Women at 2015 WSOP Final Tables

Poker players of the fairer sex are undoubtedly under-represented at live poker tournaments, entering events at a less than 9-1 ratio in comparison to men.

The male-dominated sport of poker certainly could use a greater number of women participants. Perhaps if we showcase those who have found success, it may inspire other women to get in the game.

We here at PokerTube are doing our part, as we take a look at ladies who have reached final tables at the 2015 WSOP. Eight have done it so far, with 40 of 68 tournaments on the schedule having reached a conclusion.

The eight ladies who ran deep appeared at five final tables, as three of the events saw two women among the remaining nine players. The first of those tournaments with more than one woman at the final table was Event #9, $1,500 Seven Card Razz.

Cyndy Violette

Cyndy Violette busted in 9th place in Event #9, earning $10,802. That was the second of three cashes at this year's WSOP for Violette, as she also landed in 34th place in $1,500 Seven Card Stud and 62nd in $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.

Those three trips to the Rio cashier cage brought Violette's lifetime earnings to $1,377,565. Her WSOP cashes now total 37, the best of those financially for $295,970 in 2005 when she finished runner-up in $2,000 NLHE.

One year earlier, Violette took home a WSOP gold bracelet in $2,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split. That victory was good for $135,900 and was her 7th of 12 WSOP final tables in a distinguished career.

Robin Lee

A tablemate of Violette in Event #9 was Robin Lee, who recorded her first WSOP cash. Lee finished in 7th place and earned $18,149, according to the Hendon Mob.

That was the biggest payday of Lee's career, topping the $16,700 she earned for 6th place at the 2010 Summer Showdown in Uncasville, Connecticut. The New Haven native has eight total cashes lifetime and live tournament winnings of $47,379.

Elizabeth Montizanti

The next tournament that found two women at the final table was Event #14, a $1,500 NLHE Shootout. Elizabeth Montizanti was eliminated in 5th place, scoring her largest-ever poker payday with $61,560.

That marked the 7th WSOP in the money finish for Montizanti and brought her lifetime earnings to $324,406. It wasn't Montizanti's deepest WSOP run, however, as last year she made it to 4th place in the $1,000 Ladies Championship and grabbed $44,770 as a result.

Kitty Kuo

Seated alongside Montizanti was Hui Chen-Kuo, better known as Kitty. The Taiwan native finished one place higher in 4th, taking home $82,890, her best WSOP cash among six lifetime.

Kuo has earned $819,291 in live tournaments, with her biggest payday coming last year at the Hollywood Poker Open when 3rd place was good for $142,158. Kuo tasted victory three times in her career, in the 2009 Macau Poker Cup, a $340 Ladies Event on the WSOP Circuit in 2010, and at the Asian Poker Series in Manila three years ago.

Oluwashola Akindele

Finishing in 8th place in $1,500 NLHE, Event #20, was Shola Akindele. Hailing from England, Akindele's final table appearance at the 2015 WSOP was her best cash ever at $43,888.

She also profited at the record-breaking $565 Colossus Event, taking home a modest $2,517 for landing 1,236th. In between those two WSOP cashes, Akindele hopped over to the The Venetian and finished 27th at a Mid-States Poker Tour $1,100 Main Event for $10,243.

Akindele has cashed dozens of times in Nottingham, while her two 2015 WSOP in the money finishes gave her a lifetime total of three. Career-wise, her poker paydays total $225,015.

Natasha Barbour

The deepest run for ladies at the 2015 WSOP so far goes to Natasha Barbour for finishing runner-up to Benjamin Zamani in Event #20. The third event with two women final tablists saw Barbour compete against Akindele and seven men on the way to winning $284,911.

That 2nd place finish accounts for almost half of Barbour's lifetime earnings of $602,491. It was the third WSOP cash of her career, following two at last year's WSOP.

An admittedly bad read on what Zamani was holding kept Barbour from winning a bracelet. But the future looks bright for the Tampa native.

Oxana Cummings

Seven Card Stud is the game of choice for Oxana Cummings, who has seven career cashes - three of those in WSOP events - and all came while playing Stud. She made the final table in Event #27, the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, finishing 5th for $52,453.

Cummings' performance in Event #27 topped two 2014 WSOP cashes where 16th place in another $10,000 buy-in was good for $16,932, while 29th place after paying a $1,500 entry added $3,008 to her lifetime earnings of $95,080.

Aiping Xue

Last but not least among the eight women final tablists is Aiping Xue, who came in 6th place in Event #1, the $565 Casino Employees Event. Her first-ever cash resulted in a $12,542 payday for Xue.