Nancy Todd Tyner

by Crystal Osgood-Gray

Photos courtesy of World Poker Tour
Photos courtesy of Nancy Todd Tyner

LPA:  Tell us about your family?

NTT:  I’m married and have three children; I lost my l4 year old son a couple of years ago, and have six year old twins

LPA:  Any personal obstacles that you have had to overcome?

NTT:  Sure, I’ve had lots of personal obstacles. I wanted to be in a field where there were no women back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. All the political operatives were men, and just like the prejudice you run into at the poker table, not too happy to have women sitting at their table. I simply put my head down, got determined, learned how to win campaigns and earned the highest win record in the world. That took care of the bias in politics .. just as playing well generally takes care of it at the poker table.  In 2005 my oldest son died due to the racket we call cancer treatment in this country (story at www.TheHaydenScholarship.com under The Hayden Story) and my focus became, and will always be, to expose the system and to try to leave it better than the way I found it.

 LPA:  Has poker helped you in your personal life?

NTT:  Poker hasn’t really affected my personal life, I brought the strategy, determination and confidence I garnered from 30 years of politics to the poker table and found it was a perfect match. A poker tournament is just like running a political campaign except I don’t have to be on the road for four months.

LPA:  How does your family feel about you playing poker?

NTT:  My family is great about the poker playing. I didn’t begin to play poker until after I lost my son in late 2005. I showed up at the poker table, after only having seen poker on television when the WPT started, to keep from going crazy. Poker requires your full attention, which at the time was incredibly therapeutic for me. What started as therapy went into a desire to put that same winning attitude into making my mark in poker. It’s been a lot of fun.

LPA:  What do you do for a living?

NTT:  I am an international  political consultant which means I consult with foreign governments, mostly on gaming issues, which is my area of expertise. I’ve run l96 political campaigns in 42 states and 6 countries, and won 98% of them. In l990 I went into highly controversial issue races (versus candidate races) which is how I got hired to try to legalize the casinos in Biloxi in l991 after the election had already been lost l4 months prior. As the world now knows, that election was very successful, which led me into Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and the other states.

LPA:  Where did you grow up and where do you live now?

NTT:  I grew up all over the world, my father was an Air Force fighter pilot. I currently reside in Las Vegas and have a summer home in East Hampton, New York

LPA:  How long have you been playing?

NTT:  I’ve been playing about two years now

LPA:  How did you learn to play poker?

NTT:  I saw poker on television and my son and husband and I would sit around the kitchen table and try what we saw on the final tables on television. Didn’t take me long to figure out if you play the way you see on television you won’t make the final table.

LPA:  Did you play online poker first?

NTT:  No I didn’t although I have always been a huge proponent of online gaming. For l0 years I wrote a monthly column for Casino Journal called The Politics of Gaming. In l994 or l995 I authored an article which said the Internet was the Final Frontier (can be viewed on my corporate site www.NancyTodd.com) and have consistently worked to bring online gaming to the U.S. I am currently Chairman of the Advisory Board of an advocacy group called Poker Voters (pokervoters.com) which has received quite a bit of press with the California online gaming bill sponsored by Gerald Levine.

LPA:  What was your first live tournament like?

NTT:  In 2006 trying to pick myself up I went to the MGM and played a tournament. I placed l4th. The next time I showed up to play I placed llth and then 4^th. When I got to the Final Table I had no idea what I was doing so I didn’t play again until I went through a WPT Boot Camp. I waited for T. J. Cloutier to be the teacher because I had a sense he would be good about sharing his knowledge. I was right. I did in fact win the Boot Camp while there and T. J. has continued to guide me and answer the never ending list of questions I have on this challenging game.

LPA:  Tell us a little bit about your poker accomplishments.

NTT:  My poker accomplishments thus far have been more internal than external. My learning how to fold was a big accomplishment for me, me being able to “survive” emotionally the loss of a big pot was a hurdle for me to overcome as I don’t like to lose at anything. My goal every time I play is just to be able to walk away and say that I learned something I can use the next time I play.

