2023 WSOP Featured Females: Maria Konnikova & Kristen Foxen Making Runs

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Jun 02, 2023 3 min read Last updated Jun 03, 2023

The 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is in full swing at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas with several bracelet events underway and plenty of players looking to pick up a bracelet. With these events underway, it's time to look some of the featured female players in the field this week.

High-stakes pro Kristen Foxen is on the hunt for a fourth bracelet as she advanced to Day 2 of Event #6: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha, while famed writer Maria Konnikova is looking for her first bracelet and the chance to be a millionaire after bagging a big stack in Day 1b of Event #3: $1,000 Mystery Millions.

Konnikova, Liebert & Galfond Headline Mystery Millions

The much-anticipated Mystery Millions event has drawn thousands of players looking for a shot at pulling a million-dollar bounty, and there have been plenty of notable female players in the action.

WNBA star Kelsey Plum was in the Day 1 field but sadly her run was short-lived as she ran into a full house in one of her first hands.

Konnikova, meanwhile, bagged one of the biggest stacks of the 304 players left standing. The Biggest Bluff author will enter Day 2 with a stack of 1,055,000 as she looks to make a bracelet run.

Other big names in the Day 1a field included Sunday Millions winner Vanessa Kade, Global Poker Award award finalist Lexy Gavin-Mather and soap opera star Farah Galfond, while Women in Poker Hall of Famer Kathy Liebert and vlogger Ashley "Pokerface Ash" Frank played Day 1b.

Foxen Bags Top Stack in $5,000 Mixed NLH/PLO

As a two-time Female GPI Player of the Year award recipient and three-time bracelet winner, Foxen has already cemented her status as one of the greatest female poker players of all time.

Just a few days into the World Series, Foxen is already off to a great series that could further cement that status. She made Day 2 of Event #2: $25,000 High Roller (6-Handed) before ultimately falling short of the money and going on to play Event #6: $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha, where she ended Day 1 ninth in chips with a stack of 895,000.

If "krissyb" manages to make a bracelet run, she will pick up her fourth piece of WSOP hardware after winning bracelets in 2013, 2016 and 2020.

Katelin Koper Among Chip Leaders in Day 2 of Tournament of Champions

Someone else having a great start to the summer is New York's Katelin Koper, who ended Day 1 of the exclusive Event #4: Tournament of Champions fifth in chips with 50 big blinds.

Koper, who won this year's WSOPC Turning Stone Ladies Event for $9,951 and her first Circuit ring, picked off a big bluff on Day 1 that was captured by the PokerNews live reporting team.

Shouyi Gao raised 18,000 from the button into Katelin Koper's big blind. Koper defended and both players went to a flop of the Q?9?5?.

Koper checked to Gao prompting him to lead out for 12,000. Koper called and both players went to the turn.

Koper checked over to Gao on the A? turn. Gao continued for 39,000, but this time Koper decided to raise to 85,000. Gao called.

Slowing down on the 10?, Koper checked to Gao who shoved all in for a massive bet nearing 200,000. This proved no problem for Koper as she picked off this bet and tabled A?K? for top pair. Gao showed 8?4? for a missed flush draw and was eliminated.

Follow live updates from the 2023 WSOP TOC here!

Connor Richards is an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.

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• Tags Farah Galfond Katelin Koper Kathy Liebert Kelsey Plum Kristen Foxen Lexy Gavin-Mather Maria Konnikova Vanessa Kade WSOP23 WSOP World Series of Poker
• Related Tournaments World Series of Poker
• Related Players Kathy LiebertKristen FoxenMaria KonnikovaFarah GalfondVanessa KadeLexy Gavin-Mather