Esther Taylor: Mixed-Game Standout, WSOP Circuit Winner and BetMGM Poker Ambassador
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Esther “E-Tay” Taylor has built a long-running poker career around versatility. A regular in both no-limit hold’em and mixed-game tournaments, Taylor has reached major final tables at the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour while compiling more than $3.3 million in recorded live tournament earnings.
Her most significant result came at the 2025 World Series of Poker, when she finished third in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $595,136. The performance made Taylor the second woman to reach the final table of the prestigious mixed-game championship and gave her the deepest finish by a woman in the event’s history.
Taylor remains active on the tournament circuit. In 2026, she became a BetMGM Poker ambassador, continued competing across multiple WSOP disciplines and expanded her work encouraging more women to learn and play mixed games.
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Who Is Esther Taylor?
Esther Taylor is an American poker player commonly known by the nickname “E-Tay.” The Hendon Mob lists her residence as Havertown, Pennsylvania, and records a tournament career extending back nearly two decades.
Taylor has developed a reputation for playing a broader range of poker variants than many tournament professionals. Her results include deep runs in no-limit hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, H.O.R.S.E., Omaha Hi-Lo, Limit Hold’em and other mixed-game formats.
That versatility has become one of the defining features of her career. Taylor has competed in everything from large-field no-limit hold’em tournaments to some of the WSOP’s most demanding championship events.
According to Esther Taylor’s Hendon Mob tournament record, she had $3,365,563 in live tournament earnings as of August 28, 2026. Her largest recorded cash was the $595,136 she earned in the 2025 Poker Players Championship.
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Esther Taylor’s Early Poker Career
Taylor has said she discovered poker in 2006, initially playing online and learning mixed games at relatively small stakes.
Her early tournament career included a notable breakthrough on the WSOP Circuit in 2009. Taylor reached the final two of the $5,000 Harrah’s Rincon Championship in California, where she finished runner-up to Dwyte Pilgrim for $100,620.
The result was particularly notable at the time because Taylor came close to becoming the first woman to win a WSOP Circuit Main Event.
Poker later took a reduced role in her life for several years. Taylor has explained that she stepped away from regular play after having her daughter and returned to tournament poker more seriously around 2015.
That comeback quickly produced one of her biggest results to that point.
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WPT Borgata Final Table and Career Resurgence
Taylor reached the final table of the 2015 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship, ultimately finishing fifth for $174,118.
The result established her as a significant tournament presence again after her time away from the game. The World Poker Tour lists Taylor with one WPT Main Tour final table and no WPT titles.
Her subsequent results increasingly demonstrated that she was not limited to no-limit hold’em.
Taylor began making deep runs across several formats at the World Series of Poker, particularly in Omaha and mixed games.
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Major WSOP Results
Taylor’s World Series of Poker résumé includes repeated near-misses in bracelet events.
In 2017, she produced one of the strongest summers of her career. Her biggest result came in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, where she finished third in a 205-entry field for $543,713.
At the time, it was the largest tournament cash of her career.
Taylor also reached other final tables during the 2017 WSOP, including fourth place in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha event and eighth place in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. tournament.
Another bracelet opportunity came in 2022.
Taylor reached heads-up play in the $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha event before finishing second to Sandeep Pulusani. Her runner-up finish was worth $171,787.
The following year, Taylor added another championship-event final table when she placed eighth in the 2023 WSOP $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $45,789.
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Esther Taylor’s WSOP Circuit Ring
Taylor won her first World Series of Poker Circuit ring online in November 2023.
She captured a $215 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Max event during the WSOP Online Circuit Pennsylvania series, earning $6,120 for the victory.
As of August 2026, the World Series of Poker lists Esther Taylor with one WSOP Circuit ring and no WSOP bracelets.
Her WSOP record nevertheless includes a substantial collection of deep runs and final tables. The current WSOP database lists 106 cashes and 19 final tables across the events it tracks for Taylor, with more than $2.8 million in WSOP-related earnings.
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Historic 2025 Poker Players Championship Run
Taylor reached a new level of recognition during the 2025 WSOP.
She entered the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, an event that tests players across a rotation of poker variants and traditionally attracts many of the strongest mixed-game competitors in the world.
The tournament drew 107 entries and generated a prize pool of more than $5 million.
Taylor advanced all the way to the final three alongside Michael Mizrachi and Bryn Kenney.
Her run ended in third place, earning her $595,136.
The result carried significance beyond the career-best payday. Taylor became only the second woman to reach the Poker Players Championship final table, following Melissa Burr’s seventh-place finish in 2014, and Taylor’s third-place finish established the deepest run by a woman in the event.
She also became the first woman in WSOP history to record two individual tournament cashes of at least $500,000, having previously earned $543,713 in the 2017 $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller.
Taylor followed her Poker Players Championship performance with a deep run in the 2025 WSOP Main Event, finishing 152nd for $70,000.
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Esther Taylor’s Playing Style and Mixed-Game Reputation
Taylor’s tournament history supports her reputation as a versatile player rather than a specialist in a single format.
She has accumulated major results in Pot-Limit Omaha, H.O.R.S.E., Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, mixed no-limit hold’em/PLO and traditional no-limit hold’em.
