I skipped SCOOP (and that's okay)

by Vanessa Selbst on May 28, 2013 10:42 AM

My last days in Monte Carlo were mostly spent fielding the question "Where are you playing SCOOP?" The question is never "Are you playing SCOOP?" or "Do you think you'll play SCOOP this year?" or "Do you have anything else going on in your life that would cause you to choose not to spend the next two weeks playing online poker?" because there are some times in poker that are just assumed that you're going to participate--everyone does. The question becomes as common as "What did you have for dinner?"...more

Family road trip

by Vanessa Selbst on April 26, 2013 6:54 AM

Moving our United States home base recently meant packing two adults, two huge suitcases, several large carry-on bags, one mostly-deflated air mattress, three pillows, and two five-pound dogs into a cherry red hybrid, New York City bound. Although I had driven cross-country before, I usually crammed all of the driving...more

At home in London

by Vanessa Selbst on March 25, 2013 6:14 AM

Going to London is always exciting for me. It feels like a home away from home. I've probably been there a total of ten times, and I lived in London briefly last spring. It feels similar to New York City, which is where I grew up, and I realized that...more

Kitchen range merge

by Vanessa Selbst on February 28, 2013 6:48 AM

People are always surprised to hear that one of my passions is cooking. I don't know why that is. I'm not sure if it's because cooking is seen as a traditionally feminine thing, but for some reason, people (especially poker players) are always surprised when I wake up early to...more

Good start to 2013, but more to come

by Vanessa Selbst on January 18, 2013 7:06 AM

I'm not generally one for sentimentality, but I can't help but be reflective at the start of a new year. January 1 sort of compels you to think back on the last year of your life--the things you accomplished or didn't accomplish--and think about how you might do things differently...more

In the clouds, back in time

by Vanessa Selbst on December 12, 2012 7:26 AM

When I was in law school, I went on an exchange program in Argentina. We stayed for one month in Buenos Aires, where we studied at the University of Palermo. We went to classes, met professors and judges, hung out with students, and practiced our Spanish. When I left Argentina,...more

Digging deep

by Vanessa Selbst on November 8, 2012 7:49 AM

Editor's note: In the run-up to the WSOP Main Event final table, Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst coached final table player Jesse Sylvia who eventually finished runner-up for $5,292,889. Here she explains how it's helped her think about her own game. Since returning home from WSOP Europe, I've been thinking...more

I'd rather be lucky AND good, by Vanessa Selbst

by Simon Young on November 12, 2010 2:35 AM

by Vanessa Selbst As poker players, we know theoretically that there are many factors beyond our control that are subject to luck, but we never really dissect just how they come into play. We lament the two-outers we suffer and celebrate the flushes that come in on the river. But...more