished in 6th place in the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event.
Nevertheless, her performance secured a prize of US$ 1.8 million. This reward ended up entering the Top 5 largest prizes ever won by women. Topping this list is Liv Boerre, who last year finished in 4th place in the same tournament.
Check out the Top 5 female prizes:
- Liv Boerre – US$ 2,800,000 (4th place WSOP Paradise Super Main Event 2024)
- Annette Obrestad – US$ 2,013,733 (1st place WSOPE Main Event 2007)
- Annie Duke – US$ 2,000,000 (1st place WSOP Tournament of Champions 2004)
- Vanessa Selbst – US$ 1,823,430 (1st place Partouche Poker Tour Main Event 2010)
- Natasha Mercier – US$ 1,800,000 (6th place WSOP Paradise Super Main event)
Natasha’s Career
However, Natasha is no novice in poker tournaments. Her profile on “The Hendon Mob”, updated with her winnings in the Bahamas, shows US$ 3,332,008 in prizes. The player has also made at least two WSOP final tables.
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Thus, in 2016 she took an honorable 3rd place in Event #59 US$ 5,000 NLH, where she won what was then the biggest prize of her career, US$ 348,374. This tournament was won at the time by Chinese player Yue Du, who took home US$ 800,586.
Finally, the Lebanese player’s other final table appearance was in 2015. Although she came closer to the bracelet, she finished 2nd in Event #20 US$ 1,500 NLH, with a smaller prize. She lost the heads-up to Benjamin Zamani and took home US$ 284,911.
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