In the mid 1980��s, women were considered no factor in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, and other than the famous rounder and professional gambler Thomas ��Amarillo Slim�� Preston, poker players rarely made headlines in the mainstream press. That all changed when Wendeen Eolis became the first woman to cash at poker��s ��Big Dance.��
In the 1986 WSOP Main Event, Eolis battled some of the best players in the world, including Amarillo Slim, in a field of 141 runners. She was on her way to a 25th-place finish for a $10,000, return on her buy-in, and permanent bragging rights as the first woman in history to cash in the WSOP Main Event.
Eolis attributes her 1986 WSOP performance to a year of poker tutoring from one of the best, a ��relatively�� conservative game plan, and cooperative cards. She told PokerNews, ��Even today, women can win more by bluffing less than men.��