Linda Johnson

Born October 14th, 1953, Linda Johnson used to visit Las Vegas regularly to play blackjack while working for the United States Postal Service. She always loved to play cards but it wasn't until her father convinced her that poker was the best game at the casino that she truly took an interest in it. She began playing poker with her friends on weekends and honed her skills until she felt that she could compete on a more grand scale.

Johnson began competing in live tournament events in the mid seventies and in 1980 she had her first major cash at the WSOP in the Ladies Seven-Card Stud event. She promptly quit her day job and soon became a regular fixture on the live tournament circuits. Over the years she cashed regularly in live tournament events and in 1997 she earned her first WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event.

Though Johnson has proven her worth at the tables she is best known for her contributions to poker off of the felt. In 1992 she and a group of players purchased CardPlayer magazine and in her eight years as publisher she led the magazine to prominence and played an instrumental role in efforts to improve the atmosphere in cardrooms and casinos, acting as a spokesperson for “zero tolerance” for player harassment and abuse at the tables. In 2000 she sold the magazine but retained the rights to Card Player Cruises which she continues to use to host poker events around the world.

In 2001, Johnson, Matt Savage, David Lamb, and Jan Fisher establish the Poker Tournament Directors Association (TDA) to help draft standardized rules for poker tournaments around the world.

A generous humanitarian who is often affectionately referred to as 'The First Lady of Poker', Johnson also helped found PokerGives.org an organization that helps poker players give back by hosting charity poker tournaments for such mainstream charities as the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, the Special Olympics, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Step by Step.

In 2008, Johnson was honored for her contributions to the industry by becoming one of the first women to be inducted into the Women's Poker Hall of Fame.

As of this article being written, Johnson remains active in the poker community, keeping up with her various projects and serving as a Poker Relations Consultant for the World Poker Tour. She is well respected in the poker community and she shows no sign of slowing down.