Exclusive interview with Vanessa Selbst (English Version)
Vanessa Selbst has something that not everyone has: the admiration of his colleagues. She divides her time between his passions: playing poker and studying law at Yale.
She achieved great results in the Series WSOP and won several tournaments. Interested in politics and various sports. We present here a great poker player, born in New Jersey, on July 9, in 1984: Vanessa Selbst in www.hablandodepoker.com
You have a high prestige in the World of Poker. Many admires you. How did you achieve that?
To get to this level took a lot of years of playing experience, and a lot of hard work in studying the game. When I first started playing, all I did 24 hours, seven days a week was play or think about poker. Even now, I'm constantly talking to friends about strategy and thinking about my own game and how to improve it. I think that's the most important thing to get to the top level - to never be satisfied with your current achievements, and always continue to grow.
Was the bracelet in the Por Limit Omaha in the WSOP 2008 a turning point in your proffesional career?
This was definitely the first major win that I had, but honestly it was more of a nice accomplishment before I left poker to go back to law school. NAPT Mohegan Sun 2010, two years later, was much more of a turning point, because it was then that I decided to pursue poker as a valid career option, rather than focusing on becoming a lawyer.
You´ve got NAPT Mohegan Sun twice, the last one you´ve got it some weeks before. How can you define your participation on this tournament?
I think I played well most of the tournament again and obviously got some tremendous luck to be able to take down the tournament twice. You have to have luck to win any tournament, and Connecticut (where Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods are) seems to agree with me, since I win so many tournaments there!
How do you distribute your time for Poker and the others activities?
Right now it's difficult to balance, because I'm still in law school and have one semester left. I try to divide my time into weeks at a time, because I find it difficult to study in the days or weeks when I'm playing poker. So I'll do a poker trip for a few weeks, and then go back to school for a few weeks to catch up on my classes and reading. For instance, I'm going to be spending August barely playing any poker, since I will be writing a paper for school. But that will all end in January when I finish, and then the balance will be made for more fun things, like tennis, golf, basketball, reading... normal things like that.
What means to you to be a PokerStars Team Pro?
Pokerstars is the best poker site in the world, hands down. It's been an amazing experience to work with them - they provide opportunities I would not have otherwise, and I have met so many great people through working there. I am very proud to represent Pokerstars as a member of Team Pro.
Which are your goals in the World of Poker?
To win the WSOP Main Event - that's everyone's goal, right?
Seriously, my immediate goal once I have more time in January is to spend more time learning all the mixed games. I know them OK, and will be playing mixed events this summer at the WSOP, but I have a whole lot of room for improvement. I think that come this time next year, I'm going to be crushing mixed games... so everyone better watch out!
What do you know about Poker in Argentina? Do you know any player?
Nacho Barbero is a good friend of mine and he is an amazing player... and I know the other Pokerstars pros from Argentina as well. You guys have some talent down there, and I can't wait to get to an LAPT event to see for myself!
Finishing the interview, What tips can you give to an advanced amateur who wants to perfect his game about playing Heads Up?
Don't just play your cards - in Heads Up, the most important thing to think about is your opponent's cards. That way you can decide when to bluff or value bet more effectively since you know what she is likely to have, and whether or not she is likely to call you down.
By Patocuac08
Translation: Tiagosik