Kathy Liebert: Poker Career, WSOP Bracelet & Major Wins
Kathy Liebert is an American professional poker player whose tournament career stretches back more than three decades. A WSOP bracelet winner, two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner, Women in Poker Hall of Fame member, and the first woman to win a $1 million prize in a poker tournament, Liebert has remained a fixture on the live tournament circuit since the 1990s.
As of August 2026, Hendon Mob lists Liebert with more than $7.39 million in live tournament earnings and a career-best cash of $1 million. Her résumé includes success at the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour, PartyPoker Million, and numerous other tournament series, along with continued results well into the 2020s.
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Who Is Kathy Liebert?
Kathy Liebert is a longtime American tournament poker professional known for competing successfully across several eras of the game.
Born in Tennessee and raised on Long Island, New York, Liebert attended Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she earned a degree in business and finance. Her path into poker developed after she moved to Colorado and began playing in the state's casino poker games.
Tournament poker quickly became a significant part of her career. According to the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, Liebert finished second in an Omaha Hi-Lo tournament on an early trip to Las Vegas and followed that result with another runner-up finish in a Texas Hold'em event. She reportedly earned approximately $34,000 during her first week of tournament play.
Those early results developed into a career that has continued for more than 30 years.
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Kathy Liebert's Major Poker Accomplishments
Liebert's career includes achievements at the WSOP, on the World Poker Tour, and in major televised tournaments.
Her most notable accomplishments include:
More than $7.39 million in recorded live tournament earnings as of August 2026
One World Series of Poker bracelet
Two WSOP Circuit rings
Winner of the inaugural PartyPoker Million in 2002 for $1 million
First woman to win a $1 million prize in a poker tournament
Six World Poker Tour final tables
More than $2 million in WPT career earnings
Induction into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2010
Four Poker Hall of Fame nominations from 2022 through 2025
Decades of tournament results dating back to the 1990s
Her longevity is particularly notable. Liebert competed successfully before the poker boom, appeared regularly during the game's television-driven expansion in the 2000s, and has continued recording tournament victories and major-series cashes in the 2020s.
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Kathy Liebert's $1 Million PartyPoker Million Victory
One of the defining results of Liebert's career came in the inaugural PartyPoker Million in 2002.
The $8,000 Limit Hold'em tournament was played aboard a cruise and featured a $1 million first-place prize. Liebert won the tournament, finishing ahead of a final table that included prominent professionals such as Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, and Mel Judah.
The victory made Liebert the first woman to win a $1 million prize in a poker tournament.
The result remains her largest recorded live tournament cash and helped establish her as one of the most accomplished tournament players of her generation.
The PartyPoker Million also has a place in televised poker history. The inaugural event was filmed for television before the World Poker Tour began its first official season, and the PartyPoker Million later became part of the WPT schedule.
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Kathy Liebert's WSOP Bracelet
Liebert won her first World Series of Poker bracelet at the 2004 WSOP in Las Vegas.
She defeated a field of 240 entries in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout, earning $110,180 and the bracelet.
The victory came after Liebert had already posted several strong WSOP performances. She finished runner-up in a $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em event in 1997 for $123,690 and continued adding deep runs throughout her career.
Her WSOP record extends well beyond the bracelet victory. Liebert has accumulated numerous cashes across decades of World Series competition in both open and specialty events.
She also reached the final table of the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em World Championship in 2008, finishing third for $306,064.
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Kathy Liebert in the WSOP Main Event
Liebert has also produced notable results in the WSOP Main Event.
PokerNews records her as finishing 17th in the Main Event in both 1998 and 2000, placing her deep in poker's most important tournament years before the massive fields of the modern era.
Her Main Event history continued decades later.
At the 2025 WSOP, Liebert finished 662nd in the Main Event for $27,500. She returned to the money again in 2026, finishing 1,163rd for $15,000.
Those results illustrate the length of her competitive career: Liebert recorded deep Main Event finishes before the poker boom and was still cashing in the tournament more than a quarter-century later.
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Kathy Liebert on the World Poker Tour
Liebert has been one of the most consistent longtime performers in World Poker Tour events without winning a WPT Main Tour title.
As of August 2026, the WPT lists Liebert with:
34 WPT cashes
Six WPT final tables
More than $2.09 million in WPT career earnings
Zero WPT titles
Her WPT performances include several major final-table appearances during the tour's early years.
Liebert finished third in the 2005 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship and later produced another major run at the 2009 Bay 101 Shooting Star, where she finished second.
Her sustained WPT record is significant because it spans much of the tour's history rather than being concentrated in one short period of success.
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Women in Poker Hall of Fame
Liebert was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2010.
She was inducted alongside Jennifer Harman, with Billie Brown receiving a posthumous induction.
