Maria Ho: Biography, Career and Poker Results

October 7, 2026

Table of Contents

Maria Ho is an American professional poker player and broadcaster, born in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1983. She first drew wide attention as the last woman standing in the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, and she is the only woman to hold that title four times across the WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Events. She was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2018, won the Global Poker Award for Broadcaster of the Year in 2019 and joined the WSOP broadcast team in 2026. ^[1][3][4]

Maria Ho, at the American Poker Awards in February 2015 — “Maria Ho 2015” by Dutch Boyd, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Maria Ho: key facts

Full name	Maria Ho
Country	United States ^[1]
Born	March 6, 1983, Taipei, Taiwan ^[1][12]
Education	University of California, San Diego, Communications and Law, 2005 ^[13]
Known for	Four times WSOP Main Event “Last Woman Standing”; poker commentary ^[3]
Women in Poker Hall of Fame	Inducted 2018 ^[4]
WSOP bracelets	0 ^[1][2]
Best WSOP result	2nd, 2011 $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em, $540,020 ^[5]
Awards	Global Poker Award, Broadcaster of the Year, 2019 ^[10]
Live tournament earnings	$5,543,363 as of October 5, 2026 ^[1]

Early life: from Taipei to San Diego

Ho was born in Taipei and moved to the United States with her parents at the age of four. ^[13] She grew up in Arcadia, California. ^[12] She studied at the University of California, San Diego, graduating in 2005 with a major in Communications and a minor in Law. ^[13]

Beginning in poker

Ho learned poker in college, first in home games with friends and then in limit cash games at nearby Indian casinos. After graduating in 2005 she moved up to high-stakes cash games and later to the major tournaments. ^[1] She told Cigar Aficionado that she began playing during a break between college and a possible graduate degree, and chose to stay at the tables. ^[6]

Her breakout came at the 2007 WSOP Main Event, where she finished 38th of 6,358 players for $237,865 and was the last woman left in the field. ^[1][13]

Playing style

The WSOP describes Ho as a “cash game crusher” who also holds over $5 million in live tournament earnings. ^[3] Most of her largest scores came in No-Limit Hold’em, but she also plays mixed games: in 2024 she finished sixth of 181 entries in the WSOP $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $69,063. ^[2] Her own advice for the Main Event is patience: “Let the game come to you. Let the other players make the mistakes.” ^[9] At the 2017 WSOP Europe Main Event she described one of her decisions this way: “I made a decision that I thought was the right decision even though it might not have been G-T-O.” ^[14]

Greatest achievements

Tournament results

Year	Event	Result	Prize	Source
2011	WSOP Event #4, $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em (865 entries)	2nd	$540,020	[5]
2023	Game of Gold, season 1 (GGPoker)	1st	$456,000	[11]
2019	WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, $3,500	3rd	$344,960	[1]
2019	WPT Los Angeles Poker Classic $25,000 High Roller (28 entries)	1st	$276,690	[9]
2007	WSOP Main Event (6,358 players)	38th	$237,865	[13]
2017	WSOP Europe Main Event, Rozvadov (529 entries)	6th	€174,365	[7]
2014	WSOP Main Event (6,683 entrants)	77th	$85,812	[6]
2018	WPT DeepStacks Johannesburg Main Event (387 entries)	1st	$69,166	[8]

Her runner-up finish at the 2011 WSOP is still the largest cash of her career. She reached heads-up against Allen Bari, who won the bracelet and $874,116 from a prize pool of $4,065,500. ^[1][5] At the 2017 WSOP Europe Main Event she led the chip counts with six players left, then went out in sixth place in a three-way all-in, holding ace-jack against pocket aces and pocket kings. ^[7][14]

In October 2018 she won the WPT DeepStacks Johannesburg Main Event, a $1,000 buy-in, for ZAR 1,000,000, the third live tournament title of her career. ^[8] In March 2019 she won the $25,000 High Roller at the WPT Los Angeles Poker Classic, with a final table that ended past midnight on her birthday. ^[9]

