Happy Holidays!

Well, it's that time of the year again. Thanksgiving just past and we are just a few weeks away from Christmas/Hanukkah. I had a great Thanksgiving myself and surely have a lot to be thankful for this year! For those who know me, you know that I do not eat turkey as I am a vegan. This year, I actually sponsored/adopted 3 turkey’s from Farm Sanctuary. How it works is that for a one time $30 donation, you can save the life of a turkey that lives in the sanctuary. They will send you the picture along with the name and a certificate of your turkey. I am proud to say that I saved Daphne, Harley and Reese! You can go on www.adoptaturkey.org for more information on the sponsor a turkey project.




I was recently interviewed by a ladies poker website called Girls Club Poker. You can see the interview at this address: http://www.girlclubpoker.com/interviews/interview-with-annie-lepage/

International Gaming Awards Magazine also interviewed me and you can view the latest issue of the magazine at this address http://www.gaming-awards.com/magazine. I am on page 19-21.

Obviously being the holidays I have been a bit distracted and have not played as much poker. However, I will be playing at Aria and Bellagio in the coming week. The Five Diamond WPT event is in town and those two casinos should be popping with action. I might also try to satellite my way in to the tournaments.

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving and that you all have a great holiday season!

Deepstack360, Poker After Dark and WSOP Main Event final table

Last week was so busy with many different things that were poker related!



It started with the shooting of the DeepStack360 video camp featuring Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi. It was the first ever internet camp done by him and first ever live stream poker camp in 360 degrees. Mike "The Mouth" Matusow and Tristan "Cre8ive" Wade were also there as players and commentators. Everyone was playing at one table starting with 30k, as they would at the WSOP Main Event and the blinds would increase rapidly to give a feel of each level and how to adjust. Micheal would go over each hand after each round and point out the right and wrong of how each person played. We shot for a full day and students watching from the comfort of their homes got a full 5 hours of Michael's view on the game. They also took breaks from time to time to give out tips and strategies for the upcoming level. They will be doing more of these camps in the future as this one was a huge success. The introductory price was $50, with satellites running on Full Tilt for as low as $5, but they will be charging somewhere around double in the future. Which is still an amazing deal considering the amount of information each student got.




The shooting of Poker After Dark is also going on right now and I was invited to go on the set to watch them play. I cannot talk about any results, but I can say is that the cash game edition is going to be very exciting to watch! Huge pots, great poker and awesome action. They have been shooting at Aria this year which in my opinion is the coolest hotel on the strip. The set looked absolutely fantastic. Hopefully in the years to come, I will be one of the players! *smile*



The WSOP Main Event was also going on over the weekend, and the fact that I knew 3 of the players made it so much more exciting! A few of us went to watch it in the VIP section right behind the stage in hopes that Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi would make history with the winning of the Poker Players Championship and hopefully the main event. He would have become the highest tournament money finisher if he won it and WSOP Player of the Year. As most of you know by now, he took 5th... no win, but still a great accomplishment! We were all wearing red "Go Grinder" shirts and the energy in the Penn & Teller Theater was incredible! Everyone was cheering and chanting for the player of their choice taking turns in doing so. It was an incredible day! After Mizrachi lost the title, the Quebecoise in me was obviously rooting for French-Canadian Jonathan Duhamel who ended up capturing the Championship. He played great and his win was well deserved. He surely made the whole of Quebec proud! He will be a great ambassador for poker as he is very charismatic and outstanding player.



This coming week is all about the Deep Stack Extravaganza Series at Venetian and cash games. No more excuses... back to the grind!

Being distracted

What was I saying in my last blog about being focused? Yeah... right. With friend's visiting last week followed by Halloween parties I have totally been exhausted and my poker has not been as lucrative as it usually is. Hopefully by the end of the week I can find my "mojo" again and start kicking butt at the tables like I usually do!

I have to admit, I did have a great time last week though. Sometimes it is needed to take a break and have fun. As long as it is not an everyday thing, there is nothing wrong with that!

