Cardschat Presents: An Hour with Vanessa Selbst

Debi

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We are honored and excited to have pokerstars Team Pro Vanessa Selbst joining us at Cardschat! She will be in this thread for 1 hour answering questions from our members.

Date: Saturday, January 19th
Time: 12pm noon until 1pm ET


I will open this thread on Jan 12th so that some of you can get some questions in early. You can also post questions during the hour she is here - Vanessa will try to answer as many questions as possible in that 1 hour time frame.

What kind of questions can you ask? You can ask her questions about her poker career, about poker itself, you can ask her non-poker questions - anything you want as long as it is respectful and in good taste.

I feel confident that our members will be respectful and ask great questions. However moderators will be deleting any posts/questions that are not in good taste. :)

In an effort to share as much as possible with us Vanessa may skip posts that are irrelevant etc in order to get to as many good questions as possible.

Start thinking about what you want to ask her now!

Meanwhile if you want to discuss this exciting event you can do so here:

Welcome Vanessa Selbst to Cardschat on Jan 19!
 
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Debi

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Thread unlocked and ready for questions!

I will start by welcoming you to Cardschat Vanessa. You have a lot of fans here and we appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to come here and chat with us.

I have a question to get us started.

You had a phenomenal year last year - we were all supporting you here during the wsop. Are there specific things you to do mentally and physically to prepare for a big series like that?

I ask because I was fortunate enough to have dinner with you in the middle of it all (2p2 Girl's dinner at the Cosmo - sat next to you). It seemed to me that you had a lot going on last year outside of poker - and for you to be able to go in and be so focused and play so well is just extraordinary.

And just want to add a huge congrats on your recent engagement - I met Miranda at dinner that night too and wish the best to both of you!

-Debi
 
domeburglar

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Hey Vanessa,

Big fan! Thanks for taking the time to do this for us all.. First of all Congratulations on your engagement!

I was wondering at what was the turning point in your poker career? Like at what point did you decide ok this is something I really would like to do for a living? Was it more based off financial gains or the love for the game?

Also, How do you deal with people putting you down about playing poker early on? Family, Friends, Etc. that is if there were any of course?

Thanks again,
Domeburglar
 
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Maybe you could ask vanessa how she developed her calm, appearing(most of the time) demeanor at the table. I havent really seen her act tilty much, at least on TV.:) That is definitely something all of us could work on more, for sure.THANKS
 
kidkvno1

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Hi Vanessa

Congrats on your engagement!

What would be the number one thing you would tell MTT players to do online and offline for playing big games??

Kid
 
T-Dubs82

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how, if any, has anything you learned during law school helped your game?
 
JohnBoyWWFC

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Maybe you could ask vanessa how she developed her calm, appearing(most of the time) demeanor at the table. I havent really seen her act tilty much, at least on TV.:) That is definitely something all of us could work on more, for sure.THANKS

Erm, really?

Anyway, onto a question :) After watching that hand, how do you deal with players going for you? In that, I mean, when you're going to be playing a much wider range, you're going to be looked up a lot more, as we saw with Kevin in that hand. Does that make it difficult to carry on playing such a wide range and being so aggressive since you're not going to be believed very often?
 
BLACKSTACK

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Vanessa how does it feel to win the 25k high roller event and to become the leader of the womens list in earnings?
 
nabmom

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Hi Vanessa,

Congrats on your win on the 13th! Very impressive. Congrats also on the bluff Magazine award for favorite female player.

How do you prepare for the grind of these long tournaments? How do you keep alert and focused?

What was involved in coaching Jesse Sylvia for the final table of the WSOP ME? How was that experience for you.

I just read the wonderful article about you in the Atlantic. How much of a barrier still exists for women players in live poker?

Who are the poker players you'd put on your dream team for an MTT? How about for a cash game?

What's the last book you read?
 
wagon596

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I don't have any questions, but I'm sure looking forward to reading your interview with her. I have the highest regards for her as a person and as a poker player.
 
sam1chips

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Hi Vanessa,

Very big fan. First of all congrats on your engagement, and congrats on winning the the PCA $25k high roller!

You play a very aggressive, unconventional style of poker. Some of your raises and 3-bets with mediocre cards would never be considered "ABC poker". However, you have obviously had success playing like that.

So I guess my question is...how do you decide when it is a 'good spot' to decide to be aggressive? Because we assume that you aren't saying "I'm a little bored, now will be a good time to raise with any two cards." So how do you decide when you're gonna make a move? Is it your opponents physical appearance/comfort level, or is it more statistical information, like bet sizing etc?
 
OpenTheCan

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Hi Venessa,
First off you are someone i look up to in the poker world. I strive to be half as skilled as you. I wanted to know if it was important to play a little tighter than normal in the beginning levels and try to get a read on your tablemates before loosing up and changing your play?
 
Vex444

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Will you be playing in this years WSOP mail event? Hope so cause counting on you to take it down be first woman to win. Oh just for luck get married on July 15th.
 
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CAMurray

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Vanessa,

I have no "Female Player" questions or comments because other than some equipment differentiation, I see no difference at the poker table. Thank you so much for taking the time to allow us to pick your brain a bit. I have some tournament and cash questions.

(MTT-1) When prepping Jessy Sylvia for the final table at the 2012 WSOP ME, I understand you had some table time with him on day 6 (nice run btw) so what were your main recommendations for his game while at the Final Table?

