Nadya Magnus: Two-Time WSOP Circuit Ring Winner and 2021 GPI Female Player of the Year
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Nadya Magnus is a Russian-born American poker player whose career combines tournament success, television exposure and a significant role in supporting women in poker. She has won two World Series of Poker Circuit rings, earned the 2021 Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year award and reached a World Poker Tour final table.
Magnus first became widely known through PokerStars’ The Big Game in 2010, when she appeared as a “Loose Cannon” qualifier and finished her 150-hand session with a $63,600 profit against a table of established professionals. She later developed a sustained live tournament career that has produced major results across the WSOP Circuit, WPT, Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open and other series.
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Magnus with $2,472,530 in live tournament earnings and a career-best cash of $171,642. Her recorded results continued through August 2026, making her an active presence on the live tournament circuit.
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Who Is Nadya Magnus?
Nadya Magnus was born in Russia and later established her poker career in the United States. The Hendon Mob lists her current residence as Boca Raton, Florida, while earlier tournament records associated her with the Chicago area.
Her tournament history dates to the late 2000s. In 2009, Magnus won a $235 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em event at the WSOP Circuit stop at Horseshoe Hammond, earning her first Circuit ring.
The following year brought a different kind of breakthrough.
Magnus qualified for PokerStars’ televised cash-game series The Big Game, where the show staked a recreational qualifier known as the Loose Cannon to compete against professional players. Her table included Justin Bonomo, Barry Greenstein, Jason Mercier, Joe Cada and Daniel Alaei.
After 150 hands, Magnus finished $63,600 ahead and elected to keep the profit. PokerNews’ recap of her Big Game appearance documented a composed performance against a lineup filled with major tournament champions.
That television appearance introduced Magnus to a much wider poker audience, but her later career developed primarily through live tournament competition.
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Nadya Magnus’s WSOP Circuit Career
Magnus has won two World Series of Poker Circuit rings.
Her first came in the 2009 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em event at Horseshoe Hammond. Her second arrived in February 2017 at the WSOP Circuit stop at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee.
Magnus won the $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller after defeating a field of 119 entries. According to the official WSOP results, she earned $71,398 after defeating Eric Rivkin heads-up.
The victory was an important tournament milestone because it showed that Magnus’s earlier success had developed into a broader competitive career rather than remaining tied to her television appearance.
As of September 2026, the World Series of Poker player database lists Magnus with:
0 WSOP bracelets
2 WSOP Circuit rings
Her tournament résumé also includes numerous WSOP cashes, although she has not yet won a WSOP bracelet.
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WPT Final Table and Career-Best Cash
Magnus recorded the largest live tournament cash of her career at the 2020 World Poker Tour Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.
The $3,500 championship drew 843 entries. Magnus reached the televised final table and finished fourth for $171,642.
The official World Poker Tour payout results show Brian Altman winning the tournament, followed by John Dollinger in second, Chanracy Khun in third and Magnus in fourth.
That $171,642 score remains the largest live cash listed on Magnus’s Hendon Mob record.
Magnus has continued to cash in WPT championships since that result. The World Poker Tour player database lists her with more than $390,000 in WPT Main Tour earnings, 13 cashes and one final table as of 2026.
She has not won a WPT Main Tour title.
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2021 GPI Female Player of the Year
One of Magnus’s most important career achievements came in 2021 when she won the Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year race.
The Global Poker Index credited Magnus with 2,435.43 points for the season. She finished ahead of Kyna England, Katie Lindsay, Sonia-Veronika Shashikhina and Vanessa Kade.
Her 2021 season included $426,161 in tournament cashes, according to PokerNews. One of the biggest results came at the Lucky Hearts Poker Open, where she finished runner-up in a $2,200 no-limit hold’em event for $93,566.
The Female Player of the Year award added an important season-long accomplishment to a career already highlighted by two Circuit rings and a WPT final table.
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Major Tournament Results
Magnus’s career contains several six-figure and near-six-figure results across different tournament series.
Among her most significant performances are:
Fourth place in the 2020 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship for $171,642
Seventh place in the 2023 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship for $148,885
18th place in the 2023 PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship for $142,100
Second place in a 2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open $2,200 event for $93,566
First place in the 2017 WSOP Circuit Potawatomi $2,200 High Roller for $71,398
The 2023 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open result came in a $5,300 championship with 1,070 entries. Magnus reached the final table and finished seventh, while Farid Jattin ultimately won the event.
Those results demonstrate that Magnus has remained competitive across a long span of tournament poker, from regional Circuit events to major championship fields.
