LPA: Tell us about your family?
VS: My brother is 25, lives in Boston and is currently traveling the world after quitting his engineering job. He is MIT '04 and will be attending U of Michigan law school in the fall. My mother was also an MIT graduate and then went on to complete law school. She passed away in the fall of 2005.
LPA: Significant other?
VS: Girlfriend of 8 months - Nora Javier
LPA: Pets?
VS: My roommate Erin has a shitzu named Biscuit but in 2 months when I move up to New Haven, I'll have to say goodbye to her.
LPA: How does your family feel about you playing poker for a living?
VS: Family and friends are very supportive. We are all math people, so it makes sense, and my mother used to play a ton of poker back in her day. Also, I was pretty successful relatively quickly, and results tend to speak for themselves.
LPA: What did you do before poker?
VS: Nothing really special before poker but I'm going to law school to do some type of public interest law in the future - not sure what yet really.
LPA: Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
VS: Grew up in Brooklyn and then Montclair, NJ. Back in Brooklyn now.
LPA: How long have you been playing?
VS: 4 years, seriously
LPA: How did you learn to play poker?
VS: Playing with friends, reading internet forums, just playing a ton and discussing strategy
LPA: Did you play online poker first?
VS: Other than friendly homegames, yep
LPA: What was your first live tournament like?
VS: I don't specifically remember - it was definitely at the WSOP in 2006 and I'm sure I either lost a coinflip or bluffed off my stack to someone... if I'm going with the odds, anyways.
LPA: Tell us a little bit about your poker accomplishments.
VS: I've made my living mostly from cash games online and live as well. In terms of tournaments, I've played in two World Series (2006 and 2007) and have three final tables. I have a 1st and a 2nd in women's events on the WPT tour and a couple minor cashes but otherwise have been relatively unsuccessful since beginning to play the WPT in September of 2007. I've also played two heads-up events in my life and gotten 2nd place and 3rd place (one was at PCA 2008 and one at WSOP 2007). I am an executive producer for an online training site called Deuces Cracked and I also individually tutor other poker players looking to improve their game.
LPA: Tell us a bit about your experience being on the circuit now?
VS: It's tiring. It definitely has ups and downs and I miss poker when I'm not playing for long stretches... but it's hard to be on the road all the time, just in terms of continuity of life at home.
LPA: Biggest pot?
VS: Well this wasn't my biggest pot but it's up there and a hilarious story. I was sitting on about 22k at 10-20NL at the Wynn because Lamont Jordan was playing that day and he had about the same. Basically between a flurry of raises and re-raises, I wind up putting about 4k into the pot pre-flop with KK and Lamont Jordan cold calls (he cold calls 500 and then cold calls my raise to 4k more) Two people put in 500 pre-flop then folded after I re-reraised. The Flop comes J52 with two spades, and I have red KK. Lamont checks, I bet 5k and he puts me in for my last 18k. I obviously call. Before he can table 22 for bottom set, the board runs out 5 and 5 for J2555, so my KK takes it down. After the hand, the two people who folded pre-flop say they folded AK and KQ. So I basically won a $45k pot on a 0 outer to an NFL star running back (and those are typically the type you don't want to mess with!) He was gracious, though, and his competitive edge led him to play almost every single pot I raised all night, which made for some very fun times.
LPA: Can you describe your type of play??
VS: Switch it up between loose aggressive and tight aggressive, depending on who is at the table. Usually more LAG though.
LPA: Can you give us some advice as to your strategy for playing in a tournament setting?
VS: Figure out your opponents leaks and exploit them. You have to constantly adjust.
LPA: Can you tell us how important the following elements are to YOUR game?
Tells?
VS: I probably give off massive tells myself but I think it's way overrated.
LPA: Psychology?
VS: This is pretty big - gotta know what level your opponent is on and be one step ahead.
LPA: Patients?
VS: If I'm at a table where no one folds, patience is definitely key.
LPA: Knowing your opponent?
