Ebony Kenney: One of the Winningest Women In Poker

Poker has often been a male-dominated game, but more and more women are proving their prowess on the felt and showing the industry that they’re a force to be reckoned with. 

One of the women making her presence known in the poker scene is Ebony Kenney, who’s quickly become one of the winningest women in poker. Though she’s steadily climbed to success, her biggest career win at the Coin Rivet Invitational Poker Tournament in 2022 quickly launched her up the poker ranks. Beyond the tables, she also uses her poker skills and experiences to uplift communities and instil confidence in others, especially fellow women in poker. Here’s a closer look Ebony Kenney and her rise to poker stardom:

Starting her poker career

Before becoming a poker pro, Ebony went through various jobs, from modeling to acting. After learning to play poker in the early 2000s, she started her poker career in 2007, and she made her first earnings that same year at a live tournament in Las Vegas. She won her first live tournament in 2010, in a No Limit Hold’em event in Pompano Beach, earning nearly $10,000. The World Poker Tour (WPT) named her “One to Watch” during the tenth season from 2011 to 2012. She saw some success at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ladies Events and Ladies Championship from 2015 to 2017. Her career took off in 2017 at the Rio Deepstack event in Las Vegas, where she won $34,637 with a first-place victory. She gained a substantial following after livestreaming some of her poker games, and her impressive performance won fans over. 

Joining the ACR team

In 2020, Ebony took the next step in her career and joined Americas Cardroom Pro team, allowing her to continue her ascent into the poker world. Americas Cardroom was established in 2001 and has since become one of the top online poker sites in the United States. It has since partnered with a wide range of poker pros, including Chris Moneymaker, who revolutionized the scene after winning the WSOP Main Event in 2003 after qualifying through an online poker site. Other big poker names include Katie Lindsay, Chris Moorman, and Ana Marquez. Her partnership with ACR helped her gain more poker opportunities and put her name on the poker map with more tournament wins and successes. 

The 2022 Triton Super High Roller Series

Though Ebony had already seen much success in various poker tournaments and had quickly become a rising star, her performance at the 2022 Triton Super High Roller Series in Cyrpus cemented her status as a poker icon. She was the first woman to be invited to play as a professional in such an event. She placed fifth in the $200,000 buy-in Coin Rivet Invitational at the Triton Super High Roller Series in 2022. She won a whopping $1.7 million in the tournament, the largest win of her career and the fifth-largest cash win for a woman in poker history. It also bumped her up to 16th position in the Women’s All-Time Money List. Being one of the few women in the tournament and the only one at the final table made her win much more meaningful and impactful. At the same Triton series, she had another fifth-place win at the $25,000 buy-in event. 

Philanthropy 

Aside from tournaments, Ebony often uses her poker skills to contribute to meaningful causes and charities. She joins tournaments that raise funds for charities and relief efforts. In 2020, she won a charity fundraising poker tournament held by ACR. The event raised around $1.75 million for Feeding America, a hunger relief and food rescue organization. She topped various poker players and big Hollywood names, such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Bryan Cranston, Jon Hamm, and more. She was also involved in another ACR online charity tournament for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The event helped raise $20,000 for the United Breast Cancer Foundation (UBCF). She hosted the tournament alongside fellow ACR Pro Katie Lindsay and ACR Team Online member Svitlana’ Svetarik’ Dryha. She also advocates for women’s representation in poker, which has long been male-dominated. During the final round in the Coin Rivet tournament, she felt inspired to show the prowess of women in poker through her playing, showing others that achieving these milestones is possible. 

Beyond poker

Ebony has various career ventures beyond professional poker. She’s a confidence coach who guides people to find their own strength and voice through the power of living authentically, facing fears, and embracing one’s true self. She often found herself struggling with confidence, especially in the competitive and high-stakes landscape of poker. She aims to use her journey of perseverance, learning, and growth to help inspire and empower others to do the same in their own lives. She also hosts coaching sessions for other women in poker to provide valuable insights and practical tools to improve their poker skills. She harnesses her personal experiences and poker expertise to help women build confidence in poker and in daily life.

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