I recently sat down with Kathy to find out how the last year has been and what she is doing to prepare for this year’s World Series of Poker. Since the 2007 WSOP, Kathy has added over $223,000 to her total life earnings. Another bracelet is definitely on her priority list, but not as much as keeping her eye on the top prize, the Main Event.

We begin by discussing her preparations for the WSOP. Kathy said, “My plan
is to take the month of May and get myself ready mentally and physically. I am trying to eat right, exercise and get plenty of sleep. My strategy this year is going to be different from last year. There are more internet players coming into the World Series and they are used to seeing more hands and playing faster. It is not like in the past World Series where a pocket pair of queens raised pre-flop got the respect from the other players. Players are more willing to gamble against a big hand, so I’m going to be making adjustments for those kinds of players.”

Many players are intimidated when they arrive at the table and see a pro sitting there. I asked Kathy how players react to her image and reputation when they are first seated. Kathy says, “It’s hard to say, some are outright going to go after the pros, maybe for bragging rights, others just want the challenge. If I find someone is playing more aggressively towards me, I can adjust for that, but for the most part I just factor this in with my total reads of the table.”

There are 55 events this year with several $10,000 events and a $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event besides the ME. When asked what events she’ll play, Kathy replied, “I’ll mainly concentrate on the no-limit events. With the exception of the Heads-up event, most will be the larger-attended events. I don’t want to wear myself down; stamina is such a huge factor in performance.”

The biggest news of the year coming into the World Series is, of course, the change in the venue for the Main Event final table. What were Kathy’s thoughts on the final table being moved to November? Very thoughtfully, Kathy replied, “I like the idea of having a little time off after playing a long, intense tournament, but three to four months is just too long. I would not be opposed to a few days or even a week or two, but this lengthy period opens the door to too many negative elements to come into play. Certainly, collusion is a big concern, but so is the coaching factor. Any novice player that makes the final table will have a distinct advantage for using the time off to learn about the experienced players, watch DVDs of their play, gather information from a pro coach, and specifically draw their strategy from this advantageous amount of time and information.”

The icing on the cake for Kathy Liebert would be to become the first woman to win the WSOP Main Event in the United States. If she picks up another bracelet along the way, it would certainly move her up the ladder of female bracelet holders with such names as Barbara Enright and Nani Dollison. I for one, will be standing at the finish line waiting for her to cross over and graciously accept the award! Good luck, Kathy, at this year’s WSOP!!

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Shannon’s most recent challenge is as a contestant on the very popular ABC hit, “Dancing with the Stars.” Every week Shannon will work her feet into blisters to show the world that competitiveness runs through her veins and that she’s more than just a pretty face. She’s already survived the first eliminations of the show and has emerged as one of the favorites. We will watch with great anticipation in hopes that one of our own from the world of poker might actually have a chance to
bring home the coveted “Mirrored Ball Trophy” that all the celebrities dream of.

Besides being a successful movie actress, Shannon has proven her ability to learn quickly and become a force at the poker table. She is a great model and mentor for ladies entering the world of poker. In a relatively short amount of time, Shannon has won over $137,000 in earnings and is currently ranked 81st on the women’s all-time money list. Shannon’s most impressive poker showing was, of course, her third-place showing in the 2007 NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship, where she pocketed $125,000 for her semifinalist showing.

Shannon also has a love for animals which she supports through Animal Avengers, a group she created to help save animals and place them in protective environments and homes. In the past, Shannon has used the now-familiar charity poker tournament concept to help raise money for this organization. Check soon for an announcement as to the upcoming dates for Shannon’s next charitable event.

I had the pleasure of playing recently with Shannon in a women’s tournament at the Bike. During the chit-chat at the table, Shannon shared her concern for the growing market of women’s poker. Shannon said, “I love coming to these events! It’s so much fun to sit down and play with women and not feel the constant stares of the guys and the pressure that comes with being the only girl at the table!” She soon found out the women can be just as fierce at the poker table as any of the men!

To show your support of Shannon while she battles to bring home the trophy, you can go each week to abc.com to cast your vote to keep Shannon dancing for another week. Keep going Shannon! We in the world of poker are behind you!

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Jennifer has long been famous as the little girl poker player who could sit among the millionaires (and sometimes billionaires) and rake in a pot worth over a million dollars. Long a presence in Las Vegas and with a larger-than-life reputation as a poker player and animal activist, this fundraiser is truly a perfect fit for Jennifer.


