Katja Thater
Recognized as Germany’s most famous female professional poker player, Katja Thater certainly has some titles to boast under her sleeve. Perhaps, it also adds that she is also married to another professional poker player, Jan Von Halle. In fact, it was her husband who was responsible for Katja’s dabbling in poker. While on a high-stakes limit poker game, she accidentally has to sit for her husband. Never having played in a tournament before, she quickly got the hang of the game and managed to make the right moves before her husband came back. That incident has launched Katja’s newfound love for the game turning her to a professional player in no time. Venturing out into various tournaments, she appeared in two World Series of Poker (WSOP) events – Wsop 7 card Stud and Wsop Pot Limit Hold’em – where she was able to take home a total of 5,947 US dollars cash wins.
In 2007 European Poker Tour Polish Open in Warsaw, she appeared in a final table in the No Limit Hold’em event securing herself the fifth spot and taking home a total prize money of 84,538 US dollars. Her biggest and notable win came in the 2007 WSOP. Playing in the $1,500 Razz Seven Card event, she scored her first bracelet and a sum of $132,653 prize money. In 2008, Thater was chosen to represent Germany in the Poker Nation’s Cup, an event closely equivalent to Olympic or World Cup in poker. Team Germany took home the second place after British Dave Ulliot defeated German Michael Keiner in the final heads up. She also appears in Women’s Poker Open although at first she said that she does not like playing in an all-female events only. But aftern PokerStars has put her in the event, she took the challenge and was looking forward on it. When Thater is not busy playing in tournaments, she breeds horses for competition and has recently signed in to be a member of PokerStars team.