Regarded as one of the premier poker competitors in the world, Vanessa Selbst stands out. female poker player She notably made history by becoming the first woman to attain the top position on the Global Poker Index .
With around $11.8 million in tournament winnings, she ranks among the top 100 players in overall lifetime earnings.
At the start of 2018, Vanessa shocked the poker The poker community was taken by surprise when she announced her decision to retire.
Origins
Born in New York in 1984, Vanessa discovered her passion for poker in her teenage years, starting with home games. She began playing online poker while pursuing her political science degree at Yale University.
She gained widespread attention during the 2006 World Series of Poker , where she earned a substantial $101,285 for her seventh-place finish in the $2,000 No Limit Hold’em event.
This achievement marked the onset of a successful poker career for Vanessa.
In the ensuing years, she would achieve even greater victories.
Notable Wins
Just two years after her initial cash at WSOP, Vanessa clinched her first WSOP gold bracelet.
- She triumphed in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event, taking home $227,933 along with the coveted championship bracelet.
With her undeniable talent and positive trajectory, it was no shock when Vanessa recorded her highest career payout in 2010. She won an impressive 1.3 million euros at the 8,500 NLHE event during the Partouche Poker Tour in Cannes, France.
In the final heads-up match, she defeated Raphael Kroll with QQ as her winning hand, triumphing over noted players like Tobias Reinkemeier and Soren Kongsgaard along the way.
In 2011, Vanessa made history as the first player to successfully defend her title in the North American Poker Tour Main Event, having won the tournament the previous year.
Her victory in 2011 brought her a prize of $450,000 from a field of 387 participants.
- The final table was broadcasted, highlighting Vanessa's exceptional skills.
During the intense heads-up confrontation, she eliminated Dan Shak, securing her victory with K7o as her final hand.
Given her remarkable achievements, it was no surprise by 2013 that Vanessa topped the earnings chart for female live tournament players.
She also distinguished herself as the first woman to secure three gold bracelets at the WSOP.
Online Poker Team Pro
Although she initially gained experience in online poker, the bulk of her notable successes were achieved in live tournaments.
Her initial screen name on Pokerstars was fslexcduck , but she later opted for V. Selbst upon joining the Pokerstars Team Pro.
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Her account has recorded roughly 1,000 hands in a publicly tracked database. In that limited sample, Selbst faced a loss of around $40,000 in PLO, which is a minuscule amount. Thus, these results do not accurately reflect Vanessa's prowess against other competitors. The larger sample might likely have yielded a more favorable financial outcome. |
As a part of the Pokerstars Team Pro, Vanessa featured prominently on various poker shows, engaging in live cash games, including
- Poker Night in America
- High Stakes Poker
- Pokerstars Big Game
Many fans were introduced to Vanessa through her hyper-aggressive gaming style showcased in these televised events. One notable moment was her infamous call of a 7bet pre-flop with J7s.
This particular hand occurred against Prahlad Friedman on the Pokerstars Big Game, where Friedman revealed pocket Aces and ultimately claimed a $340,000 pot after repeating the action thrice.
Vanessa expressed visible frustration with her performance during that hand. Yet, it serves as a prime example of her tenacious style and readiness to engage even with suboptimal hands.
Poker Retirement
In a surprising turn, Vanessa informed the poker community of her retirement. retirement from professional play in 2018.
She attributed this decision to ethical considerations and the pressures of constant public scrutiny.
- She elaborated on how being constantly evaluated and criticized eventually took its toll on her mental health.
On the ethical front, she mentioned that she found it uncomfortable to promote an environment where amateur players were encouraged to participate, knowing that a large percentage would ultimately lose their investments.
- Furthermore, Vanessa felt that being a professional poker player was becoming increasingly akin to working a typical job, and she wasn't certain if that was due to heightened competition or her own aging.
After stepping back from the poker scene, Selbst joined Bridgewater Associates, a hedge fund, and continued her philanthropic efforts through Venture Justice, an organization she founded in 2010.
Life After Poker
The organization's mission is to support initiatives advocating for racial justice, economic equality, and combating police misconduct and government overreach.
She is also actively involved in championing rights for the LGBT community.
Another factor motivating her retirement seemed to be her desire to devote more time to her family. She married Miranda Foster in 2013, and they welcomed a son together in 2018.
Despite her various reasons for stepping back, it appears that the allure of poker was too strong for Vanessa to resist for long.
Update: ship the bracelet! pic.twitter.com/gmYJhRtD3j
— Vanessa Selbst ?️? (@VanessaSelbst) July 24, 2020
Her tweets from 2021 indicate that she has returned to online poker, engaging once more with the community.
Moreover, she is currently involved with the LearnWPT training program, which encompasses a variety of poker coaching resources, including
We certainly haven’t seen the last of Vanessa. It's just a matter of time before she starts producing significant results once again in the poker world.
- Tournaments
- Cash games
- Live play
- Online play
- Mindset coaching
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