— Image courtesy Rob Gracie/GreasieWheels LLC. All rights
reserved.

How Jennifer manages to balance poker, charity work and now family — as she and husband Marco have twin boys, and a houseful of pets besides — is beyond even Jennifer. Her poker games do not happen as often and she has had to cut back on her travel and the number of events she plays. But when it comes to fundraising for the Nevada SPCA, she pours her heart and soul out for the humane treatment of animals. Last year at Caesars Palace, Jennifer hosted a live poker tournament to benefit the Nevada SPCA that netted the organization over $130,000. Many pros showed up to play, with some even tossing in other players’ buy-ins and rebuys as the tournament progressed. Check back with PokerNews for a recap of this year’s festivities.

On March 16th at 9PM EST, FullTiltPoker.com will host the first online fundraiser for the Nevada SPCA, hosted once again by Jennifer. Look for the “Animal Lovers” tournament located under the “Tournaments” tab (Tourney #42450298) in the lobby. The cost is $10 to enter, with 50% of all monies going to benefit the Nevada SPCA. The remaining 50% will make up the prize pool to winners. “Having a tournament online will allow more players to participate and support our efforts to save animals from euthanizing them and help find them loving homes,” says Jennifer. She and husband Marco remain active throughout the year in helping to move animals to permanent or foster homes.

If you can’t play this event online and you would still like to help, please visit www.nevadaspca.org for more information.

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Katja Thater, age 41, from Hamburg, Germany, burst onto the poker scene at last year’s World Series of Poker. She captured the bracelet in Event #29, a razz tourney, after making the final table at the Ladies Event. With five WSOP cashes last year she will definitely be one to watch at this year’s events.

Vanessa Selbst of Brooklyn, New York, has been a constant on the poker circuit for about two years. She recently won the ladies event at this year’s Commerce LA Poker Open. In the past, Vanessa has been a force in the open events, cashing twice at the WSOP in 2006 and 2007.

Beth Shak, 40, from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania was one of the most talked-about women at the 2007 WSOP. Her appearance at the final table with Phil Hellmuth was both entertaining and poker at its best. Beth travels the WSOP and WPT circuits and has six cashes under her belt. It would be a good bet that she will make a great showing at this year’s World Series of Poker.

Maria Ho, most famously known as the last woman standing at the 2007 WSOP Main Event, also has an impressive start to her poker career. 24 years old and from Arcadia, California, she currently has eight cashes totaling $269,206. Maria hopes to change the perception the general public has of poker players, that being that they do nothing but play poker 24/7.

Mary Jones, of Henderson, Nevada, took the bracelet in the 2006 WSOP Ladies Event. Since then she has made herself visible at several ladies and open events. With two wins and nine cashes thus far, Mary continues to push her game to the top levels. Her total winnings of $322,552 are a testament to her success.

These ladies pave the way for a new group of upcoming fresh faces that surely will surface at the 2008 World Series of Poker. Will one of them be you?

Good luck, ladies, in your quest for poker success!

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I first met Dianna at a large party held during the 2006 WSOP. As I sat down at the bar to relax and have a drink, this excited and friendly lady introduced herself to me. It was Dianna. As she explained to me that she was looking for another person to work the payout table at the WSOP, it dawned on me that I had a girlfriend who fit her needs. I made a call, my friend flew to Vegas, and Dianna and
I became quick friends.

Dianna Donofrio moved from Indiana to California almost 25 years ago. Her excellence in public relations and marketing landed her a job at the Bicycle Club, where she became the Special Projects Manager for two years. One of the most popular poker tournaments today, the Legends of Poker, was her first project.

Her popularity grew, and soon she found herself making yet another move to expand the satellite tournament program at the Commerce Casino. At the Commerce, Dianna perfected her poker techniques and tournament procedures under the watchful eye of Jack McClelland. Still looking for that ticket to Las Vegas poker rooms, her opportunity came two years later when she was offered a position at the Four Queens, as the satellite director, for two years running, of the Four Queens Classic. As luck would have it, each opportunity opened another door for Dianna. Her friendly demeanor and ability to relate to the poker players drew the attention of other organizers. As a result, she enjoyed various positions with poker rooms and Las Vegas casinos for the next 12 years, including working with Jack McClelland once again as the satellite director for the WSOP at Binions for over ten years.

