Maria Ho: Poker Pro, Broadcaster & Women in Poker Hall of Famer
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Maria Ho has built one of poker’s most recognizable careers by combining sustained tournament success with a prominent role as a broadcaster and commentator. The Taiwanese-born American professional has accumulated more than $5.5 million in recorded live tournament earnings, reached major final tables on several of poker’s biggest stages and was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2018.
Her tournament résumé includes a runner-up finish at the 2011 World Series of Poker for $540,020, a sixth-place run in the 2017 WSOP Europe Main Event and a third-place finish in the 2023 WSOP Paradise Mystery Millions. Away from the felt, Ho has become a familiar voice and face on major poker broadcasts, and in 2026 the WSOP named her to its full-time talent team.
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Who Is Maria Ho?
Maria Ho is an American professional poker player and broadcaster who was born in Taipei, Taiwan. The Hendon Mob lists her nationality as United States, her birthplace as Taipei and her residence as Los Angeles, California.
Ho was introduced to poker while attending the University of California, San Diego, where PokerNews reports that she studied communications and law. She began playing home games with friends before moving into limit cash games at casinos in Southern California.
After graduating in 2005, Ho increasingly focused on poker professionally. Her early years included cash-game experience as well as tournament play, giving her a foundation that eventually developed into a career spanning no-limit hold’em, mixed games and major international events.
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Maria Ho’s Tournament Poker Career
Ho’s first major breakthrough came at the 2007 WSOP Main Event. She finished 38th in the $10,000 World Championship event for $237,865, establishing herself on one of poker’s largest stages.
That result was also part of a distinction that would become closely associated with her career. The World Series of Poker credits Ho as the only woman to have been the “Last Woman Standing” four times across the WSOP Main Event and WSOP Europe Main Event, doing so twice in each version.
Her biggest recorded live tournament cash arrived four years later.
At the 2011 WSOP, Ho reached heads-up play in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event. She finished second to Allen Bari and earned $540,020. The official WSOP tournament report confirms that the result was her best WSOP finish at the time and remains her largest recorded live cash.
The result also placed Ho within one victory of a WSOP bracelet, an achievement she has continued to pursue throughout her career.
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Maria Ho’s WSOP Results
As of August 2026, Ho has not won a WSOP bracelet. She has nevertheless built one of the more extensive WSOP records among women in the game.
The Hendon Mob’s WSOP women rankings generated in August 2026 list Ho with 90 WSOP cashes, second among women on that ranking, and more than $2.3 million in recorded WSOP winnings.
Among the most significant results in her WSOP career are:
Second in the 2011 WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for $540,020
38th in the 2007 WSOP Main Event for $237,865
Sixth in the 2017 WSOP Europe Main Event for €174,365
Fifth in a 2022 WSOP Super Turbo Bounty event for $131,655
Third in the 2023 WSOP Paradise Mystery Millions for $200,000
Sixth in the 2024 WSOP $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $69,063
Her 2017 WSOP Europe performance was particularly notable. Ho entered the final day of the €10,350 Main Event as chip leader with six players remaining. She ultimately finished sixth for €174,365 after Marti Roca de Torres eliminated both Ho and Niall Farrell in the same three-way all-in hand.
The result reinforced Ho’s ability to make deep runs in large championship events even though a WSOP bracelet has remained elusive.
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World Poker Tour Results
Ho has also accumulated a substantial World Poker Tour record.
As of August 2026, the World Poker Tour’s career profile for Maria Ho lists $1,012,964 in WPT career earnings, 15 cashes, four final tables and one title across its tracked WPT categories.
The WPT’s separate Main Tour statistics list zero Main Tour wins, meaning the broader one-title career figure should not be interpreted as a WPT Main Tour championship.
One of Ho’s largest WPT-related scores came during the 2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown festival, where she finished third in a $3,500 event for $344,960.
She also won a $25,000 high roller during the 2019 Los Angeles Poker Classic festival for $276,690.
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Game of Gold and Other Notable Wins
Ho added another major televised accomplishment in 2023 when she won the first season of Game of Gold.
The poker competition combined tournament play with team and reality-show elements and included a field of accomplished professionals. Hendon Mob records Ho’s victory as a $456,000 result, making it the second-largest recorded cash of her career behind her 2011 WSOP runner-up finish.
