button in SafariWelcome to the 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship
The $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship returns to the WSOP schedule on June 25, marking one of the most vibrant and high-energy events of the summer. As Event #68 of the 2026 World Series of Poker, this tournament continues its tradition of celebrating women in poker with a championship-level structure.
A firm favorite among both recreational players and professional grinders, the Ladies Championship offers a massive prize pool and the chance to join an exclusive list of female bracelet winners. Expect intense competition as the female poker world descends on Las Vegas for this four-day journey.
📌 Event Snapshot
- Event: #68 – $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship
- Date(s): June 25–28, 2026
- Time: 12:00 p.m. local time
- Buy-In: $1,000 ($10,000 for men)
- Format: No-Limit Hold’em (One Re-entry)
- Late Registration: 8 Levels (approx. 10:00 p.m. on Day 1)
- Starting Stack: 20,000 chips
- Levels: 60 minutes
- 2025 Winner: Shiina Okamoto – $184,094
- 2025 Field Size: 1,368 entries
- 2025 Prize Pool: $1,217,520
Structure and Schedule
Play will begin at 12 p.m. on June 25, with players navigating ten 60-minute levels on Day 1. There is a 20-minute break every two levels and a 60-minute dinner break after Level 6 (approx. 6:40 p.m.). Late registration remains open for eight levels, allowing players to utilize their single re-entry until roughly 10 p.m.
The field will combine for Day 2 on June 26 at 12 p.m., with the money bubble expected to burst early in the day. Day 3 will play down to the final five players, with a champion crowned on the televised final table on June 28.
Why is This Event Significant?
The Ladies Championship is a community-building cornerstone of the WSOP. While it offers a more accessible buy-in, the prestige of the event is immense. It often serves as the summer highlight for many players traveling from around the world to compete in a supportive yet highly competitive environment.
Past Champions & Notable Winners
The 2025 winner, Shiina Okamoto, pulled off a historic feat last year by winning this event in back-to-back years. Defeating a field of 1,368 entries, Okamoto earned $184,094 and solidified her status as a legend of this specific event.
"It feels unbelievable," Okamoto told PokerNews through a translator. "To do it once was a dream, but twice is a miracle."
Ladies Event Facts
1. When the Ladies Championship debuted in 1977 as the Women's Seven-Card Stud, it shattered the WSOP record with 93 players, 37 more than the 1976 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em. A lot of pent-up demand plus an affordable $100 price point combined to crush the old mark of 56 by nearly two-thirds.
The buyin was increased to $200 in 1978, $400 in 1979, $500 in 1982, and has been $1,000 since 1992.
2. Six Las Vegas Ladies Championship winners were also the first female to win a bracelet for their country:
Country Player Date United States Jackie McDaniel May 6, 1977 Canada Amanda Thompson May 10, 1998 Australia Christina Pie May 9, 1999 France Vanessa Hellebuyck June 13, 2010 South Korea Jiyoung Kim June 23, 2019 Japan Shiina Okamoto July 1, 2024 Jackie McDaniel's 1977 victory made her the first woman to win any WSOP bracelet.
Jiyoung Kim was the first Korean regardless of gender to win a bracelet. She is the only female to earn her country's first bracelet, just one week before Sejin Park won the $400 Colossus.
3. As amazing as Okamoto's recent run has been, she wasn't the first player to finish in the top 3 three years in a row. Jacki Jean pulled off that hat trick in the early 1980s, finishing 2nd in 1981, 2nd in 1982, and 3rd in 1983.
Two other players reached the final 9 three years in a row: Jenny Kaye (6th in 1989, 2nd in 1990, & 9th in 1991) and Phyllis Kessler (1st in 1993, 8th in 1994, & 3rd in 1995).
Three players have reached the final 9 five times:
Player Years Note Starla Brodie 1978, 1982, 1995, 1998, & 1999 top 5 four times Carolyn Gardner 1983, 1989, 1994, 1999, & 2001 top 7 every time Susie Isaacs 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, & 2004 top 5 every time Four players are one behind at four: Marsha Waggoner, Alma McClelland, Cyndy Violette, and Jenny Kaye.
4. Four players have won the event twice:
Player Years Note Barbara Enright 1986 & 1994 first with two titles Susie Isaacs 1996 & 1997 first to go back-to-back Nani Dollison 2000 & 2001 female-record 2nd bracelet in 2001 Shiina Okamoto 2024 & 2025 2nd place in 2023 The last three all won in consecutive years.
5. The Ladies Championship was the first mixed game ever played at the WSOP. During the transition from Seven-Card Stud to No-Limit Hold 'Em, the event was half Seven-Card Stud and half Limit Hold 'Em from 2000 to 2003.
The game was solely Limit Hold 'Em in 2004 and has been No-Limit Hold 'Em since 2005.
- 6. Actress Jennifer Tilly defeated a then-record field of 601 in 2005 for $158,335 to become the first, and still only, female celebrity with a bracelet.
7. The WSOP couldn't legally ban men from the event, but they creatively solved the problem of unwelcome male entrants in 2013 by increasing the official buyin to $10,000 and giving a $9,000 discount to women.
In the long history of the event, only four men have cashed, all before the rule change:
Year Player Finish Note 2004 Steve "Mary" Kopp 27th for $1,100 min-cash 2010 Bryce Daifuku 103rd for $1,802 min-cash 2011 Jonathan Epstein 9th for $13,701 only male to reach final table 2012 Brandon Uhl 69th for $2,359 last male to cash Victoria Coren did not hold back on criticizing Uhl's run.
Last year, a man would've needed to finish 11th or better to make a profit; the deterrence has been effective.
8. While the Ladies Championship has run for nearly half a century in Las Vegas, two other similar events are much more recent.
WSOP Europe has held its own Ladies Championship as a bracelet event twice:
Year Winner Note 2013 Jackie Glazier ($29,534) field of just 65, possibly why the event took a hiatus 2026 Anca Eggenberger ($46,425) 1st female bracelet for Switzerland GGPoker has run an online $500 Ladies No-Limit Hold 'Em Championship since 2022:
Year Winner Note 2022 Long Huanhua ($31,326) 1st female bracelet for China 2023 Jessica Marks ($16,613) 2nd female bracelet for Germany 2024 Rosana Thorlay Aguiar ($16,513) 1st female bracelet for Brazil 2025 Barbara Akemi ($20,537) back-to-back wins by Brazil 9. Susie Isaacs is the all-time cashes leader with 10. Amanda Baker is two back at 8 followed by five players at 7 (Nancy Birnbaum, Lisa Santy, Jamie Kerstetter, Raylene Celaya, & Marsha Wolak-Barnett) and six with 6 (Starla Brodie, Carolyn Gardner, Marsha Waggoner, Karina Jett, Tonia Williams, & Wattana Cruz).
Six players have cashed in four straight U.S. Ladies Championships: Svetlana Gromenkova (2007-10), Patricia Sabo (2016-19), Sarah Lee (2019-23), Qing Lu (2019-23), Jamie Kerstetter (2021-24), and Ruth Hall (2022-25). Note that the 2020 event was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you include all Ladies Championships, Jessica Teusl had a run of five straight cashes from 2022 to 2024, interspersing two GGPoker cashes with three Las Vegas cashes.
- 10. With her incredible three-year run, Shiina Okamoto has jumped into a commanding lead with $475,529 in Ladies Championship winnings. Sally Boyer is a distant second at $265,245, followed by Mary Jones Meyer ($244,520), Svetlana Gromenkova ($243,444), Anh Le ($230,335), Marsha Wolak-Barnett ($204,773), and Tamar Abraham ($204,173).