Kristen Bicknell
Kristen Foxen (born December 29, 1986) is a Canadian professional poker player.
| Kristen Bicknell | |
|---|---|
 Bicknell in 2020 | |
| Born | December 29, 1986 St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 3 |
| Money finish(es) | 33[1] |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | 492nd, 2018 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 5[2] |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | 2 |
| Money finish(es) | 4 |
Early life
Bicknell was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. She drew inspiration from professional poker player, Jennifer Harman, and regularly watched her on Poker After Dark.[3]
Poker career
Bicknell began playing poker in her freshman year at college. She began playing online in 2006 under the alias krissyb24 (PokerStars) and krissy24 (Full Tilt Poker).
Bicknell hit Supernova Elite on PokerStars in 2011, 2012 and 2013. This required her to play approximately 2.5 million hands per year. She focused her online games at the $1/$2 to $2/$4 stakes. Bicknell calls herself the "Ultimate Grinder" for the volume of hands she plays online.[4] In 2013, she won the $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship at the 2013 World Series of Poker, earning $173,922.[5]
In 2016, Bicknell won the $1,500 No-Limit hold'em bounty event and earned $290,768.[6] That same year, she signed with partypoker.[7] In August 2021 Bicknell and partypoker parted ways; no reason was given.[8] Also in August 2021, Bicknell said she was going to boycott the WSOP, due to her anti-COVID-19 vaccine stance; other Twitter users pointed out you cannot boycott something where you do not meet the requirements[9]
Bicknell was the highest ranked live tournament female poker player in 2017 with a total GPI points of 2,627.75. She ranked above Maria Lampropulos and Maria Ho. Bicknell's largest win of 2017 came in December's WPT Five Diamond Series at Bellagio. She triumphed with a first-place trophy in a $5,200 No-Limit Hold'Em event, outlasting a field of 147 for $199,840.[10]
In January 2018, Bicknell appeared on Poker After Dark for a ladies only cash game titled "Femme Fatale" week. She went on to events in Australia and Uruguay, while winning the APPT National High Roller in Macau during March for $2,192,000 HKD (US$279,549). At the final table, she defeated David Peters heads up to top a field of 117, who all entered for $80,000 HKD each.[11]
Bicknell continued success in 2019 with eight six-figure cashes for the year. The final of these came in November for $408,000 as part of the Poker Masters series with a first place win after going heads up with Chance Kornuth. Her efforts contributed to finishing 2019 with a third straight GPI Ladies title (3175.37 points).
With the COVID-19 pandemic causing live poker tournaments to cease in most of 2020, Bicknell participated in several online poker series through the year. She cashed nine times in the online Super High Roller Bowl series, including a $236,000 score with third place in a $25,500 buy-in event.
Bicknell went on to win her third World Series of Poker bracelet as part of its 2020 online series with a $356,412 victory in the $2500 No Limit Hold'Em 6-Handed event.
As of March 2021, Bicknell's total live tournament winnings exceeded $5,188,000.[12]
World Series of Poker
| Year | Event | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship | $173,922 |
| 2016 | $1,500 Bounty No Limit Hold'em | $290,768 |
| 2020 O | $2,500 No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | $356,411 |
An "O" following a year denotes bracelet(s) won during the World Series of Poker Online
Personal life
Bicknell is married to fellow professional poker player Alex Foxen.[13]
References
- WSOP.com profile
- World Poker Tour profile
- Rinkerma, Remko (January 3, 2018). "Kristen Bicknell: Humble, Driven and Competitive". Poker Central. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Bicknell, Kristen (November 1, 2012). "Why They Call Me an 'Ultimate Grinder'". cardplayer.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Collson, Brett (August 15, 2013). "Interview: WSOP Bracelet Winner Kristen Bicknell Chases Supernova Elite at PokerStars". PokerNews. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Peters, Donnie (June 30, 2016). "Kristen Bicknell Proves She's Not a One-Hit Wonder, Wins 2016 WSOP Bounty Event". PokerNews. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- "Kristen Bicknell - Team partypoker". partypoker.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- "Kristen Bicknell, Partypoker Part Ways: 'It's Been a Great Four Years'". August 20, 2021.
- @krissyb24poker (August 27, 2021). "I am boycotting this utterly illogical tyranny. I'm tired of playing along with rules and mandates that don't mak…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Cross, Valerie (March 8, 2018). "Celebrate International Women's Day with Female POY Kristen Bicknell". PokerNews. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- O'Connor, Will (January 3, 2018). ""Poker After Dark" Opens 2018 with "Femme Fatale" Week". Poker Central. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- "Kristen Bicknell's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- SomuchpokerNews (March 13, 2019). "An interview with Alex Foxen - #1 GPI". Somuchpoker. Retrieved June 2, 2021.