Shiina Okamoto continues to show why she’s one of poker’s leading players
Shiina Okamoto’s impressive run in women’s poker continued at the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona, where she captured yet another title in the €550 (US$645) ladies event. The Japanese architect-turned-poker pro defeated a field of 126 entries to claim the trophy and €15,510 (US$18,147), adding to what has already been a remarkable year on the circuit.
This was Okamoto’s second ladies event victory in 2025 and her third live title overall. Just weeks earlier, she won a high roller event at the Taiwan Millions series, following a summer that firmly established her as one of the most dominant players in women’s poker.
At the World Series of Poker (WSOP), she defended her title in the Ladies Championship, a rare back-to-back achievement in a record-breaking 1,368-player field. That performance earned her $184,094 and her second WSOP bracelet, pushing her career tournament earnings beyond $905,000.
Okamoto’s consistency is particularly striking considering her relatively recent emergence on the live poker stage. Her first major result came in 2023 when she finished runner-up in the WSOP Ladies event for $118,768. Since then, she has not only claimed two bracelets but also demonstrated her ability to win in open fields, broadening her reputation as more than just a specialist in women-only events.
Her victory in Barcelona capped off an exciting week. Days before taking down the event, Okamoto was announced as a new ambassador for GTOWizard, a poker solver and training software company. She proudly displayed the brand’s patch in her winner’s photo alongside her first EPT spade trophy, sharing her enthusiasm for the milestone with fans online.
The Barcelona ladies event awarded a total prize pool of $73,710, with the top 17 players cashing. French player Marina Mendy finished runner-up, earning $11,349 after a hard-fought heads-up duel with Okamoto. The strong turnout and competitive finish at EPT Barcelona once again highlighted the continued strength and popularity of ladies poker events worldwide.
