Biography
Kyna England is an American poker player with over $800,000 in career earnings who was named the 2021 Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Player of the Year.
England, originally from Illinois, enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 after leaving her job in the insurance industry to pursue a professional poker career.
England finished third in the MSPT Riverside Main Event for $73,782 and later finished third in the WPT Venetian Main Event for $448,755. She followed that up later that year with victory in the MSPT Canterbury Park Main Event for $186,709.
The Minnesota victory helped her secure the MSPT Season 12 Player of the Year, making her the first female player to earn the POY distinction.
"It was a great year," England told PokerNews in an interview. "It was my first full year playing poker, traveling around a little bit playing poker. I was fortunate enough early on in the year to get a big score."
In September 2022, England landed a partnership with GGPoker's ClubGG, becoming the first ambassador for the app that lets members win seats into live events around the world.
Here's England's advice for anyone who wants to leave their full-time job to play poker professionally: "I think you just really have to love it. You have to love what you do, you have to get out there and have fun with it every day. There are days where I'm just like, 'what am I doing?' You lose enough and you have to just get used to losing."
Kyna England's Top 5 Live Cashes
DATE | EVENT | PLACE | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
July 2021 | WPT Ventian $5,000 Main Event | 3rd | $448,755 | |
December 2021 | MSPT WPC $1,110 Main Event | 1st | $186,709 | |
March 2021 | MSPT Riverside $1,100 Main Event | 3rd | $73,782 | |
August 2022 | WSOPC Cherokee $400 NLH Double Stack | 3rd | $12,694 | |
April 2022 | Wynn Signature Series $400 NLH | 3rd | $10,070 |
Related: Five American Poker Players to Watch in 2022