Dianna Donofrio with the late Chip Reese (photo courtesy of Lisa Wheeler, GreasieWheels)

In 2005 Robert Daily, World Series of Poker Tournament Director, asked Dianna to join the staff as the Satellite Director. The following year she was invited back to serve once again as the WSOP’s Payout Manager. In this position Dianna, perfected her cost-cutting skills. She exceeded management’s expectations by developing and implementing a new payout manual and procedures system for the WSOP.

In 2007, Daily retired from the World Series of Poker and Harrah’s Entertainment to follow a new venture at DG Holdings. It wasn’t long before he reached out to Dianna once again to offer her a position within his new company. Her present position as Director of Public Relations for DG Holdings, Ltd. has proven to be a challenge that she both excels at and enjoys. Beside her fulltime position there, she also participates in many charity events, giving back to the community. In the past she has worked as the Co-Chair for the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament for the SPCA in Las Vegas, the Nancy Cartwright Charity Event in 2007, and most recently, the Tournament Coordinator position for the upcoming Montel Williams MS Gala & Charity Poker Tournament in New York City on March 13th. Her tireless efforts in poker seem to go on and on.

You may not recognize the name Dianna Donofrio, but I’m sure you’ve run into her working hard behind the curtains at some poker tournament. Here’s to you, Dianna! Your hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

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Karina Jett has been exposed to poker all her life. In her very earliest memories she recalls listening to her parents discuss bad beats and poker strategy. She began playing herself when she was a teenager in high school, and soon after, began sneaking into the poker room at the Mirage to sit behind her mother and watch the game.

PokerNews sat down with Karina just before the induction ceremonies of the Women
in Poker Hall of Fame to find out how she juggles a lucrative poker career with a full-time family.

PN: Karina, tell us how you began playing poker professionally.

KJ: Well, I was playing seven-card stud poker at the Mirage after watching my mother play there for years. I became a recognized local player and friends with everyone in the room there. I was playing stud, because that was the game at the time, when a dealer friend of mine told me about Texas Hold’em. It was becoming a very popular game and everyone was excited about it and the games were getting really big. I gradually made the transition over to limit hold’em playing $3/6 and moving my game up to $15/30 at the Bellagio. At age 23 playing poker was paying better than my regular job, so I quit and started playing poker full time. I love to travel and see different parts of the country and the world and a poker career could afford me that.

PN: How did you meet Chip Jett?

KJ: I first met Chip in 2001 at the Jack Binion Open in Tunica, Mississippi. It was a whirlwind romance. After we met I had to go to Europe for a poker event, but when I returned we were never apart. Chip knew before I did that we were going to get married. But that year Chip opted not to play the Main Event at the World Series of Poker and instead we got married. All this happened in about a month and a half of us meeting. Really fast. We’re very compatible and have a good marriage. We wanted children but poker is a hard life to have a family, since it demands so much of your time. But we were really happy when Athena came and saw it wasn’t so difficult to manage both. Then Apollo came and I think that’s it, two kids for us.

PN: So how exactly do you balance family life and the life of a poker professional?

KJ: I basically returned to what I was doing first in my poker career. I went back to being a cash player, that’s my niche. Chip is strictly a tournament player; that’s where his strengths lie. I play tournaments because Chip drags me along. I know where my strengths lie and it’s in cash play. At first, when we were newly married, we lived like gypsies, traveling and playing poker. But when our daughter arrived, I made the sacrifice and stayed home while Chip traveled the tournament circuit. It was very hard on the marriage. When our son was born, Chip was very excited and decided to become more of a hands-on dad. He’s given up some time on the circuit to be home with the family. The family is priority; the tournaments and poker come second. We’ve made the adjustments we had to make. Certainly we have to make a living, but with our sponsor Full Tilt taking us on as site pros, we can make the necessary adjustments to our lifestyle.

PN: What would your advice be to others who are trying to balance family and poker?

KJ: This is something I have very strong feelings about. I see several poker players today abandoning there family lives to pursue poker and it’s such a shame. In my opinion family should come first. I understand people have to make a living, but there has to be a balance for both. Your family has to come first, and poker will follow. If you can travel with your children as Chip and I do, it makes it easier to spend time together as a family unit rather than leaving your children behind. Family is the greatest gift in your life and to neglect that would be such a shame. We’ve already decided that next year when our daughter begins school, one of us will always be here at home while the other one travels. We aren’t quitting poker, just finding that balance for two parents who work an unusual job. Fortunately, poker has its flexibilities, and we as parents are willing to make the necessary sacrifices for our family life.

