LINDA
JOHNSON
Linda Johnson, nicknamed
the First Lady of Poker, has been a leading
force in the poker world for much of her life.
She began playing poker in the 70s after buying
some poker books and teaching herself to play.
Linda was immediately enthralled with poker and
had a special ability for the game. She entered
the World Series of Poker Ladies seven-card stud
tournament in 1980, deciding in advance that if
she performed well, she would quit her
high-level job at the Post Office and move to
Las Vegas to become a professional poker player.
As fate would have it, Linda finished fifth in
the tournament and promptly gave her two-week
notice. She moved to Las Vegas and played poker
full time from 1980-1993, one of just a handful
of women who played the game professionally
during those years.
In 1993, Linda purchased Card Player magazine.
Over the next eight years, the magazine grew
from a 68-page, black and white newsprint
publication into a 132-page, full-color, glossy
magazine. As publisher, Linda became a poker
ambassador, traveling to more than 200 cardrooms.
She has co-written two poker books and was
instrumental in helping to establish many
influential poker projects including the World
Poker Industry Conference, the World Poker
Players Conference, and the Tournament Directors
Association. Her involvement in promoting poker
led to being selected to the Board of Directors
for the Poker Players Alliance, the Ladies
International Poker Series (LIPS), and the
Ladies Poker Association (LPA). She is a partner
in Card Player Cruises and has hosted more than
75 poker cruises to destinations around the
world.
Although she has won many poker tournaments and
has five final-table finishes at the World
Series of Poker, Linda’s top poker goal was
achieved when she won a gold bracelet in the
razz event at the World Series of Poker in 1997.
She was the 2005 California State Ladies Poker
Champion and the 2006 Orleans Open Woman’s Poker
Champion. She was chosen to be a player on the
Professional Poker Tour and to be a member of
the Queen of Hearts World Series Ladies Team.
She was featured on the television show Poker
Royale and was the studio announcer for the
World Poker Tour in its first six seasons. Linda
enjoys teaching WPT Boot Camp and has hosted
poker seminars and tournaments at many cardrooms
around the country. One of poker’s highest
honors was bestowed on Linda when she
was selected to receive the Brian Saltus Award,
an award given for representing class, dignity,
and courage at the poker table. She has been
featured in USA Today and many national
magazines. Linda was a charter inductee into the
Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2008. When it
comes to respect, Linda is at the top of the
poker world!
Jan Fisher
- BIO | Mike Sexton -
BIO | Lisa Tenner -
BIO