(MTT-2) I have always admired your style per stage of play in tournaments. Im pretty sure your of the mind that playing aggressively early in MTTs to either build or bust. Is this true & If so, can you give us some more specifics?

(MTT-3) I understand the basic school of thought with regards to Bank Roll Management but Im curious, when you were "coming up" what were your limits/BR in MTTs?

(CASH-1) When you were "coming up" what were your limits/BR at the cash tables?

(CASH-2) If you had to generalize your style of play at the cash games, what would it be?

(CASH-3) Having graduated Yale Law, Im sure your capable of staying focused for days at a time but at what point, time wise do you end a day of cash play, or do you just wait for the game to wrap up?

Thanks a bunch and wishing you well from Reno

Chris Murray
 
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I have heard a lot of people say that poker was a fad that is over. Do think the amount of players will decline or rise in the next five years? I think that when America legalizes online poker it will contribute to a second poker boom. Thanks
 
LarkMarlow

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Hi Vanessa!

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to visit with us. What an honor this is.

I also read the article about you in the Atlantic. Loved learning that your mom paid her way through MIT playing poker and served as your mentor. What a legacy. What do you consider to be the best advice she ever gave you?

Other than your mom, who do you consider to have had the most influence on your game? Inspired you the most?

Has your study of law informed your game in any way? If so, how?

Do you have any plans for writing a book?

What do you foresee for your future?

Lark
 
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Cafeman

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Hey Vanessa

As a cash gamer I've obviously seen the excellent Unconventional Wisdom and Remix series on DC. A couple of questions really.

1) A lot changed between the two series as a function of the games changing (being more passive, inducing, aggressive checking(lol), etc.), and even though it's been a while since you made the last one (2009?), which parts of these video series spring to mind as the most relevant to todays games?

2) When are you going to give DJ Sensei a nudge and make another series on cash following on from these?

Congrats on your personal and professional wins.
 
acky100

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Hey Vanessa, not enough cash game questions in here and we all know that as well as crushing tournaments for fun, you're more than competent in cash games!

So about cash games here, can you remember any particular poker epiphanies that helped you advance through small stakes nlhe to midstakes or even highstakes?

How much off the table work did you typically do when grinding cash games, and what types would you consider helped the most, when advancing through stakes where the majority of players are pretty decent such as the nl200 games of today?

Many many thanks for doing this Vanessa! Keep up the good work :)
 
PLAYINBIG

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Hi Vanessa ,from Kentucky here.What would be the best advice that you would give to an average solid poker player that wanted to improve their game so that they would notice a positive impact in their game quickly?
Thanks & hope ya the best in life.
 
tenbob

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Hi Vanessa,

Congrats on your recent win. Just how much time do you spend playing on the cash tables, what limits do you typically play and if you had to tell us which format do you perfer (MTT or cash) and why ?
 
AlfieAA

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hi vanessa

When and/or how did you realize you had what it takes to compete with pro players? How long did it take you to get there?
And Who first taught you to play the game?...Thanks :)
 
JusSumguy

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When you have a good (scary) player at the table who plays back at you without fear... how do you adjust?

-
 
bz54321

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Do you only play poker or do you gamble on other things also like prop bets, sports, and casino table games?
 
Debi

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Have you and Miranda set a date for your wedding yet? Are you planning a large wedding?

I know you travel a lot of the year - but will your primary residence be in California? (I think that is where you said you live or were going to be living)

Will you share a home with Vanessa, Liv and Maria again during the WSOP? Sounded like you all really enjoyed it last year.

What/when is your next tournament series? What is your favorite series to compete in every year?
 
acky100

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What do you think the best line is here or gameplan for our overall range.
I thought it was a spot where i really don't want to bet much of my range so my cbetting range is probably quite polarised, my check calling range is pretty wide and not just hands like TT and i will also be check raising some bluffs and value hands on the flop (KThh stuff maybe). I'm not sure what i like doing with this particular hand though? seems kind of weak to check call without a diamond? How would you approach spots like this and do you think its a good idea to have a turn check raising range also? (something i don't think i really have here at the moment) Villain was a 16/14 reg and didnt fold to a ton of cbets fwiw, Thanks!

$0.50/$1 No Limit Holdem
PokerStars
9 Players
Hand Conversion Powered by weaktight.com

Stacks:
Hero (UTG) ($119.23) 119bb
UTG+1 ($95.53) 96bb
MP1 ($110) 110bb
MP2 ($37.32) 37bb
MP3 ($127.29) 127bb
CO ($85.64) 86bb
BTN ($36.64) 37bb
SB ($100.16) 100bb
BB ($96.50) 97bb

Pre-Flop: ($1.50, 9 players) Hero is UTG K:club: A:spade:
Hero raises to $3, 3 folds, MP3 calls $3, 4 folds

Flop: 8:diamond: Q:heart: 5:diamond: ($7.50, 2 players)
Hero checks, MP3 bets $5, Hero calls $5

Turn: K:heart: ($17.50, 2 players)
Hero checks, MP3 bets $11, Hero calls $11

River: 5:club: ($39.50, 2 players)
Hero checks, MP3 checks

Final Pot: $39.50
MP3 shows
J:diamond: A:diamond:
Hero shows two pair, Kings and Fives
K:club: A:spade:

Hero wins $37.72 (net +$18.72)

MP3 lost $19
 
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