LPA:  Tell us a bit about playing the WPT Ladies Championship? The Championship was great. Although NTT:  I’ve played a few ladies events before this was the highest entry fee for one and I noticed a discernable difference in the play. Just like going from a $l,500 to a $l0,000 buy in for a mixed event is a different caliber of player, that was the same here too. It was a great learning experience as all of the really good professional women were there. It was a lot of fun.

LPA:  What was your strategy for the WPT-Ladies Championship?

NTT:  My strategy is always to be deliberate in my actions. As a strategist I always figure out why the other guy is doing what he is doing before making a move as my play depends on what happens in front of me.

LPA:  Can you describe your “type of play“?

NTT:  My type of play is deliberate. Poker mirrors my theory in life which is to always play the hand you are dealt and to pick your battles very, very carefully. I play poker the same way I run political campaigns and raise children.  One day if I write it all down, I’ll call Politics, Parenting and Poker as I’ve found there are tremendous similarities to the three

LPA:  Anything else you would like to share?

NTT:  I start every day believing I will be successful at whatever I do so the day and days of the Championship event were no different.

LPA:  How did you feel when you made the TV table?

NTT:  There was a point in the tournament when we were down to three or four tables when a reporter came up and asked my name. I asked him who was leading the tournament and he said “Uhh that would be you.” That felt great and I stayed healthy in chips. I started  the televised final table second in chips which I felt was a good place to be.

LPA:  Can you tell us how important the following elements are to YOUR game?

LPA:  Tells?    

NTT:  I believe the consistency in betting patterns, hands in showdown and emotions shown are the more important things to watch for. Some are easy to spot, some are a little more difficult. 30 years in politics has taught me a lot about reading people and watching them carefully.

LPA:  Psychology? 

NTT:  Having your head on right is so important. There was a day I wanted to play and I had so much going on with work that I rushed through work with l0 projects, drove to the casino and proceeded to play poker the same way I had gotten through work that morning .. you can imagine how well that turned out. I wasn’t there very long.

LPA:  Patience?  

NTT:  Patience is very important and isn’t something I come by naturally, as my husband will quickly tell you. My son used to tell me I had two speeds – Mach 1 and comatose so learning to sit and concentrate has been  quite a challenge. As I learned it though I came to find poker very relaxing and still do.

LPA:  Knowing your opponent?

NTT:  I think this is very important and is why my end game has become so strong. I have a very strong memory, always have had, and by the end of the tournament I have gathered copious information on every player I’ve played with.

LPA:  How do you prepare for an event?

NTT:  I don’t do anything special although I usually go into one of the guest rooms at home so that I can get a good night’s sleep. With two six year olds that is sometimes elusive, they’re up and down sometimes through the night.

LPA:  Can you tell us what the important elements of your game are?

NTT:  I’m steady and consistent. I learned years ago for me to be taken seriously in politics not to do “stupid”.  The poker table is just an extension of my life’s work.

LPA:  What was your overall strategy going to the Final table?

NTT:  My overall strategy was simply to take my time and pick my spots carefully. Three of the players for sure had much more experience – final table and overall – than I had so I just continued to garner information and worked to use it wisely.

LPA:  Was there any player on the final table that concerned you most? 

NTT:  There were three pros at the table. Van Nguyen had done an amazing job of going from the short stack to a healthy stack when we played from l0 players down to six. She knew what she was doing. Donna Varlotta is a good solid player and we had played together during the event itself so I knew what kind of a player she was -another good solid player who is very deliberate in her actions. Vanessa Selbst has had a great year and is a good strong player. Add that to the fact that all of the pundits had called one of those three to win the tournament and I felt the pressure.

LPA: Van Nguyen had just won the invitational a month before, what were your concerns or cautions playing against her? 

NTT: She’s a very good player who knew what she was doing. Very solid.

LPA: Vanessa Selbst has had an amazing year, what were your thoughts about her being at the final table? 

