Its four short hours before the 2011 PCA Women's Caribbean Adventure 1K Main Event and the women who are scheduled to play today are soaking up some last minute advice from someone who knows a thing or two about winning these events. A conference room down the hall from the main tournament room is filled to capacity with women from all walks of life. Some are satellite players playing their first live event, and some are tournament veterans looking to pick up a few pointers to add to their already substantial skills. The oldest participant today is 70, but most are in their twenties and thirties, although the 40-60 contingent is well represented too.

This room at 9 a.m. the morning before a big poker tournament, when most poker players would be sound asleep, is as serious as a college lecture hall, as Vanessa Rousso hits the ground running. She laughs and parries with her audience, loosening them up for the four hours of theory and analysis that are to come. Her students are solemn and a bit slow to warm up to the banter until the first cups of coffee kick in, but Vanessa keeps the tone light as she tells jokes and pokes fun at herself--referring to "her ADD brain" that causes her to get bored and jump from topic to topic.

She refers to herself as a "dork" in school who "read everything she could get her hands on." But don't let those self-deprecating remarks fool you. As a result of all that "dorkiness," Vanessa wound up receiving a full scholarship to Duke University where she studied game theory, which ultimately led to her career in poker. She got her degree in two-and-a-half years but felt she wasn't taken seriously when she went for job interviews in her field. She decided to go to grad school in Florida and got into playing poker there. Her poker tournament career started there with a $263,625 cash in the WPT $25,000 NL Championship in 2006.

The women here today have come from as far away as Finland to play in this tournament, and they are soaking up every word as Vanessa gives them strategies and theory to help them advance their game to the next level. The majority of the women in the room won their entry into Vanessa's Big Slick Boot Camp as part of the PokerStars Women's Caribbean Adventure Package and they are trying to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from one of PokerStars most famous and most successful pros.

The boot camp lasts half a day and the booklet that comes along with the lecture is titled Poker Tournament Theory--Optimal Strategy Phase by Phase. But it is so much more than that. It's starting hand requirements, pot odds, hand analysis, and tips on how to deal with the physical and emotional challenges of a long tournament. It's also answering questions that are sometimes slightly off subject, but important nevertheless and Vanessa answers every one.

She throws out facts and figures, jumping from one minor segue way to another, but always returning to the focus of the day--how to win the $1000 buy-in tournament they are all about to play. And Vanessa is perhaps the best person on the planet to tell them how to win this particular tournament, since she won it here herself last year, in 2010. In addition, Vanessa is a seasoned tournament pro who recently finished the year as one of the top female money winners with a third place finish at the Bellagio Five Diamond Classic in December 2010 for $358,964. Her biggest cash to date was in May of 2009 at the EPT Grand Final, where she won the 25K High Roller Tournament for $946,696.

The next four hours fly by as Vanessa talks and entertains (she's a natural teacher who obviously enjoys what she does and is good at it). The women study and internalize the content, even taking a couple of "pop quizzes" along the way to test their comprehension. They have learned the basics like hand selection and position, but there were also a few concepts thrown in that you won't see in other poker boot camps. For instance, from Vanessa's hand- out, Flirting with Short-Handed Play, there is a section called "The Importance of Foreplay," and another called "I'll Show you Mine If You Show Me Yours." No secrets will be revealed here, so if you want to know what that's about, sign up for the next boot camp!

By the time the morning is over the women are chatting with each other (and Vanessa) like old friends, and they have made a giant step in advancing their poker skill set. They file out of the room chatting and laughing, but armed with an arsenal of tools that will help them fight their way through a field of players in the next two days that includes many pros and advanced players. They are armed and ready, but they are also having the time of their lives!

As we reported yesterday, Rousso made the final table of the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas, and earlier today she busted in third for $358,964. That pushes her to the $3 million earnings mark, and means she is now closing in on Annette Ostebrad for the position of fourth most successful female player of all time (behind Kathy Liebert, Annie Duke and fellow Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst).

It all ended for Rousso today when, short-stacked behind Antonio Esfandiari and Andrew Robl, she moved all-in from the button for her last 1.95 million chips. Esfandiari made the easy call from the big blind with [ac][qs], dominating Rousso's [qh][2h]. The board ran [7d][6h][5c][3s][8s] and that blankety-blank ensured Esfandiari's ace-high was good.

That scoop meant Esfandiari and Robl went into heads-up play about even, before Esfandiari took the title and $870,124. Robl collected $549,003 for second.

Congratulations on the big score, Vanessa.

In all that time, however, Rousso has never won a World Poker Tour main event. She's come tantalizingly close, but she's not notched that victory. Tonight, she has the chance.

Late last night, Rousso finished at the top of the six remaining at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. She sits among some poker's more well-known players (including a WSOP November Niner).

Here's how the final table looks going into play today.

Seat 1. Antonio Esfandiari - 2,105,000
Seat 2. Vanessa Rousso - 5,830,000
Seat 3. Ted Lawson - 635,000
Seat 4. John Racener - 3,235,000
Seat 5. Kirk Morrison - 2,650,000
Seat 6. Andrew Robl - 3,210,0000

"Days like today are what it's all about," she said, "The pressure, the stakes, the lead, the game...I live for this!"

