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Esther Taylor is a world-class professional poker player and a pioneering figure for women in the high-stakes arena. Originally from Portland, Oregon, and a longtime resident of the Philadelphia area, Taylor, known to many as "ETAY", is celebrated for her rare ability to compete at the highest levels of both No-Limit Hold'em and complex Mixed Games. In 2025, she made history as only the second woman to ever reach the final table of the prestigious $50,000 WSOP Poker Players Championship (PPC). In 2026, she remains a dominant force on the circuit, recently adding more hardware to her collection with a victory at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.
Career Earnings & Historic 2025 Milestone
As of March 2026, Esther Taylor’s total live tournament earnings have reached $3,245,538 (according to The Hendon Mob), ranking her among the top 20 women in poker history. Her career reached a historic peak in 2025 when she finished 3rd in the WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship for a career-high $595,136. Proving her longevity, she kicked off 2026 with a win in the Borgata Winter Poker Open H.O.R.S.E. event and deep runs in the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open. Her estimated poker net worth, combined with decades of high-stakes cash game success, is estimated at over $4.5 million.
Major Tournament Results:
Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
2025 | WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship (3rd) | $595,136 |
2017 | WSOP $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (3rd) | $543,713 |
2015 | WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event (5th) | $174,118 |
2026 | Borgata Winter Poker Open $1,150 H.O.R.S.E. (1st) | $24,000* |
Biography: The Versatile "ETAY"
Esther Taylor’s poker journey is defined by a deep-seated competitive drive and a refusal to be pigeonholed into a single format. After early success in the mid-2000s, she gained widespread recognition in 2015 as the last woman standing in the WPT Borgata Main Event. While she is a frequent face on shows like Poker Night in America and Hustler Casino Live, her true legacy is built on the WSOP felt. Her 2025 run in the Poker Players Championship, often cited as the "Pro's Pro" tournament, cemented her status as one of the best mixed-game players in the world. In 2026, she continues to serve as an ambassador for the game, balancing a high-volume tournament schedule with elite high-stakes cash game play.
Playing Style: Mixed-Game Mastery
Taylor is renowned for her expert-level versatility across the H.O.R.S.E. rotation and Pot-Limit Omaha. Unlike many tournament specialists, her background in East Coast mixed cash games has given her a nuanced understanding of Limit and Draw variants. Strategically, she is a proponent of disciplined aggression, often identifying exploitative edges in Stud and Omaha Hi-Lo that modern solvers frequently overlook. Her 2025 and 2026 results show a player who excels in grueling, multi-day structures, where her mental fortitude and ability to maintain technical accuracy over 12-hour sessions provide a significant psychological edge.
Social Media & Online Presence
Follow Esther as she chases her first WSOP bracelet and continues her 2026 run:
Video Highlights:
About the Editor
Derick Elomina is Somuchpoker's Lead Content Writer and Interview Specialist, reporting live from WSOP bracelet events and Asia Pacific poker festivals such as TMT, APT, RDPT and APL Jeju, alongside player features and interviews for the site's Stories section. He discovered poker at 14 playing home games with friends, and by 21 he had entered the industry as a field reporter, starting as a hand reporter before building his current role on the tournament floor.