Vanessa Selbst Biography

Vanessa Selbst Biography
by Chad Holloway of Predictem.com

Vanessa Selbst was born on July 9, 1984 in Brooklyn, New York. Selbst played varsity tennis and hockey at M.I.T. before transferring to Yale, where she was a Fulbright scholar. It was during these years that she learned to play poker with classmate and fellow poker pro, Alex Jacob. When asked which school had the better poker experience Selbst has said, "Definitely Yale. In our home game, we had several great players. Alex Jacob, Ariel Schneller, Nate Mavis. Alex has made a final table this year, and we're all out playing now here in Vegas."

Selbst's burst onto the poker scene during the 2006 World Series of Poker when she made the final table of the $2,000 No Limit Hold'em event, where she eliminated former World Champion Carlos Mortenson. Selbst, who had previously studied in Spain, considered this the highlight of the tournament before she was eliminated in seventh place ($101,285):

"I introduced myself to him, as everyone knows him as a legend in Madrid, the greatest player to ever come from there. I was glad to knock him out. Many people have asked me about the hand that I knocked him out. I had A-9 suited, and I raised to $60k. Juan Carlos went all-in for another $199k, and I called him. He had pocket 7's, but I think it was the right call given his range of hands."

Selbst other poker accomplishments include finishing eighth in the 2007 W.S.O.P. Ladies event ($20,480), placing fourth at the 2007 W.S.O.P. $5,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship (defeating the likes of Amir Vahedi, Doyle Brunson, Layne Flack, Peter Jetten, Paul Wasika, and Shannon Shorr to take home $128,968), and winning her first World Poker Tour title by taking down the Ladies Championship event at the 2008 L.A. Poker Classic. Although she is considered one of the top female players on the circuit, Selbst has set her goals even higher, "It would be nice to be considered one of the best female players, but I would like to be in the discussion of being one of the best poker players, male or female."

When she is not playing poker, Selbst gives her time to Make the Road by Walking, a non-profit organization in Brooklyn that brings low-income New Yorkers together to promote civil rights and economic justice. Selbst, who enjoys riding bicycle, participated in the 2003 Habitat Bicycle Challenge South purely for the adventure and opportunity to meet new and interesting people. Selbst currently supports herself by playing poker and is becoming a known player throughout the poker world: "I've been playing cash games at the Bellagio, the Wynn . . . but mostly we've just been relaxing and enjoying ourselves . . . I've been playing poker a long time. I was never intimidated or worried about my opponents. I just took it one match at a time." Selbst currently splits her time between Las Vegas and Montclair, New Jersey and has lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $289,000.

Tournaments

Promotions

Featured Articles

MISC.