Ruth “Ruthless” Hall Tops LIPS 20-Year Anniversary Celebration Leaderboard to be Crowned Player of the Year

In celebration of 20 Years of “Celebrating Women in Poker” with women’s poker tournaments around the country and beyond, LIPS hosted a Player of the Year program for 2024.

“At every LIPS tournament during our 20th Anniversary Tour, we tracked a POY Leaderboard. We are so proud to announce Ruth “Ruthless” Hall as our 2024 Player of the Year!” Said Founder Lupe Soto, Women in Poker Hall of Famer and owner of the Ladies International Poker Series – LIPS Tour.

“The support from the industry has been fantastic and we are thrilled to present Ruth with an amazing prize package for her win. Ruth has been a major supporter of LIPS throughout her poker career. You can often find her donning her red LIPS hat at the poker table and sharing information on where LIPS will be with other female players. Ruth holds two major titles with LIPS. She is a two-time Nevada State Ladies Poker Champion: 2022 & 2015 and a two-time LIPS National Grand Champion: 2019 & 2009. She is a big part of our LIPS Family!”

With more than 30 events in 2024, the LIPS POY Race was a tight one. The top five players were:
Ruth Hall Round Rock, TX 227.5 12 Points
Tammy Ehrhart Port Orange, FL 210.0 10 Points
Lisa Childers Las Vegas, NY 157.5 5 Points
Tonya Baltazar Las Vegas, NV 117.5 3 Points
Bonnie Weitzel Texarkana, TX 115.0 7 Points
To view the full list of points, please visit here.

The industry supported LIPS Player of the Year prize package includes:

20th Year Anniversary POY Custom Gold and Diamond Ring – SPONSORED BY Salt Lake City Diamonds of Salt Lake City, Utah
Entry to the 2025 WSOP Ladies Championship – SPONSORED BY the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
Entry to the 2025 WPT Ladies Championship – SPONSORED BY World Poker Tour (WPT)
Entry to the 2025 LIPS National Championship – SPONSORED BY LIPS
Custom LIPS 20th Year Anniversary commemorative jacket – SPONSORED BY Women’s Poker Association. Our thanks to WPA who tracked the POY points from LIPS events.

Ruth “Ruthless” Hall is a retired corporate executive, who travels as a professional poker player when possible. She was also a founding Board Member of Women’s Poker Association and won the WPA Player of the Year in 2019. She has won Two WSOP Circuit Ladies Rings in 2015 & 2024, the Golden Nugget Poker Queen in Las Vegas – Ladies Grand Series Diamond Bracelet in 2009, and is the Founder of Austin Ladies Poker League. She is currently sitting with $484k on the Hendon Mob database. Her hobbies are traveling and cooking. She is a two-time breast cancer survivor who encourages women to seek annual mammograms at every opportunity.

We caught up with Ruth to ask about her achievement, and to get to know a little bit more about her, and her journey.

Can you share one defining moment in your poker journey that kind of turned the page for you?
Winning a Ladies Only Event, then winning an Open Event the very next day. I’ve done it twice in large fields during my poker career.

Do you have any “poker” pet peeves?
Players going out of turn.

What are your “MUST PLAY” events?
My favorite 3 are: WSOP, I thought last year was my final chance with our health concerns. LIPS Grand Championship during WSOP – won it twice, and Nevada State Ladies Poker Championship in April – won it twice.

What has the game of poker done for you?
We have paid off 5 cars, bought new furniture, and have gone on vacations we otherwise would not have been able to do.

Is there anything you’re afraid you won’t accomplish?
Winning a WSOP bracelet will be difficult because my heart condition prevents me from playing in lots of those events.

What’s a personal motto or life motto that you live by?
Life is a game, I’m all in!

What would you like people to remember you for?
Paying it Forward: I give poker lessons so others can use what I’ve learned over 20 years of playing in No Limit Holdem Tournaments. When I’m dead and gone, I would love for my Students to say: “She helped me”.

What does it mean to you to be the recipient of the LIPS 20 Year Player of the Year?
It’s an Honor to receive this 20th Year Celebration Award from LIPS. My first LIPS win was at The Orleans back in 2008. I’ve made so many Poker Friends for Life (PFF’S) over the years! LIPS is why I’m a poker player.

2024 was not only successful poker journey for Ruth, but it has been a tremendous life challenge for her and her family. She continues to battle many health issues and is currently waging the battle of life for her husband Keith, who is fighting Stage 4 cancer. The LIPS community holds Ruth and her family very dear and continues to uplift them in prayer and hope.