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Aubrey Williams didn’t enter the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ladies Championship to make a political statement, she entered because she says she belongs there.
Williams, a transgender woman, entered today’s Day 4 tied with the chip lead. And while her table mates greeted her with friendly smiles and open arms, her deep run created a stir in some anti-transgender social media circles.
But Williams was unfazed, telling PokerNews on break that she doesn’t monitor social media and that no one that she’s played with has had an issue with her. And when asked why she played in the Ladies Championship, her answer was simple.
“I’m a woman, so I play in the women’s event,” Williams told PokerNews. “It’s not like making a statement or anything. I’m just playing a tournament.”
“The Internet’s Not a Real Place”
Williams is a longtime online poker pro with $369,125 in live Hendon Mob earnings. Her poker journey dates back to playing in middle school during the the Poker Boom, and she later got back into poker in college in Philadelphia by playing with her roommates.
“I started playing in middle school watching Moneymaker or whatever,” she said.
Williams, who was profiled by poker journalist Paul Oresteen in 2024 and spoke candidly about the process of transitioning, began playing online poker full-time around 2019, eventually winning two WSOP Circuit rings in online events.
In 2022, she won a $40,000 guaranteed No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack event for $6,604. In February 2023, she defeated none other than high-stakes crusher Brock Wilson in the WSOP PA Circuit Main Event for $19,219, noting that besting such an accomplished opponent made the online ring victory feel “more real.”
Williams’ biggest poker moment came earlier this year when she took down the Borgata Winter Poker Open $1,000 Hybrid Championship for $52,540. And then the trolls started coming.
After her Borgata victory, Williams said there were a slew of hateful and transphobic comments on social media. But she says the internet trolls do not reflect how other players treat her at the table.
“It’s like the same thing (when) BetMGM posted some clip of me a couple months ago,” Williams said. “And then I go to the Borgata the next week and everyone’s super nice to me. I don’t know. The internet’s not a real place.”
A Seat at the Table
Williams’ deep run in the WSOP Ladies Championship has been a similar experience. Amid a barrage of hateful comments on the internet, Williams said her table mates have been pleasant and welcoming.
In fact, it’s other women who convinced Williams to play in ladies events in the first place, noting that she and another trans player “never played women’s events, like we were against them for so long.”
“And so many women are like ‘You need to play. You need to play.’ And I played one, and it was just like so fun that I kept playing. They’re actually fun to play.”
But it wasn’t all hate online. Several poker players came to Williams’ defense on social media, including streamer Patrick Leonard and Global Poker Award winner Caitlin Comeskey.
“No one has a problem with her being here and if you use her for rage bait to help your pathetic online platform,” wrote Comeskey.
BetRivers Poker streamer Keith Becker also came to the defense of Williams, writing that “trans women are women” and that “hateful voices do NOT speak for everyone in poker.”
There are just 25 players left in the Ladies Championship, including Lexy Gavin-Mather and bracelet winners Jessica Teusl and Cherish Andrews.
Williams is also still in, and she has no time for hate as she competes for her first bracelet.
Senior Editor U.S.