Linda Johnson: WSOP Bracelet Winner and Poker Hall of Famer
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2011
Linda Johnson has influenced modern poker as both a successful tournament player and an industry leader. Known as the “First Lady of Poker,” the American poker veteran won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1997, entered the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011 and helped establish organizations and media ventures that shaped tournament poker well beyond her results at the table.
Johnson’s résumé includes decades of professional play, a WSOP Razz championship, leadership at Card Player magazine, involvement in the formative years of the World Poker Tour and a founding role in the Poker Tournament Directors Association. Her continued tournament results also show that her playing career has extended well into the modern era.
⠀
Who Is Linda Johnson?
Linda Johnson is an American poker player, Poker Hall of Famer and longtime poker-industry figure based in Las Vegas.
Johnson began learning poker in the 1970s. According to the WSOP and Poker Tournament Directors Association, she taught herself the game with the help of poker books before entering the World Series of Poker Ladies seven-card stud event in 1980.
That tournament became a turning point. Johnson finished fifth and followed through on a decision she had made before the event: if she performed well, she would leave her job at the United States Post Office and move to Las Vegas to pursue poker professionally.
She subsequently played poker full time from 1980 into the early 1990s, establishing herself during an era when relatively few women were making a living as professional poker players.
Johnson later expanded her role in the game from player to publisher, broadcaster, organizer and advocate while continuing to compete in tournaments.
⠀
Linda Johnson’s 1997 WSOP Bracelet
Johnson’s signature tournament victory came at the 1997 World Series of Poker.
She won the $1,500 Seven-Card Razz bracelet event, defeating a field of 160 entries and earning $96,000. The victory remains the largest recorded live tournament cash of her career according to The Hendon Mob.
Razz is a form of seven-card stud in which the objective is to make the lowest qualifying five-card hand. Johnson’s victory in the discipline also reflects a career that has included extensive experience in traditional stud and mixed games rather than being limited to no-limit hold’em.
The WSOP currently credits Johnson with:
One WSOP bracelet
Zero WSOP Circuit rings
17 WSOP cashes
More than $200,000 in recorded WSOP earnings
Her bracelet win remains the central competitive achievement of a career that ultimately became significant for reasons extending far beyond tournament prize money.
⠀
Linda Johnson’s Live Tournament Earnings
As of August 26, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Johnson with $471,834 in recorded live tournament earnings.
Her largest recorded cash is the $96,000 first prize from the 1997 WSOP Razz event.
Tournament earnings databases change whenever new results are added, so Johnson’s career total should be treated as a current snapshot rather than a permanent figure.
Her overall earnings do not fully measure her standing in poker. Johnson spent much of her career in an era when tournament fields and prize pools were substantially smaller than those found in contemporary poker, and many of her most important contributions came through poker publishing, tournament administration and industry development.
⠀
From Professional Player to Card Player Publisher
Johnson made a major career transition in 1993 when she purchased Card Player magazine.
The publication was much smaller than the poker-media brand it later became. The Poker Tournament Directors Association says Card Player grew during Johnson’s tenure from a 68-page black-and-white newsprint publication into a 132-page full-color glossy magazine.
Her position placed Johnson at the center of the poker industry during the years immediately preceding the televised poker boom. She traveled extensively, developed relationships throughout the cardroom industry and became increasingly involved in efforts to improve the organization and public presentation of poker.
Johnson also wrote about poker and contributed to poker education, adding another dimension to a career that had begun primarily at the tables.
⠀
Helping Standardize Poker Tournament Rules
One of Johnson’s most lasting contributions came through the creation of the Poker Tournament Directors Association.
The Poker TDA was founded in Las Vegas in 2001 by Johnson, Jan Fisher, David Lamb and Matt Savage. The organization was created in response to a basic problem facing tournament poker at the time: rules and procedures could differ substantially from one poker room or tournament series to another.
The founders worked to establish a common set of tournament standards that could be adopted across the industry.
That effort became increasingly influential as tournament poker expanded. The Poker TDA says its rules are now used by major tournaments around the world, making the organization’s work an important part of the modern tournament infrastructure players encounter today.
Johnson remains listed on the Poker TDA’s Board of Directors, demonstrating that her involvement with tournament administration has continued long after the organization’s creation.
⠀
Linda Johnson and the World Poker Tour
Johnson also played an important role during the early development of the World Poker Tour.
She was involved in the poker-cruise events that helped connect several of the people and concepts that would eventually become part of the WPT. The World Poker Tour has credited Johnson with an integral role in its early years, and she served as a studio announcer during the tour’s first six seasons.
That work placed Johnson inside one of poker’s most important periods of growth. The WPT helped transform televised tournament poker in the 2000s by presenting major events as recurring sports-style entertainment and bringing recognizable players, venues and tournament formats to a broad television audience.
Johnson later became the inaugural recipient of WPT Honors, an award recognizing extraordinary contributions to the World Poker Tour and the wider poker community.
