I'm not one to argue with Daniel Negreanu about poker. Never have, never will. The man knows poker and is an international poker celebrity and a spokesperson for PokerStars around the world. So when he made some comments about women in poker recently my ears perked up--especially when he was talking about the women at PokerStars specifically. Now Daniel is known for speaking his mind and letting the chips fall where they may (couldn't resist) and this time is no different. His candid remarks may offend some people (only the fifty percent or so of the population who aren't women) when they are picked up by the media, but I'm happy to report that this time, it certainly won't be women. This time what he said may get the guys a bit steamed, but what's a little tilting here and there? It's all part of the game, right?

So what did he say already? Daniel gets the ball rolling by saying that the "breakout player of the year" was Vanessa Selbst, which came as no surprise if you have been following her amazing success this year. With cashes totaling almost $3M this year, she is a hands-down favorite for that title. As a result, Daniel called her the "team MVP." Vanessa's two major tournament wins this year and her other ITM deep finishes have certainly pushed her to the top tier of that elite group. So that, in and of itself, is a great accomplishment for Vanessa and a very impressive accolade for the women on the team.

But what really surprised me and maybe Daniel himself was the quote that followed. He did some analysis of the PokerStars Team Pro members for 2010 overall, and here's the quote that got my attention: "Another thing I found interesting is how badly the PokerStars boys were outplayed by the women!" Now that's a quote that is bound to get some attention in the press, so as the editor of the PokerStars Women site, I want to be the first to run with it! Daniel is recognizing the incredible strides that women on the team are making and going so far as to say that the men were "outplayed" by the women. Now that's news!

This all came about when Daniel (as he puts it, "a full-fledged stats geek") began analyzing his stats, along with those of the other Team PokerStars Pro members. What he found was that of the top ten players on the team in 2010 (based on earnings) the top two spots were held by women (Vanessa Selbst and Liv Boeree respectively) and Vanessa Rousso brought in the third top ten ranking, just behind Daniels' eighth place finish. This is an incredible feat, considering that women usually make up less than five percent of the field in big open events and represent only seven out of seventy-five spots on the team.

Daniel calls them as he sees them, and his comments are sure to bring home the message to everyone in the poker community that this was the " year of the woman," after all, and for PokerStars female pros in particular, it was a very good year.

To see Daniel's full list and other stats, see this link to his blog.

As 2011 approaches most people that I know are making plans to celebrate with a bottle of champagne and maybe a party with friends. Many of them are also trying to locate a last minute designated driver for the evening so they can enjoy a few drinks before heading back to work the Monday after.

A select group of poker players from around the world however, are looking forward to a different kind of party, one that's a bit more luxurious. They either had a few thousand to spare to pay their entry to this premier event or won it by playing on PokerStars. And for those players lucky enough to attend, it will be the New Year's party of the year. At this party, no designated driver is necessary, since everything is within walking distance at one of the most luxurious resorts in the world--The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.

Instead of a designated driver they will need a few things however; namely flip flops, suntan lotion and a big bag of money to take home the money they are looking to win at the tournament.

Two of the people who will be making that trek are winners of a Luxury Ladies Poker Event package that they won playing satellites on PokerStars. They will be enjoying five days of what can only be described as a poker player's dream vacation. They are looking forward to their entry into a $1k buy-in ladies tournament, expense money for airfare, four nights at the Atlantis, a poker boot camp hosted by Vanessa Rousso, and a holistic mind/body beach camp to get their mental game focused on bringing home the loot when it's all over. The package is worth $3,480, and the two ladies profiled here won it for pennies on the dollar.

Rose Genest, a nurse from Hamilton, Ontario, will be going to the Bahamas as a result of playing a $10 rebuy on PokerStars (total investment of $30). The rebuy got her into the final where she won her seat against 70 other players. She says that she was "in total shock" when she won and when she recovered a bit, she did some "bragging" because she was so proud. It took a week or two for her to come back to earth.

She says she has never been to Atlantis and is looking forward to seeing all the things Atlantis has to offer. Besides the tournament, she is looking forward to meeting some of the women from the PokerStars Women's League. She says, "I have made so many friends from the league and we keep in touch via emails." She says she is also looking forward to the boot camp by Vanessa Rousso. Rose says the biggest live tournament she has played prior to this was a $300 buy-in, so she plans to play some bigger tournaments soon as a warm-up to the PCA.

How will she handle the pros she's bound to run up against at the tournament? "With class, professionalism, and respect. I would treat them as if they were any other poker player." To help out on that end, she says she has been preparing by watching videos and studying their "moves and style of play." She says that if she wins she would "play more poker, which is what I enjoy doing." She would plan to play more events at the WSOP and possibly an NAPT event.