PN: What are some highlights of your career? We know you’ve been on television also.

KJ: I made the final table at the 2005 WSOP Ladies event, and I played the Battle of the Sexes on GSN. I’m also an advisor for a poker reality show that is in the works. I’ve also been working on a documentary with a filmmaker who is trying to get the film ready to début at the Cannes Film Festival this year, so that is very exciting. Chip and I also teach at the WPT Boot Camps. He talks about pot odds and hands while I hit on the various basic techniques that are commonly missed by amateur players.

PN: How did you get involved in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame?

KJ: I was contacted by Lupe Soto, the founder, and asked if I would be interested in serving on the board for this organization. I was looking for something to get involved in that would allow me to give back to the poker community, so this seemed like a good fit. I’m very supportive of women’s poker, and with the misunderstanding among the general population of poker players about how ladies’ events can be introductive for women in poker, I felt this was a way for me to show support.

PN: Who in the poker industry do you most admire and why?

KJ: There are actually a few poker players I admire all for different reasons. Erik Seidel has become a very good friend to me through the years, and I admire his abilities to play poker and how he manages his family and finances within the poker world. Kristy Gazes also is someone who I admire greatly. She has played a long time and been very successful and has presented herself as an honorable person and player.

PN: Our parting question: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

KJ: Probably still living in the Las Vegas area. I love it here. I’m sure I’ll still be involved in poker although probably not as much as my children grow up and become active. I’ll always hold a passion for poker and keep it in my life in some way.

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Each inductee was prefaced by an introduction by one of the four WiPHoF board members. Barbara Enright was the first to be introduced, by Suzanne Carter, who highlighted Barbara’s long and distinguished career. When Barbara took the stage, she was in a light but comic mood that set the tone of the speeches to follow. Barbara said, “I would like to thank the board for this honor, and my husband Max Shapiro for writing my speech, which I am not going to use, but I cannot start this women’s event without a very special guest. This person hasn’t arrived, and I do not believe we can start without this person.”

In astonishment, the whole audience began looking around and whispering, “Who can this ‘special’ person be?” Someone in the crowd yelled out, “Who is it?”

Barbara replied, without missing a step, “Jose Canseco! He never misses a women’s event! He must have opted for the ladies event today at the Commerce!” To everyone’s delight she received a roar of laughter and applause.

Next, Maureen Feduniak introduced the second inductee, Susie Isaacs. Susie was kidded about her infamous temper and equally bad manner in which she loses and wins. In her past, there apparently had been monthly scoldings by her then-boss, Linda Johnson, that Susie finally took to heart and began making her poker career a more player-friendly experience. Keeping in jovial spirit, Susie took the podium and began her acceptance speech. To the amusement of the crowd Susie brought out one of her many books, this one her latest. When she announced that she would like to read something from the book, Barbara Enright replied from her seat, “The whole book?” which drew a roar of laughter from the audience.

Susie then offered a passage from her new novel, White Knights and Black Hearts, which was spoken with touching eloquence. Quoted in part, Susie read, “I know a lot of you are surprised by this. Believe me, no one is more surprised than I! Nowhere on the earth is there a more diverse and interesting group of people than in the poker world. I am honored!”

Linda Johnson was introduction by Allyn Shulman. Allyn covered the most recognizable aspects of Linda’s long, illustrious career and asked her to take the stage. In all her class and grace, Linda thanked the many people who had put long and tiring hours, days and weeks into the preparation of this event. One in particular that Linda mentioned was Gyla Whitlow from Houston, Texas, who had produced the a slide show serving as the stage’s background. Linda acknowledged family and friends when she mentioned that her mother, who was in attendance, was not so enthusiastic long ago when Linda told her she was quitting her job and moving to Vegas to become a professional poker player. Linda asked her mother, “So what do you think now?”

Her mother replied, “I’m very happy she did!”

Finally, Marsha Waggoner was introduced by Karina Jett. Marsha’s 30-year poker career was highlighted and teasingly told by Karina that drew smiles from even Marsha’s poker-pro husband Kenna James. Marsha thanked everyone for the honor of being there and spoke softly about her long career. Her passion, devotion and persistence in bringing the game to women who otherwise never would enter a poker room was very moving to everyone in the room. As her husband videotaped her acceptance, Marsha said, “I want to thank you, husband, and my daughter, and best friend Mel Judah, who just flew in from Australia to be here today to share with me in this very special honor.”

