The WSOP Ladies Championship was one of the first major steps in making poker more inclusive. It kicked off in 1977 with a $100 Limit Seven-Card Stud event and a 93-player field. Jackie McDaniels took home the title—and a modest $5,580, still one of the smallest WSOP payouts in history.
By 1978, the buy-in doubled to $200, with Terry King emerging victorious. As the event grew in prestige, so did the stakes—eventually reaching $500 by 1991.
Among the trailblazers, Barbara Enright stood out. A three-time bracelet winner, she made history by:
- Winning the Ladies Championship in 1986 and again in 1994
- Becoming the first woman to win an open WSOP event in 1996
- Reaching the Main Event final table in 1995
- Becoming the first woman inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2007
Reflecting on her early days, Barbara shared:
“It was a different time, but the players were mostly welcoming. The only real issue was the smoke—there were no smoke-free poker rooms back then!”
From small prize pools to historic breakthroughs, the Ladies Championship helped pave the way for generations of women in poker. 
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