Lena Evans is a two-time WSOP Circuit champion, author of The Poker Powered Brain, and founder of Poker League of Nations.
Nearly thirty years ago, in 1995, Poker League of Nations (PLON) ambassador Barbara Enright made history as the first — and until yesterday, only — woman to reach the final table of the WSOP Main Event. It was a moment that reverberated throughout the poker world.
But in the decades since, the final table has remained an elusive stage for women. Until now.
This week, Leo Margets, with poise, brilliance, and deep competitive fire, broke that barrier again. She not only earned a seat among the final nine of poker’s most iconic event, she made history by earning more in the WSOP Main Event than any other woman, ever.
From Japan, where I am attending the Japan Open Poker Tour, making a presentation during the Ladies Event, and signing my book, The Poker Powered Brain, I feel the resonance of this moment deeply.
As the founder of PLON — the world’s largest and most internationally represented and active women's poker organization — I have spent years advocating for female players, investing tens of thousands in them, and building infrastructure to help women rise in a game that has too often excluded us from the spotlight.
Leo’s run was not just personal, it was collective. It belongs to every woman who has ever been underestimated at the table, every talented player who has lacked the bankroll to take her shot, and every girl who watched the final table dreaming it could be her someday.
Leo stands for more than just herself
As Leo Margets took her seat at the final table of the WSOP Main Event, she carried with her the hopes of an entire community. Her presence was a rarity, and it inspired many of us who have known all along that women belong at the top levels of poker.
Poker is a game of skill, strategy, and nerve, not gender. Yet access to opportunity remains wildly unequal. This is where PLON steps in.
Since founding PLON, I have built a global network that provides more than camaraderie. We offer real resources: through my PLON Founders Fund and our PLONpower Investment Group, we crowdsource backing for female players and have entered them into the biggest games, including the WSOP Main Event. We understand that the number one reason women are not proportionately represented at the highest levels is not lack of talent, it is lack of access to capital.
Leo’s appearance on poker’s most watched stage is a validation of our work, and a massive inspiration to keep going.
From Barbara to Leo: The power of a lineage
Barbara Enright (below) is a PLON Ambassador and living legend. Her final table appearance in 1995 was nothing short of revolutionary. She showed that it was not only possible for a woman to compete in poker’s ultimate arena, but that she could dominate.
But progress stalled. For almost 30 years, no woman returned to that final nine.
This is not because women are not capable. It is because they have not been adequately backed, seen, or supported. That is why PLON exists — to change that paradigm. And that is why Leo’s run feels like a continuation of Barbara’s legacy. She is standing on Barbara’s mighty shoulders, and building a platform for the next generation to rise even higher.
Why visibility matters so much
When women see someone who looks like them achieving something extraordinary, something shifts inside. It becomes easier to envision the same path for ourselves.
The deeper Leo went in the tournament, the more women were watching. They were tuning in not just to cheer, but to believe. Her run made poker feel more accessible, more welcoming, more attainable for women everywhere.
And visibility does not just inspire, it invites investment. Sponsors, backers, and tournament organizers are more likely to support female players when they see their potential realized on the biggest stages. Leo’s success has the power to ripple across the entire industry.
From Tokyo to the world: A global shift is happening
Here in Japan, where I write this, we are already seeing that shift take shape in real time. One of our brightest lights, Shiina Okamoto (below), has electrified the poker world with three consecutive final table appearances in the WSOP Ladies Event — including back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025.
Shiina’s historic run has helped bring new focus to women in poker, particularly across Asia. She is a testament to what is possible when women are seen, supported, and celebrated.
Shiina, Leo, and Barbara — each from different parts of the world, each with their own playing style and path — form a kind of sisterhood. Their achievements are not isolated victories. They are connected by a growing movement to redefine the face of poker.
And make no mistake: that face is increasingly female.
Beyond symbolism: Strategic support for women
At PLON, our mission is to ensure that female poker players are not just welcomed, they are equipped. We offer freeroll entries, free lessons from iconic top pros, regional networking communities, mentorship opportunities, and most importantly, real backing.
My PLON Founders Fund and our PLONpower Investment Group were created specifically to provide strategic, crowdsourced bankrolls for women to play major events like the WSOP. We believe in removing financial barriers so that talent — not gender — can be the deciding factor at the table.
Supporting players like Leo is not just symbolic, it is tactical. It is how we break cycles of exclusion. It is how we shift poker culture toward true inclusion.
What this final table really represents
Leo’s seat at the final table was not just about her shot at a bracelet or the historic prize money. It is about a sea of change. It is a long-overdue challenge to the status quo. It is a moment that shouts, 'We are here — and we are not going anywhere.'
In poker, progress does not happen in sweeping gestures. It happens hand by hand, decision by decision, appearance by appearance. But once in a while, a breakthrough like this reminds us how far we have come — and how much more is possible.
The future of poker is bold, brilliant, female
Together — with Leo at the final table, Shiina rewriting records in Japan, and Barbara as our enduring icon — we are building a new narrative for women in poker.
One of talent, visibility, backing, and belief.
PLON exists to carry that narrative forward. And as we watched Leo take her seat among the final nine, we did not just see a single player, we see the future.
And it looks bold. Brilliant. And undeniably female.
Additional image courtesy of Lena Evans.
