Maria Ho's Biography

Maria Ho is mainly famous as a poker player and TV host. Thanks to her success, she entered the Top 5 of the best women players in the world.

Maria's Entrance to Poker

She got acquainted with poker in college. Eventually, these were games played just for fun. Later, Maria joined the cash games. After graduation, Ho began to play high roller games. This experience helped her accumulate a substantial bankroll and go pro.

For example, in 2007 at WSOP Main Event Ho took 38th place and earned $237 865. That result was the best one in the tournament among the women players. After she left the game, only the men remained in it. After it Maria Ho twice took an honorary title “WSOP Main Event Last Woman Standing".

In 2010 she finished 10th at WPT Championship Bellagio Cup VI and got $40 783.

2011 was a record year for Maria. In January, she took the 2nd place at Aussie Millions Poker Championship and got $69 200. In this month she played heads up at WSOP and fought for the bracelet, but she wasn’t able to take the 1st place.

Maria Ho admitted that at that time she thought about bracelet rather than about many because she was one step ahead of it. She knows that she played very good and Ho is proud of it, but being a purposeful player she desires more.

Despite of the second place the prize amount was the largest woman had ever won at WSOP.

Top Poker Achievements

Among the wins Maria has had since 2017, the following deserve special attention:

• 2017. Maria left the WSOPE Main Event in 6th position. Maria received $202,875 for this participation.
• 2019. The 1st place at the LAPC Commence brought her a substantial monetary reward of $276,690. The same year, she was 3rd at the WPT event with a prize of $344,960.
• 2023. For 2023, Maria collected 80 cashes in WSOP events, where she entered the finals 8 times. Additionally, she has 12 WPT cashes.
  
• 2024. Got the 6th position at the 55th WSOP event in Las Vegas. Maria’s cash prize was $69,063.
  

2025 was the first year that Maria skipped the WSOP tournament. Until this year, she has been competing there for more than 16 years in a row. Ho took a break from poker to focus on more important things, but promised to be back in one of her recent interviews.

Interesting Facts About Maria Ho

• Ho was born in traditional Chinese family in Taipei, Taiwan. At the age of 4, Ho’s family moved to USA and settled not far from Los-Angeles in Arcadia. Despite of moving to America Maria can speak Chinese fluently.
• Ho is talented and artistic person. She had roles in “Marriage of Figaro” and “Anything Goes” musicals in her school days.
• She studied at the University of California in San Diego with a specialization in "communication" and "law”.
• Maria was fascinated by the music and she was a member of group “A capella group UCSD Daughters of Triton.”
• Magazine “Bluff” picked Ho three times for “Readers Choice Awards” in the nomination “the best woman-player.”
• Maria holds the record as the last woman staying at the WSOP Main Event table. She got these titles three times in a row: in 2007, 2011, and 2014.
• Ho took part in the 15th season of a show “Amazing Race" on channel CBS that is awarded by “Emmy”. She also took part in a TV show “Anderson Cooper 360” and “American Idol.”
• In 2016 Maria became the manager and captain of a team “LA Sunset” in Global Poker League. The team entered playoff but lost in the semi-final to the future champions “Montreal Nationals.”

• She is known on the channels NBC Sports, CBS Sports as TV host and commentator "Super High Roller Bowl" and "The Final Table". Maria also commented “Heartland Poker Tour” on ESPN 360 and was a host of “Poker Night: The Tour”.
• Players of “WinStar World Casino” can see Maria in some of the instructional videos.
• Together with other women-players, Maria released a book, “Winning Women of Poker: Secret Strategies Revealed”.
• The Amazing Race 15 made Maria close to Tiffany Michelle, so they became best friends since then.
• Maria Ho dates the German professional high roller Rainer Kempe.
• Maria was invited to give a few motivational TEDx talks regarding decision-making.
  
• She is 202nd in the US rating of All-Time Money players, while her global position is 399th.
  

• In 2018 Maria Ho was inducted into Women's Poker Hall of Fame.

Maria Ho on Social Media:

• Maria Ho in X, former Twitter (@mariaho)
• Ho on Instagram (maria_ho)
• Maria Ho on Facebook (mariaho)
• Maria Ho’s website (mariaho.com)