Grande Dame
of Poker
She sidled up to a high-stakes game at the Mayfair Club as a lark — and took down a monster pot amid gasps from pros who had sized her up as a minnow in shark-infested waters.
A year later, Wendeen was the first woman in poker history to cash in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker and the first woman to do so twice. Awarded a WSOP commemorative chip in her honor, Wendeen has cashed at the WSOP seven times. In 2007, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack conferred the title that stuck and the WSOP honored her again on the occasion of the 30th anniversarry of her first historic performance in world -class poker tournament competition.
WSOP Keynote Speech
"The Ultimate Poker Goddess."
Van Vleet & Norris, Playing with the Big Boys (2002)
She earned a side bet at that first WSOP cash against famed oddsmaker Terry Rogers, who had confidently predicted she was a surefire bet to bomb in the 1986 WSOP Main Event. Instead she produced shock and awe in the stands when she took down a piece of the purse. Four years later she was the first woman, ever to win a no-limit world championship event across the pond, in the European Open in 1990. Wendeen has also set record-breaking performances for a woman, in world-class poker competition at the USPC and WPT and was the only player both sponsored by management and elected by the Player Committee to the Inaugural Professional Poker Tour .
Dubbed "The Ultimate Poker Goddess in the Van Vleet and Norris book, "Playing with the Big Boys," it is the "Poker Grande Dame" moniker adopted by the Commissioner of Poker, in a writing from the "Commissioner's Corner" in 2007, that has followed Wendeen ever since — and it was well-founded based on her distinguished record as player, commentator, industry activist, investigative journalist, and WSOP speaker.
WHE / Ty Stewart / Jack Effel — WSOP
The lady is a player.
She is also a chair!
Wendeen served on the WSOP Players Advisory Council and chaired the International Players Advisory Council, appointed to the position by the Commissioner off the WSOP in 2006. She was later elected Chairman of the Executive Committee of the World Poker Association, and then as the WPA Chair — until offered a post to vet lawyers for potential assignments during the 2008 U.S. presidential elections.
In a partnership with the WSOP, Wendeen created the groundbreaking World Poker Association / WSOP opening event in 2008. She has been a passionate advocate for professionalism and sportsmanship in poker competition and a popular guest speaker at WSOP special events. On more than one occasion, Wendeen has been tapped to do the honors of the official "Shuffle Up and Deal" command at WSOP championship events.
Power Poker Player
From the Grand Prix of Poker Invitational in 1987 to the inaugural Professional Poker Tour — the only player both sponsored by management and elected by peers.
WSOP Main Event Cash
First woman in poker history
Grand Prix of Poker Invitational 5th place
Hall of Fame Final Table
6th place
European Open-Isle of Man
1st place
WSOP Main Event Cash
Second cash — a first for any woman
High Stakes Pro Hamilton Golf Invitational
1st place
WPT Inaugural Grand Championship
Last woman standing
WPT Bellagio 5 Diamond
Cash
WPT
Last Woman Standing
WPT Professional Poker Tour
Elected & sponsored
US Poker Championship
Cash
WSOP
5 additional No Limit Hold'em cashes
The room cleared the air.
The New Jersey Star Ledger credited Wendeen as having been a significant force in persuading the Trump Taj Mahal poker room in Atlantic City to become the first major card room to go non-smoking. She then joined a small team of leading poker players, who pressed successfully for smoking bans in card rooms around the country, notably including the WSOP — and then across the pond.
As Chairman of the WSOP International Players Advisory Council, and later as CEO of the player-driven World Poker Association, a working journalist and speaker in the poker industry, Wendeen has been a vocal proponent of abuse-free conduct in poker competition.
Today, her poker exploits are principally at the Main Event of the WSOP and otherwise generally confined to charitable events — winnings donated to medical research and educational opportunities for children.
A working list of firsts.
- First female poker player to commentate for the WSOP (ESPN, 1987)
- Director/anchor, first live poker tournament podcast (USPC, 1999)
- Co-anchor of filmed TOC, pilot for the WPT (2001)
- Last woman standing in the WPT Inaugural Championship (2003)
- Celebrity Player, WPT Ladies Night II — Travel Channel (2004)
- Internet broadcast, last WSOP event at Binion's Horseshoe (2005)
- Poker Royale Invitational GSN TV — points leader (2005)
- Poker Night in America, CBS Sports Network (2015, 2016, 2017)
Featured on the record.
From televised WSOP coverage (1986–2016) through the WPT Championship, Poker Royale, and Poker Night in America — a poker celebrity and accomplished player for 40 years and a respected voice in the poker world on multiple fronts.
- ESPNWSOP Commentator
- Court TVCommentator, 2-hour production
- A&E BiographyClose-Up — profiled by Harry Smith
- GQ MagazineProfiled by Elizabeth Gilbert
- New York TimesBusiness & Metropolitan profiles
- LV Review JournalHeadline story (1986)
- ABC NewsBusiness feature
- CBS SportsPoker Night in America (2015–2017)
- Travel ChannelWPT Ladies Night II
- Poker Royale, GSNMasters vs Youngbloods — series runner-up
- Elle MagazineQueens of Heart Team, WSOP
WHE / CBS Sports — PNIA Televised Table
Pioneer in trade-press investigation.
Wendeen's first investigative piece for a poker trade publication appeared in Poker Digest in 2000. It chronicled the closure of the biggest underground poker rooms in NYC. Since then she has published more than one hundred articles — profiles, business pieces, and penetrating investigations — for most of the major casino and cardroom publications. Wendeen's articles have generally appeared as cover stories and leading features in premiere law, business, and gaming publications.