NTT: Vanessa is a great player and has all the elements that makes great players, smart, instinctual, aggressive. She quickly got me on the ropes and I had to slow down and just wait for an opportunity to come back and accumulate some chips.  I have nothing but great things to say about her.

LPA:  In the final hand between you and Vanessa, AK vs A2 what were your thoughts on the hand?

NTT:  Heads up play between the two of us was lengthy and arduous. She started off getting me down under l00,000 (there were $450,000 chips total in play). Then I made a comeback and she got down below, she moved all in with A 4. I looked down at A K and called. She catches a four and we’re even again. A good two hours I finally get her back down in chips  and moves all in first with A 2 and I look down at AK. I was hopeful she didn’t have a made hand and that mine would hold up. I had already seen this movie, ha. As it turns out a 4 and a 5 come out on the flop giving her even more outs. When the final card came I was quite elated. I see AK overplayed a lot at the tables and try not to do that, it doesn’t beat a pair of twos as they say.

LPA:  You have really had an amazing year, what adjustments, if any, have you made in your game that you can attribute to increased cashes?

NTT:  I have a strategic brain, I’m a good student, I’ve always loved school and learning and am a voracious reader. I’ve become very intrigued with the strategy of poker and have worked hard to apply what I learn to the next session. I adopted the attitude early on, as I have my whole life, that any day I learn something new is a good day. I don’t tend to make the same mistakes twice, in life or at the poker table, so I just continue to try to improve.

LPA:  How often do you play?

NTT:  It’s an election year and my life is really jammed so work and family is a priority  and as we all know a poker tournament is a tremendous allocation of time.  I am trying to play one of the big events a month and limit it to that.

LPA:  Where do you play most often?

NTT:  My goal is to continue to learn something new every day so, of course, that mandates I play with players who are much better. The Bellagio daily tournament is my favorite, it’s a good prize pool but it’s also a great learning opportunity. It’s like a tennis player wanting a game … he can play me but it wouldn’t be much of a challenge to a good player .. or he can play Andre Agassi and learn something and add to his game even though he might get slaughtered.  I try to do that each time I play so the Bellagio daily is my favorite.

LPA:  What games do you play?

NTT:  Unfortunately I’m a casualty of television and have only learned NLH so far. I would certainly like to learn the other games and expand my repertoire.

LPA:  Will you be playing any WSOP events this year?

NTT:  Yes, I will be at the WSOP to play in every NLH event that I can. I am looking forward to the Main Event of course but all of them. It’s a great time. My husband is graciously taking the little ones to our summer home so that I can concentrate on my game. I tried doing it last year with them all here and about the time I come in from the WSOP my children are getting up from l2 hours of sleep, with their batteries fully charged. It was hard to feel rested enough for the marathon that a good poker tournament is.

LPA:  What advice do you have for anyone just starting out?

NTT:  I would advise anyone just starting out to read as much as they can and then apply those principles. As we all know, you can read every book out there but you’ve got to sign up and play and get kicked around to learn your lessons. I truly advise all new players to take notes on each session, what they learned and study those notes before they get into the next session. It’s an important tool to do that.

LPA:  What differences do you see between poker on TV and the tournaments you play?

NTT:  I learned quickly if you played poker the way you see the TV Final Table being played .. you’ll never make the Final Table. It’s a different game in the beginning, the middle, the Final Table and then Heads Up.

LPA:  What differences do you see between online poker and live poker?

NTT:  I think online offers people an opportunity to see lots of hands and lots of situations. Obviously brick and mortar casinos allow you to hone your people reading skills. I’ve read all that has been written about the “tells” on online but I just really like to be able to observe the person in person. I personally prefer it for me.

LPA:  What differences do you see between tournaments and cash games?

NTT:  I’m not a good cash player, in fact I’m pretty bad. I haven’t spent much time doing it but when I do I’m always amazed at what wins in cash versus a tournament. I see people going the distance in a cash game with a hand that I would have long ditched in a tournament. Additionally, in tournaments you can put a lot more pressure on someone than you can if they can reach in their pocket and get more money. I like the pressure of a tournament better.

