Kristen Bicknell

Kristen Foxen (; born December 29, 1986) is a Canadian professional poker player. As of March 2025, her total live tournament earnings exceed $9.4 million.

In 2017, Foxen was the highest-ranked female poker player in live tournaments, accumulating 2,627.75 GPI points., ranking ahead of Maria Ho.

Early life

Foxen was born on December 29, 1986, in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Foxen grew up drawing inspiration from poker legend Jennifer Harman, admiring her composure and the respect she commanded at the poker table. Watching ''Poker After Dark'' in its early days, she was motivated by Harman’s strong female presence in high-stakes poker. Seeing a woman compete at that level made Foxen feel that she could achieve the same success in the game.

Poker career

Early career

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.

Foxen 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 online games at the $1/$2 to $2/$4 stakes. Due to the high volume of hands she played, she referred to herself as the "Ultimate Grinder."

World Series of Poker (WSOP)

In 2013, she won the $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship at the 2013 World Series of Poker, earning $173,922.

In 2016, Foxen won the $1,500 No-Limit hold'em bounty event and earned $290,768.

In 2021, Foxen was one of the more prominent players who protested the WSOP decision to require players to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

In 2020, Foxen won her third WSOP bracelet during the WSOP Online series, earning $356,412 in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed event. In 2023, she became the first female player to win a fourth WSOP bracelet by claiming victory in the WSOP Online $888 No-Limit Hold'em Crazy 8’s event.

In October 2024, Foxen won Event #19: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Max tournament on WSOP Online. Playing under the screen name "Saraswati," Foxen claimed the largest share of the $290,785 prize pool, earning $56,703 and a WSOP gold bracelet. This win marked Foxen’s fifth World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet. Foxen's five WSOP bracelets include two won at live events in Las Vegas (2013, 2016) and three won online (2020, 2023, and 2024).

An "O" following a year denotes bracelet(s) won during the World Series of Poker Online

PokerGO Tour (PGT)

In 2019, Kristen Foxen recorded eight six-figure cashes. Her final major victory of the year came in November at the Poker Masters series, where she earned $408,000 after defeating Chance Kornuth heads-up for first place. Her overall performance that year contributed to her winning her third consecutive GPI Ladies Player of the Year title, accumulating 3,175.37 points.

With the COVID-19 pandemic halting most live poker tournaments in 2020, Kristen Foxen competed in several online poker series throughout the year. She cashed nine times in the online Super High Roller Bowl series, including a third-place finish in a $25,500 buy-in event, earning $236,000.

In January 2024, Foxen won Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em at the PGT Kickoff Series, securing the $165,000 first-place prize after a competitive final table. She eliminated her husband, Alex Foxen, in fifth place and later gained a decisive chip lead after knocking out Samuel Laskowitz in third. In heads-up play against Daniel Negreanu, Foxen won key hands, including a crucial river call and an overbet that left Negreanu with just six big blinds. She clinched the victory when her jack-six prevailed against Negreanu’s king-nine. The win marked her second career PGT title and 12th career tournament victory.

In January 2025, Foxen successfully defended her title by winning Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold'em at the PGT Kickoff Series, earning $197,625 after a heads-up deal with Joao Simao. Throughout the tournament, Foxen maintained a dominant chip lead, briefly relinquishing it during heads-up play. In the final hand, she called Simao's all-in bluff with two pair to secure the victory. Foxen had also won the same event in the previous year's PGT Kickoff Series, making this a consecutive title defense.

In February 2025, Foxen won PokerGO Cup Event #7: $15,100 No-Limit Hold'em, earning $348,300 and moving into first place on the 2025 PokerGO Tour leaderboard. Entering the final table with the shortest stack, she overcame the deficit and ultimately defeated Patrick Leonard heads-up with a 4-1 chip advantage. This victory marked her second win of the year on the PokerGO Tour, following her $197,625 win in the $10,100 PokerGO Tour Kickoff Series finale in January. It was also her third cash in seven events during the PokerGO Cup.

World Poker Tour (WPT)

In December 2017, Foxen won WPT Five Diamond Series Event #13: $5,200 No-Limit Hold'em at the Bellagio. She outlasted a field of 147 players to claim the first-place trophy and a prize of $199,840.

Other Notable Tournaments

In March 2018, Foxen won the APPT National High Roller in Macau, earning HKD $2,192,000 (approximately USD $279,549). At the final table, she defeated David Peters heads-up to secure the title, topping a field of 117 players who each entered for HKD $80,000.

Poker After Dark

Foxen (formerly Bicknell) appeared in ''Poker After Dark's'' "Femme Fatale" week, playing high-stakes cash games on January 3 and 4, 2018. On the first day, she eliminated J.J. Liu in a queens-versus-aces hand but later lost a significant pot to Tracy Nguyen after Nguyen hit a nut flush. Foxen also faced a major preflop confrontation, ultimately folding to a five-bet from Nguyen. Despite some setbacks, she finished the session with over $100,000 in winnings, making her one of the top earners of the event.

Sponsorships

That same year, Foxen signed with partypoker as a sponsored pro. However, in August 2021, she and partypoker parted ways, with no official reason provided for the departure.

Personal life

Kristen Foxen (née Bicknell) married fellow professional poker player Alex Foxen in April 2022 in the Florida Keys. Shortly after, the couple opted to forgo a honeymoon and instead competed in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida. Foxen described the wedding as a small, intimate ceremony attended by close friends and family. The timing of their wedding coincided with the poker tournament, making for a seamless transition into their next competition.

References

External links

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Card Player profileHendon Mob profilePokerNews profileWPT profileWSOP profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foxen, Kristen
1986 births
Canadian poker players
World Series of Poker bracelet winners
Female poker players
Sportspeople from St. Catharines
Living people