I had a friend visiting during the middle of last week and we went to see the show "Elvis" at Aria by Cirque du Soleil. I actually thought it was a fantastic show. It was not like the other cirques, most of the costumes where 60's era looking and it felt more like a musical. Some of the scenes had outstanding acrobatic performances and the staging was really phenomenal. It is in my top 3 favorite shows in Las Vegas for sure.

Halloween was also over the weekend. I went with Mike Matusow to his friend’s house party. He was dressed as the crazy cat lady (For those who do not know, Mike now owns 4 cats, so the costume was just absolutely appropriate!) Three of us girls were dressed as his sexy kittens. We had a limo taking us around and we had a really fun night. Halloween has to be my favorite holiday of all. It is just so fun to see all the costumes and it seems like because people are dressed up, they are in a better mood. Everyone forgets about their problems and makes it a point to have fun on that night!

I was gonna go to L.A. this week and play the NAPT, but had a change of heart. For me to satellite and play in big buy-in tournaments, I need to be extremely focused. Unfortunately, as much fun as last week was, I do not feel like this week is my best week for that! So I am gonna stay in Vegas, which is fine since the Deepstacks have also started at the Venetian, therefore the cash games are gonna be pretty good. I will also probably play a few of their tourneys in the coming weeks; starting with the one this Thursday. Good luck me! :-)

Feeling good

I can't help but wonder how some people can be so unhealthy when playing poker. I totally understand that it is probably convenient as we sit at the table for hours to order food to the table and eat there. I see guys that are way overweight, drinking soda, eating burgers and fries on a daily basis. Even though they might be successful at the time, I do not see it as a recipe for success in the long run!

It is proven that a healthy balanced diet and regular exercise increases stamina and focus. Not only that, I also believe that heart attacks, high cholesterol, some diabetes & some cancers are directly related to what someone eats. If you are going to eat bad and eventually get sick, how are you going to produce at the poker table?

It just takes a little of willpower and very little time to eat right and stay active. I personally eat a vegan diet, which I believe to be the healthiest of all. But while you might not be ready to go 100% that route, eating that way a few times a week or adding veggies to your menu will definitely make a difference on your health! When ordering at the table, there are plenty of salads to chose from, soups or anything that is low fat & has a side of veggies would work. Please stay away from fried stuff, greasy fast food and simple carbohydrates (sugar, white pasta, white bread). Also, it only takes an hour of your day to exercise! There are so many fun ways to do it too: Hiking, yoga, walking, jogging, gym or any sports such as tennis, baseball and hockey. The hardest part is actually putting your mind into it! Once you find something you like, it's actually fun, it feels good and gets you out of the house.

Obviously, drugs and/or alcohol on a regular basis are also a bad idea. There is no way your brain can function properly if you are affected or on the after affects of drugs or alcohol. Even if it seems like a no-brainer, I keep seeing it and sadly those people eventually come out losing.

Feeling good is everything when hitting the tables. If you feel good, you will make the right decisions, you will be focused and in the end you will be a winning player.

Cash games: Table selection

Remember the real state saying: Location, location, location? Well, I couldn't agree more in regards to poker. Table selection is everything in cash games if you want to show a continuous profit.

Since the WSOP, I have been focusing back on what I do best: cash games and I’ve been on an amazing winning rush this whole time. I started to think I was indestructible. However, can you be that lucky for that long or is there something that you do that others do not?


I know that I am really good at selecting the right game. I usually play small to medium stakes game, anything between 1/3 NL, 2/5 NL and 5/10 NL. I strongly believe that I was not "lucky" for two months straight, I just picked the softest game and kept showing a profit in the end. When doing so, one must leave the ego at the door. Let me give you some examples:

-If you sit in a smaller game while waiting for a seat in the bigger one and start winning very easily, when the seat does open up in the bigger game, there is NO reason you should take it. If you are running over that lower stake table, stay there. You are in it to make money, and you are.

