Maria Ho

Maria Ho is a Hall of Fame Professional Poker Player and TV Host/Commentator, born in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in the U.S. With over 3.2 million dollars in live poker tournament earnings she is one of the most recognized and successful women in the game, and was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2018, the first year she was nominated and eligible. In 2011 she broke records when she went heads-up for a WSOP bracelet in the $5,000 No-Limit Event, finishing 2nd for a payday of $540,020 payday - which was the single largest cash a woman had ever had at the World Series of Poker (2012). Other notable accolades and accomplishments include winning the 2019 Global Poker Award for 'Broadcaster of the Year', being a 3-time nominee for Favorite Female Player by the Bluff Reader's Choice Awards, competing as the only all-female team on the Emmy-winning 15th season of [linl=tt0285335], and she is the only player to be a WSOP(E) Main Event Last Woman Standing four times over (2007, 2011, 2014, 2017). Maria attended the University of California, San Diego for college, with a major in Communications and a minor in Law. She pursued her passion for music and performing as a member of UCSD's A capella group the D.O.T.s. She also performed in several of the school's musicals, including The Marriage of Figaro and Anything Goes. During college Maria was introduced to playing poker and by the time she graduated in 2005, she had gone from playing low limits at local Indian Casinos to playing high stakes cash games, growing her poker bankroll to the point that she could embark on a career as a professional poker player. Beyond the poker tables Maria shares her knowledge of the game as a poker coach, host and commentator. In 2013, she was the the first woman in history hired to a poker television series as the primary strategic commentator. She remained with the Heartland Poker Tour (2005) for two seasons before moving on to co-host and commentate on a variety of poker programs, including CBS Sports' The Final Table (2016), NBC Sports' Super High Roller Bowl, Amazon eSports' Mobile Masters, and most recently she has spent consecutive years providing commentary and analysis on the World Series of Poker Main Event break desk coverage on ESPN. Maria has received invitations to compete in various types of games all over the world. In 2008, she traveled to Hong Kong to play in the World Mahjong Tour, going head to head with Chinese and Taiwanese celebrities and professional Mahjong players. She played as a member of Team China for two consecutive years at the World Team Poker Invitational, helping her team secure a 1st place victory in 2010. She had the honor of being named one of 12 Team Managers for the inaugural season of the Global Poker League in 2016; coaching her team (L.A. Sunset), which included Aaron Paul to the championship match. And in 2019, she was a celebrity guest on CNBC's Stock Draft and Deal or No Deal (2005).