Best of luck to Rousso today!

But what about that $3.7 million she won in a little over four years--going head-to-head with the world's toughest poker pros around the globe? And let's not forget those poker boot camps she teaches to neophyte poker players, utilizing her degree from Duke and her background in game theory. Then of course, there's her very public persona as a Go Daddy girl and a spokesperson for PokerStars, a position that keeps her front and center in the public eye. All rather ordinary, wouldn't you agree?

Okay, maybe not "ordinary," the operative word seems to be extraordinary. But when you watch our special 17-minute documentary video at the end of this story, you'll see that given all that, she is still grounded and focused and not a bit like what you might expect from someone who has achieved megastar status in the poker world at a very young age (27) and in a very short time (four years).

Star or not, Vanessa is one of the most approachable pros on the circuit and has a legion of fans who occupy the rail at every tournament, waiting to catch a word from her or maybe a smile. And at every opportunity, she makes sure they are rewarded with exactly what they came for. She chats with them at breaks, and poses for pictures with a smile and a hug.

But all this is not something she lucked into, as her mom, Cindy Rousso, who sometimes travels with her, will tell you. She is quick to point out that Vanessa has always made the most of the opportunities presented to her. In the video below, she talks about Vanessa's goal-oriented personality and says that her daughter is "an extraordinary young woman." So there you have it, even mom agrees, extraordinary is the word we're looking for!

So what is it really like to be Vanessa Rousso? Is it all fun and games with a few million dollars thrown in and overflowing glasses of champagne? She gives us a quick rundown in one quick clip from the video, so here are a few highlights from just one five-week whirlwind:

Five weeks in the life of Vanessa Rousso
• Leaves Las Vegas (where she lives) and flies to Connecticut to teach a Big Slick Boot Camp in New Hampshire
• Teaches a boot camp there, then plays in the Main Event at Mohegan Sun where she makes it to tenth place out of a field of 800. She cashes for $45,000
• The next day she is on a plane to Paris to film a commercial for PokerStars that takes three days
• Then she travels to San Remo where she teaches another boot camp
• She plays in the EPT San Remo Main Event and does more media events
• Plays the Ladies Event in San Remo
• Arrives in Monte Carlo where the video An Ordinary Girl is being shot
• Teaches a boot camp there and plays the Main Event
• Wraps up with three parties and events in one night
• And finally, back to Las Vegas the next day where she plans to finally have some down time

So check out the video below and see for yourself what it's like to be a star in the poker world as one of the lead spokespersons for PokerStars. Now that you've heard all about it, maybe it does sound like all that jet setting and playing for millions of dollars would get a bit tiring. It's a very busy world and one that Vanessa revels in, but it has its ups and downs as you will see. It's a life that has given her an incredible amount of monetary reward and public recognition, and has led to meeting the man she married, fellow Team PokerStars Pro, Chad Brown.

If you have the opportunity to see Vanessa at an event near you, be sure to say "hello" and have your picture taken. Or better yet, attend one of her boot camps, and you will learn some of the nuances she has to offer about the game that has brought her so much. In the process, maybe you will have a chance to bask in that golden glow that surrounds her a little bit. And while you're at it, you can see for yourself whether the lady is "ordinary," or maybe more appropriately extraordinary.

]]> http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/2010/vanessa-rousso-just-an-ordinary-girl-074768.html http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/2010/vanessa-rousso-just-an-ordinary-girl-074768.html Vanessa Rousso PokerStars Women Tue, 19 Oct 2010 01:38:28 -0800 by Vanessa Rousso

Weeeeee! SCOOP is finally here!

This is a time of year that I personally love and very much look forward to. It's great to be able to play some bigger buy-in events from the comfort of my home for once! This is especially true since I have been traveling all around the world lately and actually had to miss the first SCOOP event because my flight from Europe didn't land in time.

One of the best parts about SCOOP in my opinion is that the blind structures are substantially longer than normal, and this allows for skill to play a large role in the results. SCOOP events (even the low and mid-limit events) have increased starting stacks, lengthened blind structures, or both. So, to succeed during SCOOP (or WCOOP, for that matter), you have to prepare yourself for much longer sessions than you are probably used to.

With live events, you rarely ever have to play longer than 9-10 hours in one day, but with SCOOP events, you can easily find yourself playing for 20+ hours straight without anything longer than a 15 minute break. This can be really grueling and it is something that you need to prepare for both mentally and physically. I learned this lesson back in the 2007 WCOOP main event when I came in 3rd out of 3000 players. That took about 24 hours of play (straight!)!

Some tips for dealing with these longer sessions:

1) Adjust your sleep schedule so that you are prepared to be alert late into the night (adjust this according to your time zone of course)

2) Avoid eating high carb meals (these will make you tired)

3) Listen to upbeat music to keep you awake late at night

4) Don't play in bed...that will make you tired

5) Use the breaks efficiently, get up, stretch, get snacks etc.