Another qualifier who won her seat on PokerStars is Jennifer Shahade. In addition to being a writer for PokerStars Women (Jennifer writes strategy articles for the site), she is a world class chess player, and a winning poker player. Jennifer has played the Ladies Event at the WSOP and cashed twice, once in 2007 in 17th place, and again in 2008 in 33rd place. Jennifer won her seat in the first tournament she entered on PokerStars, so it looks as though she takes her own advice and knows how to play these things!

Jennifer was hesitant to play the tournament after getting knocked out of a previous tournament on a bad beat. She debated about whether to play, because she was concerned that the result of the previous tournament might influence her play. But apparently, it spurred her on instead, and she went on to win the only seat. The first thing she did after winning was to call her dad. Later that night, she also called her brother, who is a poker pro, to "go over some of the hand histories and discuss some of the key decisions."

Jennifer has never been to the Bahamas, and in addition to "exploring the Atlantis and walking on the beach," she looks forward to "meeting ladies from the PokerStars Women's League at Vanessa Rousso's boot camp." She's also looking forward to experiencing one of the legendary PokerStars parties at the end of the event.

On playing against the pros she comments, "There will be lots of differences in the way I approach a hand against someone I recognize as a professional than with an unknown. For instance, if I'm playing with a big time pro who normally plays in much higher buy-in tournaments, I'll know that they're not very concerned with bubbling, which may influence some of my decisions." During the tournament, she says she "doesn't like to think of the chips as money, because that would make me play way too tight." And if she wins? She says "It would go right back into the poker bankroll! But I'd take some out to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the final table."

And finally, there is Elizabeth Bennett-Martin. Elizabeth will be playing the Main Event at the PCA as a three-for-three winner in the satellites. Elizabeth won her seat for the third year in a row by playing the $11 rebuy on PokerStars. The first year she qualified (in 2009) she was one of only seven female satellite winners, and she cashed in 25th place for $40,000. She was one of only fourteen women in the entire tournament that year, playing against 1,333 men.

Elizabeth's overall investment in the last three years to win three packages has totaled less than $1500. Her first year's buy-in was earned with a $21 investment on her first try. The last two have cost a bit more, but an investment of under $1500 for packages that total in excess of $45,000 is a pretty incredible return on investment. (Packages include the main event buy-in, seven night's hotel, and expenses for airfare and food. This year's package is worth $15,780).

She has brought her entire family along each year, so it is becoming a ritual that they all look forward to. As a matter of fact, her kids check in periodically with her on weekends when she plays poker, anxious to get the green light to start packing again for the Bahamas! She says they give her good luck charms and keep her fortified with Diet Cokes.

In addition to the tournament, what is she looking forward to the most? "My family loves all the water activities and the slides, and we enjoy eating at all the restaurants," Elizabeth says. She also likes going into town to explore and shop at the Straw Market.
Elizabeth considers herself a "serious recreational player," who doesn't plan to play professionally. She is an attorney and loves her job, so would never give it up to play poker. She also coordinates a charity called CLEW (Cambodian Legal Education for Women) that pays for the education of young girls to attend law school in Cambodia. They are currently supporting 25 girls at university. If she cashes again, she plans to donate some of the money to the charity.

These are just a few of the skilled (and lucky!) women who will be playing the PCA in January. We will check in with many more of them during the event and keep you informed of their progress. Until then, play some satellites and win your seat so you can join us there! It's going to be a blast!

More information: PokerStars Luxury Ladies Event.

As a new decade approaches, poker players around the world will resolve to tilt less, bluff better and check-raise the river more often. This year, I'm going to focus my new year's resolutions on live play. In the flesh, tournaments are pricier and higher variance than multi-tabling online, so mistakes can be costly.

With a little help from pros, I came up with my resolutions just in time for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Ladies Weekend (January 13-17). During that time, I'll be giving my keyboard and mouse a much-deserved rest, and concentrating on live play.

I'll learn to love my table image
Despite playing thousands of online games, I handle my chips like a turtle threading a needle. This combined with being female (many assume women are weaker players until gaining evidence to the contrary) makes me look less experienced than I am. Although this is generally a negative (I'd prefer to be feared), there can also be positives. People assume I play straightforwardly. For instance, if I check raise someone's c-bet, even on a dry board, my opponent is much more likely to think I have a monster. One of these days, I'll achieve that scary image but until then I should tailor my play to fit my image. For instance, I may be able to pick a few good spots to bluff that would not work online.