In 2024, Ho also won two Celebrity Poker Tour events. She captured a Game Night event for $10,000 and later won the 2024 Celebrity Poker Tour Championship for $50,000.
Those victories added to a career that has extended beyond traditional open-field tournament poker into televised and invitational formats.
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Maria Ho’s Live Tournament Earnings
As of August 26, 2026, the Hendon Mob lists Maria Ho with $5,543,363 in live tournament earnings and a best live cash of $540,020.
Tournament earnings are continually updated as players record new results, so career totals and all-time rankings can change over time.
Ho’s career earnings reflect success across numerous formats and locations rather than one isolated tournament run. Her recorded results include WSOP, WSOP Europe, World Poker Tour, European Poker Tour, PokerGO-related events and other tournament series around the world.
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Playing Style and Poker Reputation
Ho’s tournament record demonstrates considerable versatility.
Although many of her best-known results have come in no-limit hold’em, she has also produced significant finishes in mixed-game events. Her sixth-place performance in the 2024 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship is one example of her ability to compete outside her primary no-limit hold’em résumé.
Her career has also included both tournaments and cash games. In announcing its 2026 talent team, the WSOP described Ho as an accomplished cash-game player in addition to highlighting her tournament earnings.
Rather than being identified with one narrow poker specialty, Ho’s career has been shaped by longevity across live tournaments, cash games, televised poker and strategic commentary.
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Broadcasting and Media Career
Ho’s influence in poker extends well beyond her tournament results.
She has worked as a host, analyst and commentator for major poker broadcasts, including World Series of Poker coverage and PokerGO productions. PokerNews notes that her broadcasting résumé has included events such as the U.S. Poker Open and Super High Roller Bowl.
In 2019, Ho received the Global Poker Award for Broadcaster of the Year.
Her role expanded again in 2026 when the WSOP announced Maria Ho as a member of its talent team. The group was assembled to support WSOP coverage as the Main Event returned to ESPN and included established commentators, hosts and poker professionals.
The team also includes Nick Schulman, whose own career similarly combines elite-level tournament poker with prominent broadcast work.
Ho’s ability to explain decisions from the perspective of an experienced player has made broadcasting an important second dimension of her poker career rather than simply an off-the-felt side role.
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Women in Poker Hall of Fame
Ho was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2018 alongside Lupe Soto.
The honor recognized a career that already combined tournament success, visibility in poker media and contributions to the game. Her induction came years before her career tournament earnings surpassed $5 million and before several of her later major results.
Her profile within the industry has continued to grow since that induction through both competitive poker and broadcasting.
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Maria Ho’s Current Status
As of August 2026, Ho remains a prominent figure in professional poker, with more than $5.5 million in recorded live earnings and a continuing role in major poker media.
She did not compete at the 2025 WSOP, but returned to the WSOP environment in a major capacity in 2026 after being named to the series’ full-time talent team. The move places broadcasting at the center of her current professional activity while maintaining her longstanding identity as an accomplished tournament and cash-game player.
Her career is notable not simply for one championship or one major score, but for sustained relevance across multiple eras of modern televised poker.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much has Maria Ho won in poker tournaments?
As of August 26, 2026, Hendon Mob lists Maria Ho with $5,543,363 in recorded live tournament earnings. That total can change as new tournament results are added.
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Has Maria Ho won a WSOP bracelet?
No. As of August 2026, Maria Ho has not won a WSOP bracelet. Her closest finish came in 2011, when she placed second in a $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for $540,020.
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What is Maria Ho’s biggest poker cash?
Maria Ho’s largest recorded live tournament cash is $540,020. She earned it for finishing second in the 2011 WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event.
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Is Maria Ho in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame?
Yes. Maria Ho was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2018 alongside Lupe Soto.
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Did Maria Ho win Game of Gold?
Yes. Maria Ho won the first season of Game of Gold in 2023. Hendon Mob records the result as a $456,000 cash.
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Does Maria Ho have a WPT title?
The World Poker Tour’s current career profile credits Maria Ho with one title across its tracked WPT categories. However, its separate Main Tour statistics list zero Main Tour wins, so she should not be described as a WPT Main Tour champion.
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What does Maria Ho do now?
As of 2026, Ho remains closely involved in poker as a professional player and broadcaster. The WSOP named her to its full-time talent team for the 2026 World Series of Poker.