-If you are playing in a game and you know all the players and they are all solid, why would you want to play that game? You want to pick a softer one. It's OK if there are a few solid players at the table, but you need a few that are weaker so that you get paid off when you do get a great hand. There is nothing worse than flopping a monster and having a great player making a hero fold with the 2nd nuts!

-Look around the casino... which table is having fun, drinking, gambling & playing big pots? That's the table you want! No matter what the limit is, as long as it fits your bankroll, jump in!

-If things are not going your way, do not hesitate to ask for a table change. If there are no good games, you are not doing great and it doesn't look like it's going to improve: Quit! Come back later, go to a different casino or take the day off, poker is not going anywhere. There's always tomorrow!

So that's why I get seen playing different size games. If you call yourself a 5/10 NL player and are not willing to lower your limit to pick the right game, you will encounter many losses on days that could have been lucrative if you had not let your self-esteem get in the way.

Time of the day is also important. Weekends can be good but you have to think that ALL the pro's are out playing. It's important to keep a log of your winnings, but also a log of where and when you play; to know which hours are the best for you.

I personally think that weekends are good in the afternoon. Most man at the table have dinner plans with their wife at around 7pm and only have a few hours to play. This makes them willing to gamble. They will overplay hands to try and make fast money, which unfortunately for them, is not the way to go!

Also on the weekend, most tourist go clubbing, they do not hit the tables before 2-3am, before that time, you will most likely (of course not always) find yourself with pro's waiting for the action to start. Sometimes after 2-3am the game can get really juicy.

Sundays are excellent! If you are not grinding online, you should hit the casino. It's usually most people's last day off and they are willing to play and gamble! There won't be as many games, but they should be great!

Weekdays can be hit or miss. Therefore you must be even more vigilant in your game selection and even more willing to play lower stakes.

Look for casinos with big conventions, after 6pm when their show is over, many business men will play for fun. Look for schedules online and follow the big ones.

Promotional tournaments (WPT, Deepstacks, etc.) also bring great action! They can also be great to follow.

I hope these tips helped you. You don't run lucky for so many months straight; you just pick your spots better than most.

WIPHOF and stuff

I haven't blog much lately; I’ve been spending the end of the summer taking a lot of time off. My daughter was visiting for a few weeks and I didn't play while she was here. I just enjoyed the time I had with her. She went back to Canada last week where she is studying. I am very proud of her.

I went to the Women in Poker Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony last Friday. This year's inductee's were Jennifer Harman, Kathy Leibert, and Billie Brown. The ceremony had a great set up at the Golden Nugget and was hosted by 2009 Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee Jan Fisher who did an amazing job. That woman could definitely be a stand-up comedian! They had a silent auction benefiting Poker Gives and a great dinner followed by music and dancing. Ex-commissioner of the World Series of Poker Jeffrey Pollack was the guest speaker. He’s speech was great on women in poker and his thoughts on men crashing the ladies event, which obviously he did not agree with!

I have mainly been focusing on live cash games this week. I have been hopping around to pretty much every casino in town doing what I do best: playing cash games! I have had a VERY lucrative week! My win rate in cash games is extremely high; I sometimes wonder why I even bother playing tournament. Oh wait, I know why, prestige and big prize pools! At the end of the day, cash games are my money maker and I am definitely gonna be putting more focus on them in the months to come. I am not saying that I won't play any tournaments; I just won't play as many.

WCOOP is also going, I cashed in one event but nothing crazy. I will be playing more this week and keep you posted on how it goes. I am also planning on playing the charity event for Poker Give on the 17th at 1pm at Aria. It's a great charity and they have tournaments all month long across the U.S. You can look up the schedule on this link: http://www.pokergives.org/nationalpokermonth.shtml.

Life after the WSOP

It was so nice to enjoy some time off after the six week WSOP rush. I didn't play much poker the last few weeks and just had some ME time, which means lots of yoga, working out, shopping and time with family/pets/friends.