VS: Huge, as I said.
LPA: Anything else you view as critical?
VS: Just really gathering information and applying it well. Seeing one hand played a certain way should give you information about 50 different situations, as long as you apply the information correctly.
LPA: Do you prepare in any special way before a tournament? Excercise, diet, meditations?
VS: Not really.
LPA: What was your strategy for the WPT-Ladies Championship?
VS: Didn't change much... I didn't want to get myself into too many marginal spots if I could avoid them, but playing good poker was basically it.
LPA: Was there any player on the table that concerned you most?
VS: Not really. Nancy was frustrating because she's a limit player and didn't ever fold. I was ecstatic to play a player like that as your strategy becomes make a pair and value bet it... unfortunately I ran super terrible and I obviously didn't try to bluff, so I got chipped down every single hand I played.
LPA: Van Nguyen had just won the invitational a month before, what were your concerns or cautions playing against her?
VS: She seemed pretty tight so I wasn't too concerned with her getting in my way. I knew she'd be calling raises or going all in with a more correct range, but that doesn't concern me in any individual hand.
LPA: What was your overall strategy going to the Final table?
Don't know that I had much of one really. Play a lot of pots and put pressure on people.
LPA: In the final hand between you and Nancy, AK vs. A rag, what were your thoughts on the hand?
VS: Completely standard. I had less than 10 big blinds and an A heads up, so I stuck it in. She had called other people with far less than ace high, so I actually stand a decent shot to double up there... I'm obviously also cool with taking it down.
LPA: Can you tell us what the important elements of your game are?
VS: Hand-reading
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?
VS: I've just gotten more used to live poker and tournaments in general. Transitioning from mostly online cash to live tournaments is huge - the play and strategies are just so different. I feel completely confident and comfortable at the table now most of the time, and I'm able to make much better decisions.
LPA: How often do you play?
VS: When I travel, a ton... when home, not so much.
LPA: Where do you play most often?
VS: On the circuit
LPA: What games do you play?
VS: NLH, PLO, O8... that’s mostly it though I can play almost anything (just not, erm, well...)
LPA: What advice do you have for anyone just starting out?
VS: Study and play a ton of hands.
LPA: What differences do you see between poker on TV and the tournaments you play? VS: Poker on TV is usually pretty short stacked as the blinds are big by then... much more actual poker being played in the earlier levels.
LPA: What differences do you see between online poker and live poker?
VS: Live players are more passive and generally weaker.
LPA: What differences do you see between tournaments and cash games?
VS: They're different games with different considerations, especially the deeper you get into a tourney.
LPA: What environment do you prefer when you play poker, live, tournaments, cash, online?
VS: I prefer live tournaments just because they're more of a challenge and live games for me are more fun. I don't think sitting in front of computer for hours on end is the healthiest of things to do =)
LPA: When you play mixed tournaments, not ladies events, what differences are there in play?
VS: More aggressive, like to call down more.
LPA: What advantages do you believe women have in the game?
VS: If they learn to play they'll get little respect and can use it to their advantage.
LPA: Is there any poker player that you admire?
VS: Too many to name - I have a ton of friends from online poker that are very very good.
LPA: Has any pro player instructed you on your play?
VS: Other than berating me at a table, no
LPA: Is it correct that you are a coach? What do you look for in a new student?
VS: Yep, I take most people who want to pay =) That said, the ones who are diligent and study their game outside of playing and lesson time capitalize most on my instruction.
LPA: Where do you see yourself in the world of poker in 5 years?
VS: I'll probably dabble in tournamnets here and there still and continue to play a bit for fun. I'll stick with DeucesCracked and continue to teach a bit... law school will be tough to juggle with poker but after that, I'll be in a 9-5 and can have a healthy side hobby so I don't starve in the non-profit world!
by Crystal Osgood-Gray
Photos courtesy of World Poker Tour
Photos courtesy of Vanessa Selbst
Men and Women Welcome
