While covering the
Poker Night in America filming at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, I had the pleasure of meeting Jessica Dawley. Jessica was a participant in the Ladies Night II, a cash poker game of female players. Jessica's road to professional poker is unique.
Following her departure from the military, Dawley returned to life as a regular civilian and graduated from the University of Louisville with degrees in marketing and management. After completing her studies, Dawley was now ready to pursue her dream of becoming a professional poker player. She sold her house, packed her bags, and set off for Las Vegas. With a total bankroll of $3,400, it was sink or swim for Dawley. She managed to build her bankroll up to $10,000 within a few months of grinding cash games at The Wynn. After a sixth-place finish in 2009 Southern Poker Championship event where she won nearly $13,000, Dawley had run her bankroll up over $20,000. Then in 2010, Jessica made a deep run in the Aussie Millions Main Event, finishing 17th for $70,000. She also added a couple World Series of Poker cashes later that summer.In 2011, Dawley packed up her bags again and relocated to Palm Beach, Florida to be closer to her family and the beach. She can now be found grinding regularly at Palm Beach Kennel Club, where she is widely respected as a cash game player.
I follow Jessica on Twitter and she agreed to sit down for a series of questions.
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| Jessica at SugarHouse Casino in Philly |
1).What was your opinion of the Ladies Night II at SugarHouse Casino?"I had never been there before and was not sure what to expect. I was blown away by the service. The event was well run. It was comparable to some of the events that I have played in Las Vegas in terms of organization. The staff was impeccable. This is my 3rd Ladies Only game. I played in one as a charity event and I was also in Ladies Night I at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Florida."
2). How long have you bee playing in major events?"I have been playing major events since 2006. I moved to Vegas with the dream of making it to the level of a professional poker player. That dream came true in 2013 when 888 started sponsoring me."
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| 888 Poker is a sponsor of Poker Night in America |
3). What was your best win so far? "In 2010, I won 70,000 in the Australia Aussie Millions. That was nice!"
4). Who is your toughest opponent and why?"My toughest opponent is a "fish". A fish is tough to read. They don't know what they have so how can you know what they have?"
5). Give two tips/strategies for a female that may want to start playing poker but is intimidated?
"I would play online to get comfortable with the game. I would suggest playing on
888 Poker for
low stakes. You can get your feet wet without anyone yelling at you. I would also suggest that you don't move up too quickly. Don't get ahead of yourself. Look at cash games first and then tournaments. Tournaments are a huge investment while a cash game is steady income. You must make the final table to make real money."
6). How did you perfect your game? "Practice makes perfect. I never read books about the game. Since I was in the Air Force as an intelligence analyst, I am more analytical than I am mathematical. I played at least 50 to 60 per
week. I dedicated myself to poker as a job and not a hobby. You can't have it both ways. I do subscribe to the implied odds theory."
Implied odds are an extension of pot odds that help you decide whether or not a drawing hand is worth calling in the face of a raise. Essentially, the implied odds of a hand tell you how much you expect to win after you make your draw.
If you expect to win a lot more money from your opponent after you make your draw, you have good implied odds.
If you anticipate that you will not be able to get any more money out of your opponent on future rounds, then you have little or no implied odds.
7) Best place to eat is____?"Nobu 57 in New York. It's a chain restaurant but the one in New York City is fancier than the others."
8). Best place to play is ____?"Melbourne Australia is the best place to play. The people are friendly. The weather is gorgeous and the climate is beautiful."
9). What do you do when you are not playing?"I am big on shopping. I also enjoy going to the beach."
10). Compare a Ladies only game to one of both genders?
"Ladies only games are not as serious. You can actually have fun and enjoy the camaraderie with women. Guys tend to be much more serious and not as receptive. The more events like this the better. More women will want to get involved. At this time,the poker community caters to men."
11).What is your next tournament?"I am headed to Las Vegas on 5/27 to play in WSOP at the Rio. The buy in is $565 with a 5 million dollars in prize money for the top finishers."
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| WSOP at Rio in Las Vegas |
You can follow Jessica to see how she does in Vegas on Twitter at . More coverage of Jessica in
Philly is provided by esteemed Philadelphia Daily News reporter .
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