Alex Foxen aims to top wife’s deep run in WSOP Main Event

Alex Foxen is looking to eclipse his wife Kristen’s deep run in the 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event. He entered Day 3 of the $10,000 buy‑in No‑limit Hold’em World Championship at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas as one of the larger stacks, holding 830,000 chips after the 6 p.m. meal break, which placed him inside the top 50. The Main Event will resume on Thursday with Day 4, when the money bubble is projected to burst. The top 1,382 finishers will receive payouts, with the minimum cash set at $15,000. Foxen, a native of Cold Spring Harbor, New York, played tight end at Boston College for three seasons from 2009 to 2011 before recurring concussions forced him to step away. His size and aggressive style make him a conspicuous presence at the table. “I had played a small spot of poker as a teen just for fun here and there with friends. And it was ever a game I was curious in. I felt similar I had a natural quality for it,” Foxen said. “Once I no longer had that competitive outlet from shot since I played sports my full life, competition was everything for me. I kind of needed something to vie on and I couldn’t play carnal interaction sports truthful poker was just the cleanable outlet for me.” Since turning professional, Foxen has risen to the upper echelon of tournament poker. He captured a WSOP Circuit title in 2012 at age 21 and was named Global Poker Index Player of the Year in both 2018 and 2019. At 35, Foxen has amassed more than $58.8 million in live tournament earnings, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database, ranking him tenth on the all‑time money list. “There’s 1 minute I can retrieve when I was a kid when I was first trying to learn the game where I took a deck of cards and would just deal out 9 hands face-up and kind of play each hand as I thought I would and get a sense for how hands would play out,” Foxen said. “I’d say that kind of was the foundation of my understanding of the game and then just became obsessed and it’s all I did for 10 or so years.” This summer, the Las Vegas resident won the $10,000 buy‑in Super Turbo Bounty No‑limit Hold’em Eight‑handed event, securing his fourth career WSOP bracelet. Foxen currently leads the WSOP Player of the Year race, having cashed in nine events for $1.92 million and reached five final tables. “To me, consistent results and longevity is the most important marker of success,” Foxen said. “I’m not really thinking about (Player of the Year) too much, but it is something that would mean a lot to me.” Kristen Foxen finished 13th in the 2024 Main Event, while Alex has not matched that performance since a 40th‑place finish in 2019. His sole cash in the Main Event after that came in 2023, when he was eliminated in 456th position. On Day 2D, Foxen made a bold move with only ace‑high to help build his stack, and he continued to add chips throughout the subsequent levels on Wednesday. “To me, the goal is to be the best tournament player ever. That’s ever been my goal since I started playing,” Foxen said. “But again, it’s not something I think about too much in any fixed moment. I’m just trying to show up and do my best each time and play each hand to the best of my ability.”