Finally, SCOOP (and WCOOP) events are kind of like a hybrid between live events and regular online events. You are likely to be at your table longer, with a deeper stack, so you definitely get a greater benefit by paying close attention to what your opponents are doing. This is also true (especially in the High buy-in category) because you play the same opponents over and over again during each event over the two week period. I try to isolate myself from distractions when playing in SCOOP for these reasons...and well, of course, also since there's a lot more money on the line!

I'm very excited to play in all the upcoming events and I will see you at the tables!

by Vanessa Rousso

Wow, what a grind! My road to the final table in last week's World Poker Tour Beau Rivage event, was anything but typical for me. I'm used to making final tables as one the the big stacks--if not THE big stack--at the table. However, this time around, things were not destined to be so.

I came into Day 2 with slightly above average in chips, but obstacle after obstacle throughout Day 2 prevented my chip stack from sustaining any sort of significant growth. It seemed like every time I managed to build a big stack, it was just a matter of hands before a cold deck or bad beat cut one leg out from under me and put me back into the precarious position of a short stack.

Nonetheless, I remained optimistic throughout Day 2, knowing that I was one of the favorites in this relatively weak field and that patience should pay off eventually. Despite having aces cracked twice all in pre-flop against short stacks (as more than a 4:1 favorite each time), and twice running queens into aces, I somehow managed to survive the day (and enter the money) with about 130,000 in chips. At that point, this was roughly one third the average chip stack in play among the 27 remaining players who were to return to play Day 3.

Although I was among the bottom few remaining players in chip count, I woke up on Day 3 with a renewed sense of optimism and purpose. As I ate breakfast that morning, I was overcome with a feeling that today was going to be a good day--and indeed it was. I never managed to build even an average chip stack, yet I held on with all my might as the players around me were eliminated one by one.

I was extremely patient and I put a lot of thought into all of my decisions. This resulted in the fact that every time all my chips went into the middle, I was at least a 3:1 favorite--and luckily I managed to avoid a bad beat when it meant my tournament life. I built a very tight and solid image throughout the day, which meant that often I could steal the blinds and antes before the flop with just a minimum raise. This became very important towards sustaining my stack over the course of the day as I never really managed to go on any sort of a hot streak. Instead, I relied upon periodic min-raises to take down hands before the flop in order to buoy my ever-declining chip stack.

Finally, the tournament director, Johnny Grooms, came over the loudspeaker to announce that we were now down to just one single table of 10. I was elated! Johnny has directed quite a few final tables that I have found myself at over the years, and he was present a year ago when I took 12th in this very same event. But it always seems that every time Johnny is there I somehow manage to slip through the cracks and fall short of a final TV-table (top six) opportunity. So, I was not surprised when he came up to me during one of the breaks and said "Alright Vanessa, make the TV table this time. Focus on top 6."

So you can imagine my disappointment when I was eliminated on the TV table bubble in 7th place. It came down to a classic coin-flip situation. I pushed all in with AK over a mid-position raise by the big stack at the table who called my all in with pocket 10's. A 10 on
the flop meant trips for him and I was unable to produce the miracle that I would need to win the hand. So, I was awarded 7th place which meant a payday of over $79,000. Even more important than the money, I took several important lessons about surviving to the final table as a short stack with me when I left Mississippi. I learned the extent to which patience can pay and the importance of making big lay-downs along the way. Ultimately, even though I fell short of the final TV table, I am excited about what I believe to be a the start to a very successful year at the tables.

Now, I'm on my way to Russia for the launch of the Russian Poker Tour in St. Petersburg where I hope to make another final table. Wish me luck!

As the inaugural PokerStars WCOOP $10k buy-in event looms large, I feel like I did as a kid in the days leading up to Christmas. On September 7th at 2:30 p.m ET, Poker Stars will launch WCOOP Event 5, a $10,300 buy-in with a whopping $2 million guaranteed prize pool. With that kind of guarantee, you can expect at least 200, players in the running. Never before (to my knowledge at least) has there been an online poker tournament of this scale--rivaling some of the most prestigious live big-buy-in circuit events.You can rest assured that many of the world's top pros will ante up for this first-of-its-kind event. So even if you can't afford to play, you won't want to miss the action from the sidelines. PokerStars will be running WCOOP livestream radio broadcasts on the 7th to cover this event in addition to a highlights show on pokerstars.tv on the 8th.

As for me, I just arrived in Barcelona for the EPT Barcelona event, which begins here on the 10th of September, only to realize that if I intended to keep up with the daily WCOOP events (which I wouldn't miss for anything), I would have to completely switch up my sleep schedule. This is because the events are scheduled for 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. EST daily--which translates to 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. in the time zone that I am in! So it looks like I won't be getting to bed until 6:00 a.m. or so, in order to be prepared to go deep in the WCOOP events. Luckily for me, the EPT events here happen to start unusually late in the day (3 p.m. for the main event and as late s 9 p.m. for some of the prelims). This means that my night-owl sleep schedule will jive well with playing in some of the live events I plan to play in the coming weeks as well.

With that, I'm off to get some dinner...or, would that be breakfast? :) Best of luck to all of you that plan to join me in the upcoming WCOOP madness, and feel free to stop by my table anytime!

Vanessa Rousso is a member of Team PokerStars.