Featured speaker of the event was none other than Jan Fisher. Jan is the best storyteller of all times and best friend to Linda Johnson for the past 17 years. Keeping a comic tone and making reference to the fact that she wasn’t being inducted in the inaugural class, Jan kept everyone laughing throughout her roast of the four inductees. Each recipient was given a toy gift recognizing her unique qualities. Linda Johnson was given a shark shovel referencing her poker ability, Susie Isaacs a ribbon for the ‘most improved attitude’, Barbara Enright a toy chainsaw for her buzzsaw ability to cut through the players, and Marsha Waggoner a can of air freshener… as she was described as “the breath of fresh air in the poker room.” Jan also poked fun at herself, as did Mike Sexton when he introduced her as the “eternal bag lady for Linda Johnson.”

In closing, the chosen charity for the WiPHoF, Breast Cancer Angels, was highlighted by chairperson Jacqueline Britton, who thanked everyone for their generous contributions.

A $560 no-limit tournament was hosted by the organization and drew 68 players. To no one’s surprise, Barbara Enright won. Double congratulations to Barbara!!

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Soto began both the first online women’s poker forum, pokerchix.com, and the leading ladies poker tour, the LIPSTour. Soto also brought the first $1,000 buy-in to a women’s-only event, outside of the WSOP, over five years ago. The fruition of a dream that will become the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame this February is the most rewarding and thrilling project to ever come true for this entrepreneur. Lupe says, “This is an institution that will recognize the
many outstanding women who have accomplished so much and have reached the pinnacle of their poker careers. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface in the many venues available today in which to find these women in the poker industry. This organization will exemplify those women and their respective poker industry achievements and titles.”

When Lupe first started creating the WPHoF, she knew the most important elements would be the devotion and passion that the committee would bring to the project. In doing so, she drew on some of the most prominent women in poker and invited the to sit on the committee for its first three years. The committee includes Soto, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, Karina Jett, Suzanne Carter and Maureen Feduniak, and they eagerly set out to choose the first year’s four inductees. Subsequent years will see two women elected each year. The qualifying criteria for the WPHoF were determined by the committee to include:

1. Must have been active as a player or industry leader at some time during a period beginning at least 15 years prior to election.

3. Must be a proponent of women’s poker. Though not required to play in women-only events, she must support their existence.

The first four ladies to be inducted into the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame will be:

● Linda Johnson, the ‘First Lady of Poker’;
● Marsha Waggoner, accomplished poker pro;
● Barbara Enright, poker pro and winner of three WSOP bracelets;
● Susie Isaacs, two-time WSOP winner and author of many poker books.

These ladies will be honored at a ceremony on February 2, 2008 at Binion’s in downtown Las Vegas. Mike Sexton is slated to be Master of Ceremonies with Jan Fisher as a special guest speaker for the inaugural luncheon, with an open tournament for a buy-in of $500 at 2 p.m. The members of the WPHoF are invited back on the third to play in a freeroll where a $1,000 prize pool is guaranteed and many gifts provided by sponsors will surely please the players. Among the prizes to be given away will be a pass to a WPT Boot Camp.

Membership to the WPHoF is open to both women and men and costs $75 for one year. 20% of the membership fee is donated to the Halls’ favored charity, Breast Cancer Angels Foundation; the organization is supported by its members, donations and sponsors. To become a member or a sponsor of this tremendous effort to build on women’s poker, please visit their website at www.womenspokerhalloffame.com.

In the following weeks I will be profiling these honored ladies who are to be inducted in the first ceremony of the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame.

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One only needs to speak to Lauren, hearing the enthusiasm in her voice, to know she’s excited and driven in her push to bring more women into live poker. Lauren took her passion for poker and launched the ladies-only High Heels tour in June of 2007, including a website at highheelspokertour.com. The club’s annual fee of $30 makes one a member and brings notices of upcoming events, hotel discounts, giveaways, eligibility for free seat drawings, specials, and perks of the High Heels tour, such as private receptions and hospitality rooms.

Based in Florida and
spreading across the Gulf and East Coasts, HHPT is moving into the big time with several upcoming events. Tunica, Mississippi’s Gold Strike Casino will host its first HHPT event on January 6, 2008 as part of the WSOP Circuit stop. A second event on February 24, 2008 at Harrah’s Horseshoe in Council Bluffs, Iowa is also on the upcoming schedule, with more to surely follow with other Harrah’s properties. The Harrah’s staff has made some changes at Lauren’s urging to make the event more enticing to the lady players. This year the starting stack will be 10,000 chips with 40-minute rounds.

