Kelly Minkin: Two-Time WSOP Main Event Last Woman Standing
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Kelly Minkin, now known as Kelly Lucas, is an American poker player and attorney best known for twice finishing as the last woman remaining in the World Series of Poker Main Event. She finished 29th in 2015 and returned for another deep run in 2018, placing 50th.
Her tournament résumé also includes two third-place finishes in World Poker Tour Main Tour events, a third-place finish in a WSOP Circuit Main Event and the 2015 Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year award. As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists her under Kelly Lucas with $1,598,382 in live tournament earnings and a career-best cash of $262,912.
Minkin has built that poker record while also pursuing a professional career in law. Her combination of tournament success, televised poker appearances and repeated deep runs in poker's most prominent championship has made her a recognizable figure in modern tournament poker.
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Who Is Kelly Minkin?
Kelly Minkin is an American poker player and attorney who is now professionally known as Kelly Lucas. Her current law practice identifies her as Kelly J. Lucas, née Kelly Minkin, while major poker organizations and historical tournament records continue to contain results under the Minkin name.
Minkin studied molecular and cellular biology before turning toward law. PokerNews and other established poker publications have documented how she balanced tournament poker with her work as an attorney, sometimes traveling to tournaments while maintaining a demanding legal schedule.
Her poker career developed primarily through no-limit hold'em tournaments, where her willingness to compete aggressively and make difficult decisions became a recurring part of her reputation.
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Kelly Minkin's Breakthrough in Tournament Poker
Minkin recorded live tournament results before becoming widely known to poker fans, but 2015 transformed her profile.
In February of that year, she reached the final three of the $3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood. The tournament ended with Brian Altman winning the title, while Minkin finished third for $262,912.
That remains the largest live tournament cash of her career according to The Hendon Mob.
The performance was significant because Minkin came within two places of becoming a WPT champion while competing against a field that produced a major seven-figure prize pool. It also established her as more than a player capable of occasional tournament cashes.
A few months later, she produced the result that became most closely associated with her poker career.
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The 2015 WSOP Main Event Run
Minkin made a deep run in the 2015 $10,000 WSOP Main Event, surviving until 29th place and earning $211,821.
She was the final woman remaining in the tournament that year. Her run lasted into Day 6, putting her within striking distance of the final stages of poker's world championship before her elimination.
The significance extended beyond the payout. Deep WSOP Main Event runs attract worldwide attention because players must navigate thousands of opponents over several long tournament days. Minkin's 29th-place finish demonstrated an ability to remain competitive deep into one of poker's most demanding structures.
Her performance also placed her within the history of women who have made notable Main Event runs. Maria Ho, Barbara Enright, Gaëlle Baumann and several other accomplished players have likewise reached the late stages of the championship.
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2015 GPI Female Player of the Year
Minkin's broader results during 2015 earned additional recognition.
The Global Poker Index named her its 2015 Female Player of the Year. The award was formally recognized at the 2016 American Poker Awards and was determined by tournament performance during the previous calendar year.
That distinction reflected more than her WSOP Main Event finish. Her third place at the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open and other results helped make 2015 the defining season of her tournament career.
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Another Major WSOP Circuit Final Table
Minkin continued producing deep finishes after her 2015 breakthrough.
At the 2017 WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Main Event, she reached the final table after entering the final day among the tournament leaders. The $1,675 Main Event drew 687 entries.
Minkin ultimately finished third for $95,880. Jared Jaffee won the tournament for $211,220.
Although the result did not give Minkin a WSOP Circuit ring, it added another major final table to her record. As of September 5, 2026, the official WSOP player database lists Minkin with zero WSOP bracelets and zero Circuit rings.
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Kelly Minkin's Second Deep WSOP Main Event Run
Minkin returned to the center of WSOP coverage in 2018.
Three years after finishing 29th, she again outlasted every other woman in the Main Event. Minkin reached 50th place from a field of 7,874 entries and collected $156,265.
Becoming the last woman remaining in the Main Event for a second time gave the performance added significance. Reaching the latter stages of the tournament once is difficult; doing it again reinforced Minkin's record as a proven large-field no-limit hold'em tournament player.
Her 2018 run also put her prominently on televised and streamed feature tables. Poker coverage from the event highlighted her willingness to apply pressure, bluff and make difficult calls rather than simply attempt to survive deeper into the tournament.
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Another WPT Final Table in 2018
Minkin added another major World Poker Tour result later in 2018.
She reached the six-player final table of the $5,000 WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble in Jacksonville. Minkin entered the final table second in chips behind Jake Schwartz and ultimately finished third for $146,973.
Tony Tran won the tournament, while Schwartz finished second.
The result gave Minkin a second third-place finish in a WPT Main Tour event, following her 2015 Lucky Hearts performance. Although she has not won a WPT title, her repeated deep finishes show sustained success against Main Tour fields.
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Kelly Minkin's Playing Style
Minkin became known during her televised tournament runs for an assertive no-limit hold'em style.
Coverage of her 2018 WSOP Main Event run documented aggressive plays, including large bluffs and difficult calls under pressure. PokerNews described her navigating feature-table situations that required significant aggression rather than relying solely on conservative survival strategy.
