The Online Poker Expert

Poker has always been associated with luck, but Vanessa Rousso, the “Lady Maverick” of the poker world, makes everything seem ridiculously easy. A member of Team PokerStars, Rousso just made her first appearance at a World Poker Tour (WPT) final table. Rousso was one of the final six players and the only female in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic — a stop on the WPT tour. She finished in third place, which is a great outcome for a first-timer. (You can see full tournament results at WorldPokerTour.com.)

Though she placed behind first place winner, Antonio Esfandiari, who took home $870,124; and Andrew Robl, who came in second at $549, 003; Rousso’s final winnings were an impressive $358,964. She has definitely earned her reputation as a powerful player and a force to be reckoned with in a game that predominantly consists of men.

So who is this player who seems to always have the fates smiling down upon her? She’s a Duke University economics graduate, former law school student and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. What? Yes. That’s right; she has both beauty and brains. At Duke University, she had a full scholarship and graduated with honors. It was there that she was first introduced to game theory, which mathematically examines an individual’s behavior and success in strategic situations. Upon graduation, Rousso went off to law school at The University of Miami, where she initially wanted to become a securities litigator. Though she was in the top five percent of her class, poker caught her attention and she never looked back. And it looks as though she made the right decision.

Be prepared to see more of this multi-talented, well-educated woman. She won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, you will probably be seeing a lot more from her in the upcoming months.

Photo by Davide Guglielmo