The honor recognized a career that had already included her historic $1 million tournament victory, a WSOP bracelet, major television appearances, and years of success against open tournament fields.
Liebert has continued adding to that résumé since her induction.
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Poker Hall of Fame Nominations
Liebert has also received repeated consideration for the Poker Hall of Fame.
She first reached the official Poker Hall of Fame finalist list in 2022. She returned to the ballot in 2023, 2024, and 2025, giving her four nominations.
She had not been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame as of August 2026.
Her repeated nominations reflect a résumé built on longevity, major tournament victories, success against open fields, and a lasting place among the most accomplished women in poker history.
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Kathy Liebert's Playing Style
Liebert's tournament record does not fit neatly into a single poker specialty.
Her biggest career victory came in Limit Hold'em, and her WSOP bracelet was also won in a Limit Hold'em event. At the same time, many of her largest final tables and more recent results have come in No-Limit Hold'em.
That range has allowed her to remain competitive through major changes in tournament poker strategy and structure.
Earlier coverage of Liebert frequently highlighted her aggressive approach and ability to make strong situational and positional decisions. More broadly, her results demonstrate adaptability: she has competed successfully in different formats against multiple generations of tournament professionals.
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Kathy Liebert's Continued Success
Liebert has remained an active tournament player rather than simply relying on accomplishments from the poker-boom era.
Her 2026 season provided several examples.
In January, she won the $300 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em event at the WSOP Circuit stop at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Liebert defeated a 106-entry field for $6,787 and a WSOP Circuit ring. PokerNews reported that it was the second Circuit ring of her career.
In May 2026, she won the $600 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em event that opened the Wynn Summer Classic. Liebert topped 179 entries and earned $22,564 from the $92,185 prize pool.
She then cashed the 2026 WSOP Main Event for $15,000.
These results reinforce an important part of Liebert's profile: her career is not limited to historical accomplishments. More than three decades after her first recorded tournament results, she continues to compete and win on the live tournament circuit.
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Kathy Liebert's Career Earnings
As of August 2026, Hendon Mob lists Kathy Liebert with more than $7.39 million in live tournament earnings.
Her largest recorded cash remains the $1 million she earned for winning the inaugural PartyPoker Million in 2002.
Tournament earnings should be treated as a changing statistic because Liebert remains active and continues adding results to her career record.
Her earnings have been accumulated across hundreds of recorded tournament cashes over more than three decades rather than through only a handful of high-roller scores.
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Why Kathy Liebert Matters in Poker
Kathy Liebert's significance in poker comes from a combination of results, longevity, and historical milestones.
She became the first woman to win a $1 million poker tournament prize, captured an open-field WSOP bracelet, reached numerous WPT final tables, earned membership in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, and remained competitive for decades.
Her career also crosses several distinct periods in modern poker history.
Liebert was winning major tournament money before televised poker became mainstream. She remained prominent during the poker boom and the rapid expansion of the WPT and WSOP. She then continued competing as tournament strategy became increasingly sophisticated and fields grew substantially larger.
Few tournament careers offer that same combination of longevity and sustained results.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much has Kathy Liebert won playing poker?
As of August 2026, Hendon Mob lists Kathy Liebert with more than $7.39 million in live tournament earnings. Because she remains active, that total can continue to increase.
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How many WSOP bracelets does Kathy Liebert have?
Kathy Liebert has one WSOP bracelet. She won the 2004 $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout for $110,180.
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How many WSOP Circuit rings does Kathy Liebert have?
Kathy Liebert has two WSOP Circuit rings. PokerNews reported that her January 2026 victory in the $300 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em event at Planet Hollywood earned her the second ring of her career.
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What is Kathy Liebert's biggest poker win?
Liebert's largest recorded live tournament cash is $1 million. She earned it by winning the inaugural PartyPoker Million in 2002.
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Was Kathy Liebert the first woman to win $1 million in poker?
Yes. Kathy Liebert became the first woman to win a $1 million prize in a poker tournament when she captured the inaugural PartyPoker Million in 2002.
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Has Kathy Liebert won a WPT title?
No. The World Poker Tour lists Liebert with six final tables and more than $2 million in WPT earnings, but no WPT title.
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Is Kathy Liebert in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame?
Yes. Kathy Liebert was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2010.
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Is Kathy Liebert in the Poker Hall of Fame?
No. As of August 2026, Liebert has not been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. She was nominated four times between 2022 and 2025.
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Is Kathy Liebert still playing poker?
Yes. Liebert remained active in 2026. Among her results were a WSOP Circuit ring victory at Planet Hollywood, a Wynn Summer Classic Seniors title, and a cash in the 2026 WSOP Main Event.
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Sources
World Series of Poker
World Poker Tour
The Hendon Mob
PokerNews
Women in Poker Hall of Fame
Card Player