2022 WSOP Featured Females: Meet Wendeen Eolis, 1st Woman to Ever Cash Main Event
In the mid 1980’s, women were considered no factor in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, and other than the famous rounder and professional gambler Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston, poker players rarely made headlines in the mainstream press. That all changed when Wendeen Eolis became the first woman to cash at poker’s “Big Dance.”
In the 1986 WSOP Main Event, Eolis battled some of the best players in the world, including Amarillo Slim, in a field of 141 runners. She was on her way to a 25th-place finish for a $10,000, return on her buy-in, and permanent bragging rights as the first woman in history to cash in the WSOP Main Event.
Eolis attributes her 1986 WSOP performance to a year of poker tutoring from one of the best, a “relatively” conservative game plan, and cooperative cards. She told PokerNews, “Even today, women can win more by bluffing less than men.”
was already spread across the felt and David Eldridge was seen getting up from his seat already. Eldridge's cards were already in the muck as he had just been eliminated.
for an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw on the flop. Nakanishi made a pair of nines on the river and that was enough to send Eldridge out in 12th place.
was good for Smile to give him a pair of tens. The 
on the turn improved him to a straight and Wang was all but drawing dead to the 
and locked up the full double. 
and Smile checked. Brewer immediately moved all in for 40,000. Wang made the called and everyone else folded. 
on the river meant Nakanishi had the better full house.
. The action checked to Shota Nakanishi on the button who bet 7,000. Daniel Negreanu was the only player to call from under the gun. 
river sealed the deal and Rheem locked up the full double.