Last week I took a mini vacation to Utah with my daughter and we enjoyed a bunch of outdoor activities. We had an amazing time. We went shopping, to the movies, to the mountains and to a water park. We also tried a bunch of vegan restaurants, including a vegan pastry shop (City Cake and Cafe) that had a huge selection of vegan sweets, so we were pretty much in vegan heaven. My daughter is the one who turned me vegan by showing me some video's on animal abuse. I really enjoy spending time with her. We are on the same page on so many issues and we have a great Mother/daughter relationship.



While in Utah, she suggested that we go to a homeless shelter to play with the kids and read them bedtime stories. So we did. It was heartbreaking to know the kids where homeless. However they were happy, they looked at us with the biggest smile on their face. Most of them were excited to have us there and spent as much time as they could with us. I will never complain about a bad day, especially after seeing these kids make the most of their situation. It was a very humbling experience.


I am now back and planning on working a tight poker schedule. There are a few online tournaments that I am planning on playing on a daily basis; in the evenings I will concentrate on cash games (online and live). I also want to improve my mix games; I am really into Razz right now. Obviously, Sunday will be all online tournaments. The nice thing is that I will be home a lot more. I’ll be working a crazy amount of hours, but that doesn't bother me.
I already had a few cashes and two final table, including one win, in the last two days so it's definitely a good start.

WSOP 2010 coming to an end.

I played the WSOP main event last week. I was so excited to play and felt so good about how I would do but somehow, I ran so bad that day and nothing was going my way. I actually can't remember the last time I had such a bad day in poker! AA then KK cracked, Top 2 pairs were no good, draws would not come, I missed most flops and my bluffs were getting called or raised. I lost pots after pots. The worst part is that I had a really easy table draw. Except for Michael Binger, none of the players at my table were pro's and I really was wondering what a few of them were doing playing a 10k event as they were pretty bad players! But luck was on their side not mine. Even though I kept positive that everything would turn around and stayed focused, it didn't and I was eliminated on day one after dinner break.

I took the week off from poker to regroup and relax. Except from playing a few online tourneys when I got really bored, I mainly focused on catching up with friends and spending time at home with my pets. I needed that... The last few weeks have been crazy and exhausting to say the least!



I did go to a few WSOP closing party last week end. Poker Listings was hosting a house party for the departure of Lara Miller last Saturday. For those who do not know Lara, she is a personal Publicist. Her list of clients includes some of the big names in poker such as Phil Helmuth, The Brunson's and Erica Schoenberg just to name a few. She is totally addicted to adventures and has decided to leave everything behind and go on a world trip, where she is going to volunteer and help people in need. I admire her for her courage to just turn the page and do something that she truly wants. You guys can follow her blog at http://www.vagabondlara.com/. It was a beautiful setting, the party was great and a lot of people came to give her farewell. She will be missed!

The following night I went to the Pokerstars private WSOP ending party with special guest Snoop Dogg. It was held at Rain nightclub at The Palms. I went with Tom McEvoy, His beautiful wife Yolanda and my girlfriend Demetria. The place was packed! It definitely was a lot of fun, Snoop's Performance was great and to top it off, at the end of the night as we were leaving, Demetria and I got invited to meet Snoop Dogg. So we met him, took a few pics, but to be quite honest, it was not our scene! There were about 20 groupies in there wanting to meet him, the room smelled of... Hum, hum... you know, this "thing" he is known to enjoy smoking and it was a bit awkward. So we left shortly after meeting him, happy that we did. It was just a fun night overall and I am glad that I went and caught up with friends.




I have a few friends still going strong on day 6 of the main event WSOP. I think it would be awesome to see Michael Mizrachi win another championship bracelet this year but I am also rooting for Adam Levi, David Benyamine, Jean Robert Bellande and Joseph "subiime" Cheong. I can't wait to see who will be the final nine!

I am taking the week off and will be back at online grinding after the week end. I am excited about a few things to come in many aspects of my life. I will keep you all posted as they develop.

This year is a good one!

Living the dream!

My head is spinning trying to think of everything that's happened since my last blog!

