Sisterhood of the Traveling Poker Pants: Women Arrive in Vegas for Special Tournaments

^{The Women's Poker Association is at the WSOP this week, recruiting new members and supporting women at women's tournaments across town. (L to R) AJ Cox Rudolph, Tara Windsor Smith, and Caitlyn Arnwine. (Photo: courtesy of AJ Cox Rudolph)}

LAS VEGAS – I was lucky enough to have my mom teach me poker and support me as I played and got better. However, many women don’t receive that form of encouragement and can feel isolated at live poker tables. 

Part of that isolation will end this month. An influx of women is traveling to town June 19-July 7 to participate in Women’s Poker Week. Though it technically lasts more than two weeks, it consists of 14 tournaments across nine different casinos in Las Vegas.

“It really invites women of all skill levels to come together in a sisterhood and in a community that can support one another,” Lupe Soto, founder of the Ladies International Poker Series and the Women's Poker Association, told Casinos.com. “I love seeing everybody. Some of these women I have seen for over 20 years every year, and sometimes I only see them in summer.  It’s a very, very special time.” 

Poker pro Xuan Liu and Women's Poker Association President AJ Cox Rudolph meet up in the spirit of Women’s Poker Week. (Photo: courtesy of AJ Cox Rudolph)

Events range from a $150 NLH Warm Up ahead of the $1,000 WSOP NLH Ladies Championship at the Paris and Horseshoe to a $2,500 Ladies High Roller at the Wynn. The week opened with a $600 Ladies Championship at the Orleans, won by Fatima Nanji for $23,856.

How Women's Poker Week Became a Multi-Casino Event 

Women’s Poker Week started off at Caesars Palace, moved to the Orleans for several years, and then moved to a host of other casinos. 

“Women wanted to come, but they didn’t want to come for one event, so I created a week's worth of events,” Soto said. 

It became so popular that it was “decided to invite all the properties to run a ladies' event.” 

Soto founded the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS) after attending the California State Ladies' Poker Championship at the Ocean's Eleven Casino in the late 1990s. "It was so much fun that I thought that women everywhere needed to do this," she said. She then toured with the WSOP Circuit, hosting multiple ladies' events along the way.

LIPS is holding its Women in Poker Summer Festival during Women’s Poker Week from June 21 to July 2. The Festival will culminate with the $2,500 LIPS High Roller Final Table at the Venetian on July 2 and will be streamed live on PokerGO. This event has a $150,000 guaranteed prize pool. 

I’ve attended LIPS’s Spring Festival at the South Point, and I’ve seen Soto in action. She’s a passionate advocate for women in poker. 

Spirit of Inclusivity 

Women's Poker Week has grown significantly in the past few years, along with women’s events.

“In the past three or four years, we used to order 50 trophies a year for women’s events,” said WPA President AJ Cox Rudolph. “This year and last, we’re ordering 150. Last year was really when we saw the explosion and growth for this week.”

But this week is about more than just events at the poker table. It’s also about social gatherings, such as a sold-out breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi to a dedicated booth at the Paris offering WPA patches, raffle tickets, and a bit of support from fellow members.  

The breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi is held in partnership with the Ladies Poker Collective, whose mission statement/credo is strategy, confidence, and community. They hold weekly tournaments to practice new skills and help women feel less alone while playing.

This feeling of community is vital after years of feeling like an outsider at the WSOP. Less than 5% of participants in the series are women, according to Rudolph. 

“Women’s week is really important because it gives the women in poker a time to come together, see friends from all over the country, and support each other as we play,” Rudolph added. “Community is incredibly important.”

Tara Smith and AJ Cox Rudolph work the WPA booth, where this year you can get patches, raffle tickets, and a word of encouragement. (Photo: courtesy of AJ Cox Rudolph)

The WPA Booth will offer raffle tickets at $25 each and five for $100. These are on sale on June 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The winner will receive two seats: one into the WSOP $1,000 Ladies Championship, held on June 25 at the Horseshoe and Paris. The other seat is for the $360 LIPS Championship on June 26 at the South Point.

They’ll draw for a winner on June 24 at 4:30 pm. Tickets are also available for purchase from board members or advocates at other Ladies events around town.

Dedicated Media Coverage 

Women's events often don't get the media coverage that they should, according to Rudolph.

“These events usually are left out of the spotlight, and only the major WSOP Ladies events are covered,” Rudolph added. “And if we want to grow the game, women’s events are the way to do it.”

Since 2024, coverage has expanded through a partnership with Cardplayer Lifestyle, owned by Robbie Strazynski.

“It's a privilege and a pleasure to be collaborating with the Women's Poker Association to highlight all of the different ladies' events around Las Vegas,” Strazynski said.

The Cardplayer Lifestyle team will be covering ten women’s events through support from WPA’s Gold sponsor, Texas Card House in Austin, which Rudolph says has been a “great supporter of women in poker.”

One of those events is particularly coveted by the women who know about it, including my mom. The Poker League of Nations Women's NLH Crystal Cup Championship at Caesars Palace on June 29 awards an actual Waterford crystal cup, a Tiffany & Co. bracelet, and a 3D trophy, with a guaranteed $40,000 prize pool. Poker League of Nations, founded in 2017, focuses on global women's events with the specific goal of growing the game.

Poker Pro Gifts Five Seats to the WSOP Ladies Event  

Esther Taylor, known in the poker world as “Etay,” has live earnings of over $3 million. She announced this week that she’s joining BetMGM as their newest poker pro ambassador alongside Darren Elias, who ranks first in World Poker Tour titles. 

She’s also recently given away five seats to the $1,000 WSOP 2026 Ladies Event on June 25 and will personally coach all five winners. 

Esther brings joy to her poker playing with a smile on her face. (Photo: courtesy of Esther Taylor)

Taylor’s daughter wears the number five, which is a significant reason for the number of seats given away. She had women submit their poker stories on her website, Her Edge Academy, explaining why they should be picked. The winners were four players and one dealer.

“I don’t need to change who I am to belong there,” said Nicole White, a teacher from New Hampshire who won one of the seats. “I can be competitive without being loud. I can be kind without being weak.” 

Whereas women comprise an already small segment of poker, mixed games are an even smaller field. Taylor recently launched Her Edge, a coaching company for women in mixed games. She helps them prepare for tournaments for formats like HORSE, which combine different poker games.  

“I have always loved coaching, reaching, and helping when I can,” Taylor said. “I’m on a mission to bring the attendance of women in mixed games field WAY up.”

Growing the Game 

Women’s week is important to Taylor, and she sees it as being “paramount” to growing poker overall. “Women see and operate on such a different level than men,” she said. “The strategy changes and evolves.” These events also create a more welcoming atmosphere, while providing a safe space for “high-level competition.” 

I’ve heard this same sentiment for years myself. Having a safe, warm environment to play poker is invaluable. I’ve dealt with years of inappropriate behavior where I’ve gotten to the point of just leaving the poker room. It included everything from trying to find out which room I was in to asking if I was a teacher or a nurse, or if my dad/boyfriend/husband taught me to play.

The community aspect of Women's Poker Week is as important to many players as the tournaments themselves. (Photo: courtesy of AJ Cox Rudolph)

Rudolph says that men don't always understand the purpose of women's events, but she believes they provide women with a “comfortable atmosphere” for newer players and for them to connect with other female poker players.

“I hear so many stories about women coming to play and being timid walking into these giant rooms of poker players,” Rudolph said. “When the women come together, it just builds that overall confidence for everyone supporting each other.”