That reputation should not be reduced to individual televised hands. Tournament results over multiple years provide the stronger evidence: Minkin repeatedly advanced deep in large-field no-limit hold'em events while accumulating more than $1.5 million in recorded live earnings.
Her tournament career has largely centered on no-limit hold'em, although she has appeared in a variety of poker settings beyond traditional freezeout tournaments.
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Poker and a Career in Law
One of the defining elements of Minkin's story is that poker has not been her only profession.
She pursued law alongside tournament poker and became an Arizona attorney. Her current professional website states that she was admitted to practice law in Arizona in 2015 and now operates Kelly J. Lucas, PLLC.
That dual career has long been part of her public poker identity. Interviews published during her early tournament breakthrough described the challenge of balancing legal work with travel to live poker events.
Minkin's professional path distinguishes her from players whose careers have been built exclusively around poker. Rather than abandoning law after gaining national poker recognition, she has continued maintaining a career outside the game.
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Kelly Minkin's Career Earnings and Major Accomplishments
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Kelly Lucas, formerly Kelly Minkin, with $1,598,382 in live tournament earnings.
Her major accomplishments include:
29th in the 2015 WSOP Main Event for $211,821
Last woman remaining in the 2015 WSOP Main Event
Third in the 2015 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship for $262,912
2015 GPI Female Player of the Year
Third in the 2017 WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino Main Event for $95,880
50th in the 2018 WSOP Main Event for $156,265
Last woman remaining in the WSOP Main Event for a second time in 2018
Third in the 2018 WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble for $146,973
More than $1.59 million in recorded live tournament earnings as of September 5, 2026
Tournament earnings change whenever a player records another cash, so the Hendon Mob total should be treated as a point-in-time figure rather than a permanent career total.
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Is Kelly Minkin Still Playing Poker?
Minkin remains connected to poker, although her recent public activity has included televised cash-game appearances in addition to tournament play.
The Hendon Mob lists her most recent recorded live tournament cash as a 1,027th-place finish in the 2025 WSOP $1,500 Millionaire Maker for $3,160. Earlier in 2025, she finished 12th in a $1,130 no-limit hold'em event in Chandler, Arizona, for $8,740.
She was also back in poker media during 2026. PokerNews reported on her appearance in an episode of Phil Hellmuth's Home Game, where she played alongside Jennifer Tilly and Phil Hellmuth. She was also included in the lineup for a World Poker Tour "The Victor" cash-game session in June 2026.
Those appearances provide current evidence that Minkin remains involved in poker even though her publicly recorded tournament schedule has been lighter than during the peak years of her tournament career.
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Kelly Minkin's Place in Modern Poker
Kelly Minkin's poker résumé is defined less by championship trophies than by consistency in high-visibility events.
Two deep WSOP Main Event runs are the centerpiece. Finishing as the last woman remaining in the tournament in both 2015 and 2018 gave her a distinction that few players have achieved more than once.
Her two WPT third-place finishes and WSOP Circuit Main Event final table add depth to that record. The 2015 GPI Female Player of the Year award further establishes the quality of her best tournament season.
At the same time, Minkin has maintained an identity outside poker through her legal career. That combination of professional law, major tournament results and continued poker-media appearances makes her career unusual even within a game known for unconventional paths.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kelly Minkin's real name now?
Kelly Minkin is now professionally known as Kelly Lucas. Her legal practice identifies her as Kelly J. Lucas, née Kelly Minkin. Poker databases may therefore list her tournament results under Kelly Lucas while older tournament records use Kelly Minkin.
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How much has Kelly Minkin won playing live poker?
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Kelly Lucas with $1,598,382 in live tournament earnings. Her largest recorded cash is $262,912.
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What is Kelly Minkin's biggest poker cash?
Minkin's largest recorded live tournament cash is $262,912, earned for finishing third in the 2015 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship.
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Has Kelly Minkin won a WSOP bracelet?
No. As of September 5, 2026, the official WSOP database lists Kelly Minkin with zero WSOP bracelets.
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Does Kelly Minkin have a WSOP Circuit ring?
No. The official WSOP database lists Minkin with zero Circuit rings as of September 5, 2026. Her best WSOP Circuit Main Event result was third place at the Bicycle Casino in 2017.
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How did Kelly Minkin finish in the WSOP Main Event?
Minkin has two especially notable WSOP Main Event finishes. She placed 29th in 2015 for $211,821 and 50th in 2018 for $156,265. She was the last woman remaining in the field in both years.
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Did Kelly Minkin win GPI Female Player of the Year?
Yes. Kelly Minkin earned the Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year honor for her 2015 tournament performance.
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Is Kelly Minkin an attorney?
Yes. Minkin has maintained a legal career alongside poker. Her current professional website identifies her as Kelly J. Lucas, Esq., and states that she was admitted to practice law in Arizona in 2015.
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Is Kelly Minkin still active in poker?
She remains involved in poker. Her most recent Hendon Mob tournament cash is from the 2025 WSOP, and she appeared in televised and streamed poker programming during 2026, including Phil Hellmuth's Home Game and a World Poker Tour "The Victor" cash-game lineup.