On Tuesday, the first episode of No Limit aired on the World Series of Poker YouTube channel, bringing audiences the introductory installment of the new documentary series from Dustin Iannotti and his team at Artisans on Fire. With three storylines to follow – those of Daniel Negreanu, Kristen Foxen, and Faraz Jaka – the episode seamlessly weaves together each player's history in the game of poker and where they are in the broader context of their careers.
It's a masterclass in how to introduce focal characters while establishing the narrative that will drive the rest of the series. While we meet other key characters along the way, the first episode keeps a tight focus on the three names above – with the most interesting moment coming during Foxen's time in front of the interview cameras.
'Not the legacy I wanted'
As the episode reaches its conclusion, Foxen opens up about her run in the 2024 WSOP Main Event – a thrilling ride that had most, if not all, of the poker community in her corner. While she had no shortage of supporters behind her, Foxen ultimately bowed out in 13th place for a $600,000 score after an audacious bluff gone wrong.
It was a run for the ages, but Foxen wasn't satisfied – far from it. In the aftermath, a vocal minority of the poker community derided her decision-making in such a high pressure, high equity spot.
"I think what hurts is I feel like that's what I'm known for now," she told the cameras. "Punting before final table of the Main Event. That's not the legacy I wanted. I've made peace with it as much as I could, but it still hurts. If anything, I just wanted to be a female who's really good at poker."
While her detractors spouted nonsense online, Foxen had to grapple with the consequences of her decisions – thankfully, she didn't have to do so alone.
"The first week after I busted I kept waking up and thinking about the hand and feeling like, 'Did that really happen? Did that really happen?'" Foxen continued. "Thankfully, Alex was just like, 'You had a great score in a $10K, it's still a really good result.'"
"That's the funniest thing about poker is truly you can be so upset and make hundreds of thousands of dollars," she concluded. "It's the funniest thing."
No Limit releases new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:00pm PT on the World Series of Poker YouTube Channel.