PokerNews has described Taylor as a versatile mixed-game and no-limit hold’em player, while Taylor herself has repeatedly discussed her preference for live poker and mixed formats.
Her results reflect that range.
Few players regularly move between large-field no-limit hold’em tournaments and high-buy-in mixed-game championships with the frequency Taylor has demonstrated throughout her career.
Taylor has also said that stud high-low was historically one of her favorite games, while more recently expressing enthusiasm for double-board bomb pot Omaha.
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BetMGM Poker Ambassador
Taylor became a BetMGM Poker ambassador in June 2026.
The partnership formalized a relationship that had already included Taylor’s involvement with mixed-game poker events associated with BetMGM and Borgata.
In an August 2026 BetMGM Poker interview with Esther Taylor, she described herself as primarily a live player and discussed her goal of using the ambassador role to improve players’ experiences and support the poker community.
The position also gives Taylor a platform beyond her own tournament results.
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Her Edge Academy and Women in Mixed Games
Taylor has increasingly focused on bringing more women into mixed-game poker.
In 2026, she launched Her Edge Academy, a training initiative aimed at helping women develop the skills and confidence to enter mixed-game events.
The project addresses an area of tournament poker where female participation has historically been limited. Taylor has noted that relatively few women compete in many mixed-game fields and that entry-level educational resources can be difficult to find.
To support the academy’s launch, Taylor gave away five entries to the 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship.
Her work in this area gives Taylor a role in poker that extends beyond her tournament résumé. She is using the experience accumulated over two decades of playing multiple formats to encourage a broader group of players to explore those games.
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Esther Taylor’s 2026 Poker Results and Current Status
Taylor remained active throughout the 2026 World Series of Poker.
Among her results were a 15th-place finish in the $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship for $20,000 and a 108th-place finish in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $20,047.
She also cashed in Omaha Hi-Lo, Big O, Pot-Limit Omaha and no-limit hold’em events during the series.
Taylor returned to the $50,000 Poker Players Championship after her historic 2025 final table but was eliminated before the money in 2026.
Her continued participation in championship mixed-game tournaments, combined with her BetMGM ambassador role and Her Edge Academy, shows that Taylor remains an active presence in poker rather than a player defined primarily by past results.
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Esther Taylor’s Major Poker Accomplishments
More than $3.36 million in recorded live tournament earnings as of August 28, 2026
Career-best $595,136 cash for third place in the 2025 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship
Deepest finish by a woman in the WSOP Poker Players Championship
Third place in the 2017 WSOP $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller for $543,713
Runner-up in the 2022 WSOP $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha event for $171,787
Fifth place in the 2015 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship for $174,118
One WSOP Circuit ring
No WSOP bracelets as of August 2026
One WPT Main Tour final table and no WPT titles
BetMGM Poker ambassador
Founder of Her Edge Academy
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Why Esther Taylor Matters in Poker
Taylor’s career stands out because success has come across several distinct forms of poker.
She has made major no-limit hold’em final tables, competed for bracelets in Pot-Limit Omaha, reached championship H.O.R.S.E. final tables and recorded the best finish ever by a woman in the Poker Players Championship.
That range gives her tournament record unusual depth.
Her 2025 Poker Players Championship performance also placed her in an important part of WSOP history. Reaching third place in an event designed to reward mastery across multiple variants demonstrated the mixed-game ability that had been evident throughout her career.
Taylor’s more recent work with Her Edge Academy adds another dimension. By helping introduce more women to mixed games, she is attempting to increase participation in formats where female representation remains comparatively small.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much has Esther Taylor won playing poker?
The Hendon Mob listed Esther Taylor with $3,365,563 in live tournament earnings as of August 28, 2026. Tournament earnings databases are updated as new results are recorded, so that total can change.
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What is Esther Taylor’s biggest poker cash?
Esther Taylor’s largest recorded live tournament cash is $595,136. She earned it by finishing third in the 2025 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
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Does Esther Taylor have a WSOP bracelet?
No. As of August 2026, Esther Taylor had not won a World Series of Poker bracelet despite reaching several WSOP final tables and finishing runner-up in a bracelet event in 2022.
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How many WSOP Circuit rings does Esther Taylor have?
Esther Taylor has one WSOP Circuit ring. She won it in a $215 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Max online event on the Pennsylvania WSOP Circuit platform in November 2023.
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What was Esther Taylor’s finish in the Poker Players Championship?
Esther Taylor finished third in the 2025 $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $595,136. It remains the deepest finish by a woman in the history of the event.
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Does Esther Taylor have a WPT title?
No. The World Poker Tour lists Taylor with no WPT Main Tour victories. Her best WPT Main Tour result was fifth place in the 2015 Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship for $174,118.
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What is Esther Taylor known for?
Esther Taylor is best known for her mixed-game versatility, her historic third-place finish in the 2025 Poker Players Championship and a tournament career that includes major WSOP, WPT and WSOP Circuit results.
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Is Esther Taylor still playing poker?
Yes. Taylor remained an active tournament player in 2026, competed extensively at the World Series of Poker and became a BetMGM Poker ambassador. She also launched Her Edge Academy to help more women learn and compete in mixed-game poker.