LPA:  What environment do you prefer when you play poker, live, tournaments, cash, online?

NTT:  I’m just trying to learn one of these games, so it’s tournament play for right now.

LPA:  When you play mixed tournaments, not ladies events, what differences are there in play?

NTT:  There really is little difference between the two. Ever since the Supreme Court ruled you can’t discrimate in the events there’s been a large crossover. There were l3 or so men who  entered into the WPT Inaugural Ladies Championship I won  and the ratio was pretty much the same as it is for mixed events with ladies in attendance. I see no discernable difference.

LPA:  What advantages do you believe women have in the game?

NTT:  Women do have advantages inasmuch as they tend to be more intuitive. And  mothers  tend to be have even more well honed people reading skills than the average player.

LPA:  What disadvantages do you believe women have in the game?

NTT:  There’s a belief that women aren’t as aggressive or as competitive as men, I’ve read that a lot and I don’t agree with a word of it. However I do believe it takes a certain amount of hitting life’s curveballs to be able to deal with the prejudice that most women encounter at the table. I found early on that I had to establish myself as a solid player first starting at a new table as a lot of the men figured (and treated me like) if I looked down at two aces that I was too stupid to know what they were or what to do with them.

LPA:  Is there any poker player that you admire?

NTT:  Anyone who has been able to do this for any length of time has my complete admiration. It’s a roller coaster ride for even the best players in the world and you have to admire anyone who gets knocked down and gets up for the game the next day. No matter the sport. Poker is  a tough environment.

LPA:  Has any pro player instructed you on your play?

NTT:  Yes, I attended the WPT Boot Camp when I first started to play in March, 2006. I waited for T. J. Cloutier to be an instructor as I thought he would be generous with his knowledge. He was. Each of the instructors, after working with the l00 or so students for the day, each picked one to win the tournament that night. T. J. picked me to win. Well after midnight that night I was the winner. T. J. has continued to answer my many questions about the intricacies of this complex game.

LPA:  Where do you see yourself in the world of poker in 5 years?

NTT:  I would like to continue to enjoy success so that I can continue to learn this fascinating game. I do believe what they say that it takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. I put my poker earnings into The Hayden Scholarship Foundation, a non profit that I started in my son’s name to continue to help students, any student, who wishes to get an education. I know this is what Hayden would have wanted done with the funds we had put up for him to attend Stanford. And I hope to continue to fight for the issues that are important to me – quality health care, the ability to ask for alternatives to the harsh treatment we have in the USA for cancer treatments and working to get patients treated as patients and not as protocols and getting our government to realize they are forfeiting tremendous revenues by not taxing and regulating online poker.

LPA:  Who has been the biggest influence in your game? Why?

NTT:  I’ve met some of the nicest people in the world in this game. Anyone who would take the time to answer a question or to point out my error, anyone who could see my hunger to learn how to play and my thirst for knowledge is a hero to me. I’ve made some great lifetime friendships through poker.

LPA:  If you could give just one tip about how to win at No Limit Hold’em what would it be?

NTT:  Learn how to fold your losing hands. This is an important lesson to learn in life too. I had a hard time personally with this one aspect of the game, because quitting isn’t in my vocabularly and I had a tough time believing I had lost at anything. But you can’t win this game if you don’t learn to fold.

LPA:  Can you tell us why you became a member of the LPA?

NTT:  I am a huge supporter of women supporting women and the LPA is important. My history as the first woman in politics speaks for itself. When I started running campaigns there were NO women at all nor were any welcome. I set out to prove to the world that women could be successful in a male dominated field. I not only proved women could do it, I’ve helped countless others get into the business. In fact, in March 2009 I will inducted into the Political Hall of Fame, the first woman to be awarded that honor. Women helping women is important and I support the LPA for this.

LPA:  Is there anything you would like to tell women poker players out there?

NTT:  Don’t let the guys intimidate you. Just don’t play their game. Your game is your game and don’t let anyone get you off of it.