World Series of Poker

Ho has not won a WSOP bracelet. PokerNews counts nine top-10 finishes in WSOP events. ^[1] Her best Main Event results are the 2007 run to 38th place and a 77th place finish in 2014, when she was again the last woman standing. ^[6] According to the WSOP, she is the only woman to have been Last Woman Standing four times, twice in the WSOP Main Event and twice in the WSOP Europe Main Event. ^[3]

Women in Poker Hall of Fame, 2018

Ho was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018, in her first year of eligibility, together with the Hall’s founder Lupe Soto. ^[4]

Game of Gold and the Celebrity Poker Tour

Ho won the first season of Game of Gold, GGPoker’s Survivor-style poker show, taking the $456,000 first prize after beating Daniel Cates heads-up in the final episode. ^[11] The field included Daniel Negreanu, Josh Arieh and David Williams. ^[3] In 2024 she won two stops on the Celebrity Poker Tour, including the 2024 Celebrity Poker Tour Championship. ^[1]

Broadcasting and TV appearances

According to her official biography, Ho became the first woman hired as the main strategic commentator on a poker television series when she joined the Heartland Poker Tour in 2013. ^[13] She has since worked for PokerGO on the High Roller Triple Crown, the US Poker Open, the Super High Roller Bowl and the World Series of Poker, and is a regular broadcaster on CBS Sports and ESPN. In 2026 she officially joined the WSOP broadcast team. ^[1][3] At the inaugural Global Poker Awards in April 2019 she was named Broadcaster of the Year, ahead of fellow nominees Lon McEachern, Nick Schulman and Lex Veldhuis. ^[10]

Outside poker, she competed on season 15 of The Amazing Race with fellow poker player Tiffany Michelle, and she has also appeared on American Idol and Deal or No Deal. ^[1][3]

In her own words

“We only account for 3 percent of the players, and men think we’re unwilling to bluff. Women are grossly underestimated.” Cigar Aficionado, 2014. ^[6]
“I felt like I was up against so many incredible women that I was just happy to be part of the group of nominees!” On her Women in Poker Hall of Fame induction, 2018. ^[4]
“I have played a lot of WPTs, so it’s nice to come here and take one down. It feels good to win. To be the final person standing in a tournament is what we do this for.” After winning in Johannesburg, October 2018. ^[8]
“You have to be honest with yourself and keep learning, because you realize that is what you have to do to keep up.” 2019. ^[9]

Iconic hands and moments

The Game of Gold final (GGPoker)

Maria Ho vs. Phil Hellmuth (PokerGO)

FAQ about Maria Ho

How old is Maria Ho?

Maria Ho was born on March 6, 1983, so she is 43 as of October 5, 2026. ^[12]

What nationality is Maria Ho?

She is American. She was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and moved to the United States with her parents at the age of four. ^[1][13]

What is Maria Ho’s net worth?

There is no reliable public figure for her net worth. What can be verified is her live tournament record: $5,543,363 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews. Cash game results and broadcasting income are not published. ^[1]

Has Maria Ho won a WSOP bracelet?

No. Her closest finish was second place in the 2011 WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event, worth $540,020. ^[2][5]

What is Maria Ho’s best WSOP Main Event finish?

38th place in 2007, for $237,865, when she was the last woman remaining in the field. ^[13]

Is Maria Ho in the Poker Hall of Fame?

She is a member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, inducted in 2018. ^[4]

Was Maria Ho on The Amazing Race?

Yes. She competed on season 15 of The Amazing Race with fellow poker player Tiffany Michelle. ^[1]

Did Maria Ho win Game of Gold?

Yes. She won the first season of GGPoker’s Game of Gold in 2023 and the $456,000 first prize, beating Daniel Cates heads-up. ^[11]

Related Poker Legends

Read more about Daniel Negreanu, one of her opponents on Game of Gold, and about two other leading women in the game, Vanessa Selbst and Jennifer Harman.