A new affiliation with the WSOP Academy offered HHPT members the opportunity to win their way to the ‘Ladies Only’ poker camp January 25-26 at Caesars Palace. All one had to do was join the HHPT to become eligible for the drawing. The winner was drawn New Year’s Day and is being announced here: Congratulations to Paula Ettline of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. If you didn’t win, here’s an added bonus: all members will receive a $150 discount on their entry to the event, from the original cost of $1,699.

Another great way to win a seat in the WSOP 2008 is getting underway. Several poker rooms are beginning to host ‘step tournaments’ or qualifiers to advance to a main event taking place in March. The main event will be hosted at the Seminole Casino in Hollywood Florida on March 1st with a direct buy-in of $450, with $125 satellites available at seeral Florida locations: Seminole Casino Hollywood, Seminole Casino Brighton, The Isle Casino and Racing at Pompano Park, Miami Jai-Alai, Flagler Magic City Poker Room, Club 52 Melbourne Greyhound Dog Track, Naples Fort Myers Greyhound Dog Track, and Daytona Greyhound Dog Track. Total attendance and prize pools will determine the number of World Series seats to be given away.

Given Lauren’s enthusiasm and dedication, this new ladies tour just might have staying power. Certainly, HHPT will have its growing pains, but it joins a group of organizations catering to the growing women’s market. Nor is this all from the HHPT, as several new announcements and affiliations are planned for the coming months.

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It has always been my belief that women are more intuitive than men, a view shared by many others. As more women find success in poker, you will hear about this subject. I recently watched the WPT show from The Shooting Star that featured the heads-up match between Ted Forrest and JJ Liu. When JJ was interviewed, she made a remark that made me think hard on the subject. JJ said, “Because I’m a woman, the men automatically
think they can bluff me, but when they do, it becomes easier for me to read them.” JJ hit on the one area where I believe women have an advantage over men, intuition.

If true, how does it happen that women are more intuitive than men? Some scientists and behaviorists believe it is the way the brain and hormones work together in each of the sexes. Men, according to these theories, use more logic and reasoning in their thinking, while women are more in tune with their feelings and the nature of their surroundings. Whether or not men are emotional to the extent as women, remains a subject often discussed. One explanation that has been tossed out is that men are suppressed emotionally through social pressures; men will rely on logic and reasoning before feelings and emotions. In these theories, it is found as a weakness if a man is reacting to a given situation emotionally. Women, on the other hand, would then use their intuition on a daily basis, with less social pressure to use only analytical processes. The different approach would then be defined as a natual chemical balance, resulting in the more ‘emotional’ of the two sexes.

Poker is a game of patience. If this is so, women would appear to be at an advantage at the table, watching, waiting, sensing the demeanor of the players, relying on their intuition. The male players are using thought patterns of logic and reason, trying to recall hands, applying mathematics and computing the past plays in relation to what they are presently observing. With intuition as an advantage on the poker table, women who in most instances tend to play tight and conservative, would then need to step up their game and add an aggressive element to their game. The ability to change gears and adjust your play in relation to the table play is of utmost importance.

An example of intuitive play could possibly include WSOP-Europe, where Annette Obrestad won the main event. How did she do it? By her own admittance, she doesn’t use mathematics in her decisions. Annette also talks of never reading poker books, taking lessons or using any tracking assistance. So what does she rely on, this new poker prodigy? And is the fact that she is a female being overlooked in her abilities? Is her success an example of intuitive play mixed with the aggression needed to compete?

What about the heads-up match between Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth in the 2004 Tournament of Champions? Annie totally unhinged Phil and sent him irretrievably onto a course of tilt. Annie, of course, has a degree in psychology, which no doubt is a great help to her throughout her poker efforts, but certainly we cannot discount her ability to apply her intuitive feelings to any given situation. Annie made a few moves and plays that most would never make when putting another player on a specific hand. But she went with her intuition and totally outplayed the great Phil Hellmuth and made women’s poker history.

So ladies, I put this to you: Find your intuitive game, make the most of your gender and go out there and conquer the poker table. We have leaders in women’s poker paving the way; all you need to do is get in touch with your intuition and follow the path to your success.

See you at the final table……..

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