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The Big Game and Magnus’s Poker Visibility
Magnus’s appearance on PokerStars’ The Big Game remains one of the most recognizable chapters of her poker career.
The original format gave the Loose Cannon a $100,000 stake and allowed the qualifier to keep any profit after 150 hands. Magnus finished her session $63,600 ahead.
Her performance gained attention because she was competing directly with accomplished professionals at stakes far larger than those typically faced by recreational qualifiers.
More than a decade later, Magnus became involved with the revived version of the program. When The Big Game on Tour returned, she helped evaluate and mentor new Loose Cannon contestants, connecting the modern series with the original version in which she had competed.
Her evolution from qualifier to established poker professional and mentor gives the television portion of her career unusual continuity.
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Supporting Women in Poker
Magnus has also used tournament opportunities to support other women pursuing poker.
PokerNews reported in 2024 that Magnus planned to provide two $10,000 WSOP Main Event seats to women who met eligibility requirements based on their Global Poker Index rankings and prior live earnings.
The 2024 Main Event seat giveaway continued earlier efforts by Magnus to fund tournament opportunities for female players.
She had previously awarded a WSOP Main Event seat through a contest in 2022 and later participated in additional giveaways connected with the Poker League of Nations.
Those efforts have made Magnus’s influence in poker extend beyond her own tournament results. Her public support has focused on creating opportunities for women to compete in expensive championship events where the buy-in alone can be a major barrier.
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Nadya Magnus’s Playing Reputation
Magnus has built most of her tournament record in no-limit hold’em.
Reliable descriptions of her play have generally emphasized composure rather than attaching a rigid strategic label to her game. During her original Big Game appearance, PokerNews described her demeanor against elite professionals as calm and focused.
Her tournament results provide stronger evidence than subjective labels. Magnus has produced deep runs in regional events, WPT championships, high rollers and large-field tournaments over many years, showing an ability to compete across a range of no-limit hold’em formats and buy-in levels.
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Nadya Magnus’s Live Tournament Earnings
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Nadya Magnus with $2,472,530 in live tournament earnings.
Her largest recorded cash is $171,642 for fourth place in the 2020 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship.
Tournament earnings databases change whenever a player records another qualifying result, so those figures should be treated as a current snapshot rather than a permanent career total.
Magnus crossed the $2 million mark before 2025 and has continued adding results since then.
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Nadya Magnus in 2026
Magnus remained active on the live tournament circuit throughout 2026.
Her recorded results included an 11th-place finish in the $3,500 Wynn Millions Championship for $29,835, another WPT championship cash at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown and a 14th-place finish in a $1,100 Venetian DeepStack Championship Poker Series event for $11,168.
She also cashed in the 2026 WSOP $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship and finished 40th in the $5,300 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship in August for $18,400.
Those results show that Magnus continues to compete regularly rather than appearing only occasionally in major televised or invitational events.
Her career now spans nearly two decades of recorded live results, with two WSOP Circuit rings, a GPI Female Player of the Year title, more than $2.47 million in live earnings and continued participation in major U.S. tournament series.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much has Nadya Magnus won in live poker tournaments?
As of September 5, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Nadya Magnus with $2,472,530 in live tournament earnings. Her career-best recorded cash is $171,642.
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How many WSOP bracelets does Nadya Magnus have?
Nadya Magnus has not won a World Series of Poker bracelet. The WSOP lists her with zero bracelets.
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How many WSOP Circuit rings does Nadya Magnus have?
Nadya Magnus has two WSOP Circuit rings. She won her first at Horseshoe Hammond in 2009 and her second in the $2,200 High Roller at Potawatomi in 2017.
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What is Nadya Magnus’s biggest poker tournament cash?
Magnus’s largest recorded live tournament cash is $171,642. She earned it by finishing fourth in the 2020 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship.
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Has Nadya Magnus won a WPT title?
No. As of September 2026, the World Poker Tour lists Magnus with no WPT Main Tour victories. Her best WPT championship finish was fourth place at the 2020 Lucky Hearts Poker Open.
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Did Nadya Magnus win GPI Female Player of the Year?
Yes. Nadya Magnus won the 2021 Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year award after finishing the season with 2,435.43 ranking points.
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Was Nadya Magnus on PokerStars’ The Big Game?
Yes. Magnus appeared as a Loose Cannon during the original season of PokerStars’ The Big Game in 2010 and finished her 150-hand session with a $63,600 profit. She later returned in a mentoring and selection role when the program was revived.
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Is Nadya Magnus still active in poker?
Yes. Magnus recorded multiple live tournament cashes during 2026, including results at Wynn Las Vegas, the Venetian, the World Series of Poker and Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood.