Kristen Foxen

Kristen Foxen (née Bicknell) was born on December 29, 1986, in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. She grew up drawing inspiration from poker legend Jennifer Harman, admiring her composure and the respect she commanded at the table. Watching Poker After Dark in its early days, Foxen was motivated by Harman's strong female presence in high-stakes poker, feeling that she could achieve the same success.

Foxen began playing poker during her freshman year of college. In 2006, she started playing online under the aliases "krissyb24" on PokerStars and "krissy24" on Full Tilt Poker. She achieved Supernova Elite status on PokerStars in 2011, 2012, and 2013, a milestone that required playing approximately 2.5 million hands per year. She primarily focused on cash games at $1/$2 to $2/$4 stakes, often playing up to 24 tables simultaneously. Her intense work ethic earned her the self-described title of the "Ultimate Grinder".

Foxen's first live WSOP bracelet came in 2013 when she won the $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship, earning $173,922. In 2016, she captured her second bracelet in the $1,500 Bounty No-Limit Hold'em event for $290,768. She won her third bracelet during the 2020 WSOP Online series, taking down Event #44: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed for $356,412. In 2023, she became the first female player to win a fourth WSOP bracelet by claiming victory in the $888 No-Limit Hold'em Crazy 8's online event for $92,142. In October 2024, she won Event #19: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Max on WSOP Online under the screen name "Saraswati", earning $56,703 and her fifth bracelet—making her the first woman to reach five WSOP titles.

In June 2026, Foxen extended her own record by winning Event #19: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller at the 2026 WSOP. She defeated Galen Hall heads-up out of 345 entries for $1,773,083, the largest live cash of her career and her sixth bracelet. With six bracelets, Foxen holds twice as many World Series of Poker titles as any other woman; Vanessa Selbst, Barbara Enright, and Nani Dollison are tied for second with three each.

In 2021, Foxen was one of the more prominent players who protested the WSOP's decision to require players to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In 2024, she made a deep run in the WSOP Main Event, ultimately finishing 13th for $600,000. She described the experience to PokerNews: "It was all very surreal. The Main Event is such a unique, grueling experience, and playing on stream for so many days, I was very tired. You're just running on adrenaline, and after you bust it feels like a type of death almost."

Outside the WSOP, Foxen has amassed an impressive record. In 2018, she finished one-two with her future husband Alex Foxen in the MSPT Venetian $5,000 event. She is a former Poker Masters champion. Foxen won the $10,100 buy-in PokerGO Tour (PGT) Kickoff Series finale in 2024 for $165,000 and repeated the feat in 2025 for $197,625. In February 2025, she took down a $15,000 PGT event for $348,300, followed by a $5,000 US Poker Open victory in April for $158,025. In September 2025, she scored a career-best cash of $1.1 million from a third-place finish in the $125,000 Triton 7-Handed at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Jeju. Other notable scores include 4th in the $100K Triton Jeju Main Event in March 2026 for $1,449,000, 2nd in the $50K Triton Montenegro in May 2026 for $1,039,000, and 2nd in the $50K Triton Montenegro for $1,039,000.

Foxen has also achieved success on the World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour, with multiple final tables and money finishes. As of June 2026, her tracked live tournament earnings exceed $18.9 million, placing her first on the women's all-time money list ahead of Vanessa Selbst, Kathy Liebert, and Liv Boeree.

Foxen employs a tight-aggressive style but adapts based on opponents. Her online background gives her strong mathematical skills and hand-reading ability, making her precise in post-flop decisions. She focuses on range construction and frequency balance to avoid being exploited. In tournaments, Foxen demonstrates patience and emotional control, rarely deviating from her plan despite variance. She excels at using position in deep-stacked phases and applies pressure at key moments. Her style is often described as "solid yet aggressive," particularly effective in final table situations. She has emphasized that poker is a mental sport and that cognitive capabilities can decline with age, making continuous study essential.

Foxen married fellow professional poker player Alex Foxen in 2018. The couple frequently support each other at tournaments and are a well-known power couple in the poker community. Kristen has credited Alex with helping her improve her game. She is an advocate for gender equality in poker, frequently speaking about increasing female participation. In 2024, she was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHOF) alongside Jeanne David. Foxen is also a five-time Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year, winning the award in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2025. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Foxen's legacy is defined by her record-breaking WSOP bracelet count and her consistent excellence in both online and live poker. She has inspired a new generation of female players and remains a formidable competitor on the global stage.