Amateur Spotlight: Roni Taylor

Interview by Crystal Osgood-Gray

Roni Taylor

I first met Roni through a friend in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker Ladies Event. The night before the event we all went to play a cash game at a nearby casino. While I waited for a table I watched Roni play. And play she did. I was most impressed by her ability to sniff out weakness. When a weak player bet, she would raise. When a weak player raised she would re-raise. She was very strong and whether she realized it or not she was dominating the table. But in a subtle, I’m just playing good poker kind of way.

Recently Roni has proudly taken on the role of “Women’s Poker Liason” for the Bicycle Casino. She is friendly and warm. In the world of Ladies Poker Roni she the one to know and everyone knows Roni. She is just as excited and well versed to talk to women just entering the poker tournament scene as well as the pros. And if I could choose one Lady of Poker to watch rocket to stardom it would be Roni Taylor. In my opinion she has what it takes to become the next Linda Johnson!

LPA: How long have you been playing poker and how did you learn to play?

R.T.: I started playing at casino's in 1991. My husband was always playing at the Bicycle Casino and I usually sat behind him. One day I decided
to give it a try. I had grown up in a house that had penny games and my family always played a lot of other card games. I remember the first table I sat at was a1-2 draw game and I won 20 dollars.

LPA: Tell us a little bit about your poker accomplishments in 2006/07?

R.T.: I finshed 2nd in the Commerce Ladies California State Championship and 5th in the LAPC Ladies event.
http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=33019

LPA: It seems you have a knack for making it to the final table no matter how short your stack going into the last 2 or 3 tables. Can you give us some advice as to your strategy when approaching the money in a tournament?

R.T.: Patience, Patience and more Patience. Also you have to
pick a spot and make a move. Look for someplace you can steal blinds and antes to build your stack while you wait for "your" big hand to come in.

LPA: In observing your play, I have watched you pick up on weakness in a player. Can you tell us a trick or two about how you do this?

R.T.: I think the easiest way to pick up on weakness is in betting patterns. Watching how much someone bets or the way they place their bets in the pot can tell you a lot.

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

Tells?
R.T.: This is one of my weak points. It is something I am always trying to improve.

Psychology?
R.T.: This is a big part of the game, you need to be on top of your game and make sure your opponents know you are on top of your game.

Patience?
R.T.: Patience is a huge part of the game, especially when you are short stacked.

Knowing your opponent?
R.T.: Since I play mainly women’s events I play with a lot of the same players at most of the events. You get to know how they play and it helps a lot. Going along with knowing your opponents is having your opponents know you. I really like playing with people that I have played with many times before. They tend to give me more respect.

LPA: What adjustments, if any, have you made in your game that you can attribute to increased cashes?

R.T.: I would say I am learning to open my game up a little bit more. I used to play solid big hands all the time and although I always lasted to the late stages of a tournament, I usually didn’t have enough chips to have a real chance at winning. It always came down to getting lucky when I went All-In. I am trying to change that so when I get in the position of making a final table I have enough chips to make some real plays and have a better chance of winning.

LPA: How often do you play?

R.T.: Right now I only get to play 1 or 2 times a month. Being a mom has to come first. I will have plenty of time to play when the kids are grown and out on their own.

LPA: Where do you play most often?

R.T.: The Bicycle Casino.

LPA: What game(s) do you play?

R.T.: 100/200 NL if I am playing live

LPA: Mostly Cash or Tournaments? I am a tournament girl. I only play cash games after a tournament.

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

R.T.: Read lots of books and join poker forums like the Ladies Poker Association, and www.ladypokersharks.com and don’t forget to come play some of live tournaments.

LPA: What was it like playing in your first live tournament?

R.T.: It was very exciting and scary. I remember it was a Queen of Hearts Ladies event at the Bicycle Casino, because it was against just the girls it helped a lot with my nervousness. It was a great time…. I was hooked!

LPA: Do you play on the Internet?
R.T.: I used to play a lot on the internet, but with the new laws I have decided to spend the time I used to play -reading and improving my skills that way.

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

R.T.: The poker on TV usually shows the end of a tournament so people are making more moves and trying to bluff more often. This is not the way people play in the beginning stages of a tournament. From a TV perspective the audience doesn’t understand the different kinds of play it takes to make a final table.

LPA: What do you think the future of Ladies Poker is?

R.T.: I think that Ladies poker is on the rise. We are seeing alot of new women players, and the more seasoned players are moving up to bigger buy in tournaments and some mixed events. This may even be the year that one of us wins the big one. 

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

R.T.: The mixed events are actually a lot easier to play in my opinion. Mixed events are generally more experience players so its easier to make moves. In women’s events for the most part you get newer players so its hard to really make a play. That is one of the reasons I am looking forward to the bigger buy in women’s events. It will put the play back into Women’s poker.

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

R.T.: In my experience the men tend to either give females way to much respect or no respect at all. To elaborate on this a little, I have had several players tell me that if a woman reraises them they must have the nuts because women dont know how to bluff. Then there is the type that figure you cant have a hand after all you are a girl and girls dont know how to play poker. So once you figure out what type of male player you are up against you know how to play them. It is a huge advantage.

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

R.T.: Not playing aggressively enough. Women tend to be too nice. They don’t want to take a player’s last chips or put a beat on a player, so they tend to soft.

LPA: Is there any poker player pro/women/amateur that you admire?

R.T.: Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher and Jennifer Harmen. When I grow up I want to be just like Linda.

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

R.T.: Hopefully I will be even more involved in Women’s Poker and building our numbers for the big events.

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

R.T.: Wow, there have been many at different influences in my playing growth. In the beginning it was probably Billie Brown because she had faith in my play back when I was a beginner. Then it was Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher, they put on a great seminar that I have been able to learn from time and time again. Next, probably comes www.ladypokersharks.com because I can always post hands and get advice on how others would have played them. It is a great learning tool.

But, probably the biggest influence at this point is a friend who is my business partner. She has been in the business for years but recently has become ill. So she plays vicariously through me now. I discuss all my major hands with her and we discuss how things worked or didn’t work and what I could do differently next time. I have notice sometimes while playing I will think in my brain, how would Tammye feel about this play?

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

R.T.: This is the time for Women in Poker, there are more Women’s only events available than ever before. It used to be just the Queens events at the Bicycle Casino, now there are the “Luck Be a Lady” events on the first Sunday of every month, Hawaiian Gardens has a monthly ladies event and most major tournaments now have ladies events.

Lets get out there and play poker!!!!!

Roni Taylor