Author aims for success in life and in poker
By Sal DeFilippo
For most people, poker is just a game. You sit down, play, and when you leave, that’s where it ends. Not for Ellen Leikind. For the owner ofpokerdivas.com and author of PokerWoman: How to Win at Love, Life, and Business using the Principles of Poker, that’s actually where it begins. Leikind, whose book is available at casino shops inside the Venetian, Excalibur, New York-New York and Hard Rock as well as Amazon.com, in town to play the Ladies No-Limit Hold ’Em Championship event, which begins Friday at the World Series of Poker. We talked with her about how poker is more than a game.
Ellen Leikind
Q: In your book, you talk about how strategies at the poker table relate to real-life success. Tell us a what about of Texas Hold ’em strategy can help women in other aspects of life.
A: What I tell the women that I teach poker is that the first step is to stop betting like a girl. You have to play to win and take risks. You have to project more bravado and confidence and not be modest. Another important thing at the poker table is reading non-verbal tells. Poker players do that all the time to get reads on other players, and you do the same away from the table. When you’re at a job interview or in a relationship, you need to communicate confidence and looking at the tells of the people you are talking to so you can see what they are like. Nonverbal body language is important. Also, you have to know when to fold, so to speak—when you’ve invested enough money and time and freedom on something—you have to know when it’s time to go away and go on to the next thing.
Q: Did you ever dream that learning poker from your mother as a teenager eventually could be both an income source and a vehicle to becoming a successful author and businesswoman?
A: Absolutely not. I learned poker very young age; at the time it was just a fun thing to do with my mom, but while most kids on breaks would go skiing in Vermont, we were going to Vegas and I knew right away there was something magical about the game.
Q: What challenges does a woman face at a poker table, playing a game played predominantly by males?
A: I think that women tend to be a bit intimidated when walking into a room where the male-female ratio is 30-to-1; that’s intimidating even if you are confident. I also think women also tend be to more fearful of losing. You have to be more assertive and leave your insecurities as home. The prize in poker goes to the bold—just as it does in life and love.
Q: Do you think the success of some women in poker—Kathy Leibert, Jennifer Harman, etc.—will lead to a higher percentage of professional women’s players?
A: It is anybody’s game, but their success does encourage women to get into the game. Annette Obrestad won a World Series of Poker event in Europe at 18 and was immediately a poker wonder child. She was an online player, and you don’t have that intimidation online, so maybe more women will play online, win and then go to poker rooms. That’s when it becomes contagious, when you have success. Just like in business.
Q: Growing up, what did you like most about Las Vegas?
A: I always loved the fact that it was a 24-hour town. There’s always an energy—the lights, action, it’s a place for young, sexy, glamorous … and the restaurants are great. It’s a pretty place. It’s action surrounded by nature with all those beautiful mountains. It’s polarizing, and even as a native New Yorker I’ve always loved it and still love it to this day.
Q: What are your favorite poker rooms in Vegas and what separates Las Vegas from other poker halls?
A: My favorite is the Wynn, and I also love Bellagio. You can’t even compare rooms in Atlantic City or other places to Vegas. The energy is better, the action is better. Everything else seems fake. There’s only one Vegas.
Q: What feeling do you get when you see the massive crowds and hundreds of felt tables at the Rio every year during the World Series of Poker?
A: When I first went down to watch the WSOP they were at Binion’s and it was very dark and dreary. Then when it moved to the Rio, the first time I walked in the room – there is no bigger imprint in my mind than the sound of the chips. It’s spellbinding – a feeling like you get no place else. Plus, it’s a chance to play against the best. You’ll see Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke playing alongside a regular Joe Smith. To be among the best is a tremendous high.
Q: What advice would you give anyone – man or woman – who is interested in playing poker professionally?
A: “I think like any career, it’s about passion, practice, really wanting it and going after it and realizing what you have to give up in order to get it. It’s not an easy thing. Even if don’t become a pro, lot you can learn from the principles of the game that you can use in life. The power of poker extends past the table, whether you are a recreational player or professional.”
