This week at the World Series of Poker Europe, husband-and-wife poker pros Alex and Kristen Foxen had an intriguing showdown on the felt, clashing not once but twice during the €25,000 no-limit hold’em high roller event.
On day 2 of the tournament, Alex eliminated Kristen, sending her to the re-entry line. As the tournament progressed toward the final table, fate intervened once more, and Alex busted his wife a second time.
The first elimination was a matter of bad luck. With blinds at 10,000-20,000 and a 20,000 big blind ante, Martin Kabrhel opened from the hijack to 50,000. Alex, seated to his left, re-raised to 150,000. Kristen, holding pocket eights (8♥ 8♦), went all-in from the small blind for her remaining 500,000. Alex, with about 1.2 million chips, called with pocket queens (Q♠ Q♥) after Kabrhel folded. The board ran out Q♣ J♠ 7♦ 5♣ 10♥, giving Alex a set and sending Kristen out. However, she quickly re-entered and hung around until Alex eliminated her again later on.
With only two tables left and blinds increased to 20,000-40,000, Alex shoved from the small blind with 9♣ 8♠, putting Kristen all-in once more. Down to just 365,000, she called with A♦ 3♠. The flop came 10♥ 9♦ 3♥, giving Alex a pair of nines. The board finished with the 5♠ and K♣, sealing Kristen’s fate and eliminating her from the tournament for good.
Despite the second elimination, the chips Alex won from Kristen helped him build a chip lead that carried him to the final table. He ultimately faced Italy’s Alessandro Pichierri in a heads-up battle for the title. Despite holding a 4:1 chip advantage, Alex lost a crucial coinflip, allowing Pichierri to storm back and take home the €335,900 prize and his first WSOP bracelet. Alex finished as the runner-up, earning €223,900, which pushed his career tournament earnings to $33.8 million, ranking him 22nd on the all-time money list.
Alex, though a WSOP champion himself—having won the $250,000 buy-in super high roller in 2022 for $4.6 million—still trails Kristen in WSOP gold. Kristen has four bracelets to her name and achieved a career-best cash this summer, finishing 13th in the WSOP Main Event and taking home $600,000.
On The Felt History
In the early days of live poker tournaments, family members were often separated if seated at the same table. Today, the luck of the draw decides who sits where, and in small-field high roller events, it’s not unusual for the Foxens to face off.
The couple gained attention in 2018 when they both made it to the final three in a $5,000 MSPT event at the Venetian. At the time, they were dating and offered Australian poker pro Kahle Burns, the third player at the table, a deal to avoid the awkward situation of two partners outnumbering him. Burns, holding a chip lead, declined the offer but eventually finished third. Alex and Kristen chopped the remaining prize pool, with Alex officially claiming the title.
Their decision to offer a deal led to some criticism, with accusations of soft play. However, many pointed out that it’s common for poker players to swap percentages with each other, and the Foxens were transparent in their approach by offering a deal upfront.
In a recent Card Player Magazine interview, Kristen spoke about their life together, noting that poker remains a central focus. “Honestly, our life is mostly poker, food, gym, and hanging out at home, and we’re both really happy with that,” she said. “I don’t want to say we’re boring people, because I don’t think we are, but we’re just focused. Right now, we’re both locked in on poker.”
