In an era where poker players, fans and media can often shout achievements, disagreements and talking points from the rooftops, it is refreshing to find a poker player quietly going about the business of winning. Ashley Frank has been on an upward curve for some time and the PokerStake player is back in live poker action this week. We’ve taken a look at her recent record and found she’s one to watch in 2026.

The Age of Growth

Self-improvement has, to some extent, been the defining watchword of this decade so far. In this post-COVID world of righting self-proclaimed wrongs, from diet to fitness or politics to poker, being seen as ‘on the right path’ or ‘growing’ seems to be important beyond actual achievement. If poker is a path, Ashley Frank is doing it right, quietly going about her career yet cashing more and more in recent years.

In 2025, Ashley won $78,000 in live poker events. This already represents more than the average full-time salary for an adult American, which stood at between $62,000 to $63,000 last year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It also makes up 21.25% of Ashely’s lifetime earnings at the felt. Considering that her first live tournament cash was in 2016, a decade ago, the growth in her results is self-evident.

So what put Ashley above the average American’s age in 2025? Well, it certainly wasn’t one big score on its own. ‘Pokerface Ash’ as she is known did bank $20,160 for finishing 19^th out of 7,078 entries in the $800 NLHE Summer Celebration Event #80 at the 2025 World Series of Poker. But that was just one of an astonishing 23 cashes in live poker events over the past 12 months.

A Year of Consistency and Profit

When some players enter the world of playing poker, there is a novelty period where they succeed, see a quick return on their money and their ego inflates beyond their actual talent. That sounds a harsh statement but it is one we’ve had confirmed over the past decade by hundreds of players of all levels, particularly the game’s elite. This wasn’t the case with Ashley, who first cashed in live tournaments in June 2016 in the $565-entry Colossus event in Las Vegas. Coming 2,144^th from 21,613 entries, Ashley cashed for $1,028, doubling her money.

Ashley’s next live cash wasn’t for two years, and when it came, it was a $110 Ladies Event in Scottsdale. Soon, though, she was back in the money, cashing in 842^nd place in the 2018 version of the Colossus, exactly two years on from her first result. Her first ranking win came back in Scottsdale in the ‘Jack & Jill’ event, where she ended up not at the bottom of the hill but the only person on top of it holding all the chips and walking away with $1,264.

More success followed, and in 2023, Ashley had what remains her biggest single score when she cashed for $56,980 in the $1,500-entry WSOP Monster Stack event. Finishing 16^th in the event, it ranks as the biggest result of Ashley’s career at the felt to date and was one of four cashes at that year’s WSOP in Las Vegas.

The Lone Star

Moving back to The Lone Star State of Texas a few years ago with her family gave Ashley the chance to play more tournaments at The Lodge Card Club and in their $3,000 Main Event of 2024, she finished in 25^th place, cashing for another $10,800. The event, which featured other stars of the felt such as Ebony Kenney, Nick Pupillo and the eventual winner Michael Liang, was another feather in her cap.

It’s fair to say that 2025 has been the best year of her poker career on a consistent basis, with 23 in-the-money finishes and over $78,000 in winnings. Back-to-back results in the WSOP in Las Vegas helped, with that deep run in the Summer Celebration event followed by a cash in the biggest one of all – the WSOP Main Event. Finishing 1,127^th for $17,500 – a return of $7,500 – Ashley showed that she can mix it when the pressure is on and the stakes are high.

Want to invest in Ashley’s next deep run on PokerStake? Check out all the current stakings for forthcoming live poker events here.

Blink and you might miss the consistent progress of Ashley Frank, as she continues to get it quietly. In 2026, she could be the sleeper hit for your poker staking investments.