Forever dominated by droves of men testing their luck, the casino floor and the activity of gambling are often considered to be a game for the boys. However, anyone can accumulate the skill and knowledge needed to beat the casinos and the dominant players, with several women proving that.
Here are the women who gate-crashed the scene and earned their fortunes in casino games.
Alice Walker TV Champion
Las Vegas is famed the world over for the stars who take up residencies, like Lady Gaga, and its extravagant gambling houses. For three of the show’s four seasons, Sin City was the host of the big-money World Series of Blackjack Tournament, which ran from 2004 to 2007.
The series was of such great intrigue because blackjack is a game of great skill and, as you’ll find when you learn about all the variations here, online blackjack has enough versions and facets that anyone can find a form that they enjoy and are good at playing. Whether you prefer something a bit different like crazy blackjack or more classic like pontoon, anyone can learn the game and build up their skill to conquer the tables.
WSOB’s final season was likely the best, featuring celebrities like Shannon Elizabeth, Caroline Rhea, and Tiffany Michelle, but it was Alice Walker who would walk away as the champion. Having already won the Three-Card Poker Championship, which was also shown on television, Walker took the crown to remain as the final champion of the WSOB, landing a cool $500,000 in doing so.
Vanessa Selbst G.O.A.T
When it comes to the best female poker player of all-time, there isn’t any doubt that the crown is worn by Vanessa Selbst. She would put in the grind at tables all over the world and is now using her penchant for gambling on Wall Street.
The Brooklyn-native currently stands 68th on the all-time money list with a massive stack of $11.9 million in live poker earnings. Selbst’s biggest live haul tallies at $1,823,430, which she landed on the Partouche Poker Tour in Cannes at the No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. Her next-highest prize came by winning the No-Limit Hold’em High Roller event in Barbados in 2013, reeling in over $1.4 million.
Jane Willis Ledgendary Team Member
While gambling is often a theme relayed in movies, one of the most notable films based on a true story is that of 21, which follows the story of the MIT Blackjack Team in Las Vegas. In the movie 21, Willis is portrayed by famous actress Kate Bosworth, who recently discovered a bear in her pool, but she says that her takings from the blackjack table have meant more than the money. Now, she’s a successful litigator, putting her professional triumphs down to the mindset installed by training for the blackjack tables.
Alice Walker, Vanessa Selbst, and Jane Willis have all earned a fortune from conquering casino games, with poker and particularly the many forms of blackjack being their games of choice.