⠀
Poker Hall of Fame Induction
Johnson was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011 alongside Barry Greenstein.
The honor recognized a career combining accomplishment at the poker table with extensive contributions to the development of the game.
The WSOP highlights Johnson’s bracelet victory, work as the former publisher of Card Player, role in forming the Tournament Directors Association and broader contribution to poker’s growth when discussing her Hall of Fame legacy.
Johnson is also a member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. She was part of its inaugural class in 2008 alongside Barbara Enright, Marsha Waggoner and Susie Isaacs.
Her recognition by both halls reflects the unusual breadth of her poker career: Johnson earned major honors as a player while also helping shape the industry surrounding the game.
⠀
What Kind of Poker Player Is Linda Johnson?
Johnson’s tournament record is particularly associated with stud and mixed-game formats.
Her bracelet came in Razz, and her later WSOP results include cashes in H.O.R.S.E., Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo. That history supports describing Johnson as an experienced mixed-game competitor rather than assigning her a specific aggressive or conservative playing style that cannot be reliably documented.
Her results also span several decades, demonstrating an ability to continue competing as tournament poker evolved dramatically in field size, strategy and structure.
A particularly notable example came at the 2025 World Series of Poker, where Johnson finished 10th in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event. The tournament attracted 867 entries, and Johnson earned $11,561 after reaching the final two tables.
⠀
Linda Johnson’s Recent Poker Results
Johnson remains an active tournament participant based on recorded results through 2026.
Her 2025 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. run was followed by additional recorded cashes later that year and in 2026.
The Hendon Mob lists three cashes for Johnson during 2026 through July:
Eighth place in a $200 LIPS Women in Poker Spring Festival event in Las Vegas
Eighth place in a $120 South Point recurring tournament in Las Vegas
Seventh place in a $140 LIPS Florida State Ladies Poker Championship event in Jacksonville
Those results are relatively modest compared with her career-defining bracelet victory, but they are significant when evaluating her current status because they confirm that Johnson continues to participate in live tournament poker.
⠀
Linda Johnson’s Impact on Poker
Johnson’s importance to poker cannot be explained by tournament winnings alone.
She competed professionally at a time when women were far less common in cardrooms, won an open WSOP bracelet, helped develop a major poker publication, contributed to the early World Poker Tour and co-founded an organization that helped standardize tournament rules internationally.
Her career connects several eras of poker history: the smaller professional poker community of the 1980s, the growth of specialized poker media in the 1990s, the televised poker expansion of the 2000s and the highly organized tournament environment that exists today.
The nickname “First Lady of Poker,” attributed to fellow Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton, became associated with Johnson because of that combination of longevity, visibility and service to the game.
⠀
Where Is Linda Johnson Now?
As of August 2026, Johnson remains connected to poker both competitively and through the industry.
Recent Hendon Mob results document live tournament cashes in 2025 and 2026, while the Poker Tournament Directors Association continues to list her among its board members.
Her 2025 deep run in the WSOP $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event was especially notable because it came nearly three decades after her bracelet victory and more than four decades after she moved to Las Vegas to pursue poker professionally.
Johnson’s place in poker history is therefore built on two parallel careers: one as a successful player and another as an organizer, publisher and industry leader whose work helped shape how modern tournament poker is played and presented.
⠀
Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Linda Johnson have?
Linda Johnson has one World Series of Poker bracelet. She won the 1997 $1,500 Seven-Card Razz event for $96,000.
⠀
How many WSOP Circuit rings does Linda Johnson have?
The World Series of Poker currently lists Linda Johnson with zero WSOP Circuit rings.
⠀
How much has Linda Johnson won in live poker tournaments?
As of August 26, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Linda Johnson with $471,834 in recorded live tournament earnings. Tournament databases are updated as new results are recorded, so that total can change.
⠀
What is Linda Johnson’s biggest poker tournament cash?
Johnson’s largest recorded live tournament cash is $96,000, earned for winning the $1,500 Seven-Card Razz event at the 1997 World Series of Poker.
⠀
Is Linda Johnson in the Poker Hall of Fame?
Yes. Linda Johnson was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011 alongside Barry Greenstein.
⠀
Is Linda Johnson in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame?
Yes. Johnson was an inaugural Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee in 2008.
⠀
Why is Linda Johnson called the First Lady of Poker?
The nickname “First Lady of Poker” was associated with Johnson by Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton. It reflects her long career as a professional player and her extensive work in poker publishing, tournament administration, broadcasting and industry development.
⠀
Did Linda Johnson help create the Poker Tournament Directors Association?
Yes. Linda Johnson co-founded the Poker Tournament Directors Association in 2001 with Matt Savage, Jan Fisher and David Lamb. The organization works to establish standardized rules and procedures for poker tournaments.
⠀
Is Linda Johnson still playing poker?
Recorded tournament results show that she remains active. Johnson cashed in the 2025 WSOP $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event and recorded additional live tournament cashes during 2026.