When bored, I'll count chips instead of sheep
Experienced live pros can instantly size up the number of chips from all stacks at the table. As team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso said on Women's Poker Hour, "There's a lot of talk about what you should do as a short stack, but what's often glossed over, is how can you tell if you're a short stack?" This calculation can be much more challenging in live play since there's no digital display. Although you can always ask a player how many chips she has behind, sometimes you want to know without inquiring. When not in a hand, assessing all the stacks at the table is a much more useful activity that daydreaming about stacking ALL the chips.

I'll exercise my right to remain silent while in a hand
It often makes me feel guilty when an opponent asks me a question in a hand and I ignore him. Of course I shouldn't feel bad. It's not a real conversation; this guy is trying to take my money!

Even though Brazilian Team PokerStars pro Maria Mayrinck is known for her gregarious personality, she doesn't think chatting is for everyone, especially during a big hand. You shouldn't worry about being rude, "It's OK to be silent if you feel that will give any info about your hand. Players understand and will not take it personally." Additionally, Maria advises that if you're worried about giving away information by declaring your chip count, you should just stay mum and let the dealer respond.

I won't care if I look like a super nit
If I'm card-dead for the first few levels of a live tournament, I often loosen up so I don't look like I'm waiting for aces or kings. But why should I care if I look like a super nit? In tournaments, the blinds and antes increase and I don't think it's terrible if people assume I'm tight. Eventually, I'll get aggressive and at that point there will be more at stake. I would find nothing odd or embarrassing about folding a couple levels worth of hands while multi-tabling tourneys online, so why should I mind doing the same live?

Professional poker player Katie Stone, who splits her play between online games and live tournaments, advises online players that, "You see significantly fewer hands per round in a live tournament. Players transitioning from online to live need to be patient and try not to force things - everyone else is seeing the same number of hands as you!"

I'll be realistic about controlling tells
I'm a very expressive person. Asking me to stop making faces is like asking Shaun Deeb to stop three-betting. So instead of worrying about eye movements and breathing patterns that only a psychological whiz can decipher, I resolve to focus on limiting the information I give away by timing tells (the amount of time I think before making a decision) and betting patterns. Maria Mayrinck says that timing tells are "very easy to spot for more experienced players" and recommends "taking the same amount of time to make any bets, raises, call or folds."

As for sunglasses, I'll leave them at the beach from now on. Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst joked in a PokerStars Women interview with Sue Carswell that she doesn't wear sunglasses because: "I think it's sometimes really hard to see what the cards are, and that can really mess your game up." Indeed! I'd much rather give off a constricting pupils tell than miss a four-card flush on board.

I won't talk about my favorite poker games and stakes
When you play online, a lot of players will have notes on you, but if you're not a pro, you'll be unknown to most live players. I'm talkative at live tables, which is fine, but I too often chat about poker. It's better to be vague about poker style and game preferences--for instance, if someone tells me that they play mostly 6-max or heads-up, I can assume they'll be more aggressive from the button. Once at the Ladies World Series of Poker, I told a girl to my left that I was dabbling in short stacking cash games (I have since abandoned this). A few orbits later, I shoved a 20 big blind stack from the small blind with pocket threes and she insta-called with ace-ten, in a situation where I would have preferred to rake in the antes and blinds. She could have called anyway, but in a close situation, my mouth could have been a deciding factor!

PCA Ladies Event defending champ Vanessa Rousso will be teaching a poker camp during the PCA Ladies Weekend. She says that one of the biggest mistakes beginners make in live events is to reveal they qualified online. High stakes players may assume that min-cashing is important to a satellite winner and use that information to abuse him or her on the bubble. Speaking of satellites, you can qualify directly for Vanessa's Ladies Only PCA Big Slick Boot camp in $27 satellites on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 18:00 on the PokerStars clock.

It's also dangerous to get visibly concerned when the bubble approaches. One year in the Ladies World Series of Poker, a tight player to my right talked on and on about how many players were left to cash. She four bet me from middle position. Despite the shallow stacks, I folded jacks pretty quickly, and was not surprised when she flipped over aces.

Looking ahead to the PCA
As my own PCA trip approaches, it's almost time for me to make good on my resolutions. Also preparing for the trip to Atlantis are four freeroll PCA Ladies weekend qualifiers who earned early Christmas presents. They will be dusting off card protectors and packing swimsuits soon to enjoy the Bahamas in January.

Jane Goldberg won the November 28 freeroll hosted by Woman Poker Player Magazine, which boasted the largest field, with over 1500 players. RedDevil Lady won the High Heels Poker Tour event on December 5th, while hirrrvi of Finland earned her spot via the wavejourney.com satellite on December 12th. Finally, on December 13th, 2bulbash2 of Brest, France topped the PCA satellite bar as well.

Congrats to all four, who will all enjoy a $3480 return on their investment of zero dollars. See you in the Bahamas, ladies!