Inside Kristen Foxen’s Deep Run to Crack the WSOP Main Event Glass Ceiling

Four-time bracelet winner Kristen Foxen successfully navigated through a sea of testosterone and body spray to win more money than any woman ever in the history of the WSOP Main Event. (Image: Caroline Darcourt / Winamax) 

It was arguably one of the biggest runs by a woman at the World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event World Championship in more than a decade. Kristen Foxen was consistently around the top of the leaderboard throughout the two-week marathon that the tournament has become. 

In the end, Foxen fell short, finishing in 13th place to win $600,000. It was the biggest live-tournament cash of this four-time bracelet winner's career, and made for a thrilling WSOP run -- one that allowed many to at least briefly imagine a day, for the first time in the modern poker era, with a woman at the Main Event final table, pushing to be the last player standing.

Outstanding Play, Rising Chip Stack

Foxen did not sneak up on anyone in the 2024 WSOP Main Event. From the time the first cards were dealt, she was among the leaders of the tournament. In fact, on several occasions she was able to move into the chip lead, establishing her run as not one of luck but one of skill in the game.

“Krissyb24” (her online moniker) started on the biggest day of the 2024 WSOP Main Event, Day 1D, and got off to a great start by doubling her 60K starting stack. Coming back for the larger of the two Day Two fields, Foxen suffered through what was her only “down day” of the fortnight of poker at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. She would only increase her stack to 181,000 in chips and would be at a disadvantage heading to joining the entire field for Day Three. 

That was where Foxen began to make her moves. By the close of Day Four, Foxen was in the Top 300 players left in the tournament with over a million chips in hand. Day Five was where she made her biggest move, surging into the Top 50 with over five million in chips, before hitting full stride during Day Six action. 

Big Hopes Developing

On Day Six, Foxen would come into the Top 20 with 14.5 million chips and became a serious contender. With just 59 players left, she was one of two women players remaining going into Day Seven, at which point she cracked the Top 5 with 47.4 million in chips. 

Shundan Xiao from China was the other female still fighting. And while she, too, would stake her claim at the top of the leaderboard for significant stretches, ultimately Xiao was sent to the rail as the second-to-last-woman standing in 28^th place, to win $300,000.

So with all eyes on Foxen going into Day Eight, about halfway through the day she would finally become chip leader. But from the top of the mountain, there is only one way – down – unless you win the event. 

After reaching the rarefied air atop the leaderboard, Foxen would see some chips go to two difficult opponents, Brian Kim and Niklas Astedt, before Kim took a massive chunk off Foxen when he caught with his Q-9 on a Q-J-5-7-6 board. She would limit the damage to Diogo Coelho when her Kings were crushed by Coelho’s Aces, but she was not able to get away the next time after flopping a pair.

Chip Stack Under Attack

Joe Serock would open the action from under the gun and Foxen would defend her big blind to see an A-K-J flop. Foxen check-called another bet out of Serock, and the duo saw a five come on the turn. Foxen checked again but, after Serock put out an 11 million chip bet, Foxen responded by moving all in. Serock studied the board, considered his options, and made the call to put Foxen at risk. 

Serock had made the right move; his A-K was good for two pair, while Foxen’s K-Q was looking to catch another Queen or a ten for a Broadway straight on the river. 

Alas, it was not to be…a six came on the river to end Foxen’s run at history in thirteenth place, good for a $600,000 payday to salve the sting of not making the final table. 

Changes to Game Bring Success

Foxen has long been one of the dominant players in the Ladies’ Player of the Year races, but 2024 has seen her making inroads into the Overall POY race. 

She started the year with a victory on the PokerGO Tour’s Kickoff Series, taking home a first-place trophy from that event and a $165,000 payday. It was not just that tournament, however, where Foxen displayed a newfound aggression; she would cash six times between the Kickoff and the PGT’s Last Chance event, putting her in the Overall POY’s Top Ten to start the 2024 tournament poker season. 

From there, success has only grown for Foxen. She would finish as runner-up at another PGT tournament during the 2024 PokerGO Cup, then took a bit of a break before the 2024 WSOP. During the run of this year’s Series, Foxen has cashed 10 times for over $735,000 in winnings. 

Currently, Foxen ranks as the 100th on the Global Poker Index rankings for 2024 and is holding the edge in the Ladies’ rankings over Victoria Livschitz. On the CardPlayer Magazine rankings, Foxen is just outside the Top 200 players in the world. While the newfound aggression to her play has seen a marked improvement, it isn’t like Foxen was a rookie to begin with; she has racked up 228 cashes since 2006 and is approaching $10 million in career earnings.

Foxen will not be etching her name in the record books, joining an extensive line of ladies who have come up just short of the WSOP Main Event final table. Only Barbara Enright has been able to break through that “glass ceiling,” finishing in fifth place in 1995. Annie Duke was 10th in 2000, while Gaelle Baumann also pulled that feat off in 2012. That means that, for women in poker, “the dream” still exists of a woman winning poker’s greatest prize for yet another year.