Well, for one thing, there was lots and lots of poker. But what else is new? Oh yes, I got back to practicing yoga... And it's totally awesome! I find that when I go through stressful periods and I have lots on my mind, all I need to do is just go to a yoga class and through stretching, doing the poses, breathing and meditating, everything seems to clear up and then it becomes obvious as of what I should do and where I should put my focus. It's hard to explain but as I let go of what's on my mind, the answers come to me. I used to do heaps of yoga and the 2 studios I liked going closed down so I stopped practicing. I found a few new places lately that I have tried and liked and I am definitely back into it. I feel so much more empowered and relaxed after a good class!

I have also tried very hard to get into the WSOP main event. From backing deals to trying and satellite my seat. I did not want to spend 10k on a seat, as much as I believe in myself, a lot can happen in a tournament that is beyond my control and the price of that tournament is way over what I allow myself considering the size of my bankroll!!

So this week, I grinder my way up...I played a one table satellite for $175 and chopped it where I got about $800 and decided to invest in the $550 mega satellite. I didn't do too well in the first one but tried the same routine the following day. Now, you guys have to understand that lately, I have been doing a lot of visualization about the WSOP Main Event and I could actually see myself playing it. I felt very strongly about this to a point that it seemed nearly impossible that I was not going to make it. I was extremely positive about playing it and doing well at it. Well, sure enough, as I was playing my second Mega, I got a text from a friend with an offer for a full backing deal for the WSOP Main Event. I was very happy and accepted the offer! Then, of course, with all this boosting, I went on and did really good in the tournament. We made a deal at the end when we reached 27 players and split the total prize pool for $8700 each with a little less for the short stack and more for the few bigger ones (out of 500 entries, 23 players were supposed to be getting a 10k seat). I couldn't be happier! A good cash and a full staking deal on the same night!!

I am obviously all pumped up as I am writing this and can't wait to play day 1-D of the Main event at the World Series on Thursday! In the mean time... Yoga, positive thinking, visualization (I actually am gonna sleep with a bunch of chips in my bed to feel being surrounded by them! No joke!) I am totally grateful for all the opportunities that are coming my way and my friends who are cheering for me!

Life is goooooooood!

Women in poker Hall of Fame

I was just looking at the nominations for the induction to the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and here are my thoughts:

Betty Carey: Great choice! Although I have never played with her, I have heard of her and she is one of the pioneering fearless lady players.

Phyllis Caro: Seems like she has worked in many different aspect of the industry and as brought a lot to it. I like that.

Nani Dollison: This girl has 3 bracelets and quite a great poker folio! Although she seems to have slowed down in the last 2 years, the previous ones are quite impressive. She is also a supporter of ladies events and plays them frequently.

Annie Duke: With her winning records, her WSOP bracelet, her books, poker video's, charity work and constant teaching and contribution to the game she definitely deserves to be in a Poker Hall of Fame. Maybe not the woman's one though, as she is not a supporter of ladies events. If you look under the rules for elections, under the 3rd rule it clearly states: "Eligible Candidates for Induction — Candidates to be eligible must meet the following requirements:
-Player/industry leader must be a proponent of women's poker. Even is she does not play in women's events, she must support them."

Jennifer Harman: Definitely a good choice, with 2 bracelets, amazing results and charity work. Although she unfortunately does not play ladies events, she does not seem to object to them.

Kathy Liebert: As far as tournament results this girl is quite a machine!!! She has made over 5.3 million in tournament career winnings over the years and is still going strong. She also once was a ladies event player.

JJ Liu: She plays it all... main events, ladies events, mix games... you name the tournament and she plays, and wins too! This lady is always so sweet and well dressed, yet fearless and very aggressive at the table!

My number one pick goes to Kathy Liebert for her constant records, for being the highest tournament winner and her support of ladies events. My second choice is going to either JJ Liu or Nani Dollison for their continuous support of ladies events and for kicking ass at poker! I still have a few days to make up my mind on who to pick. :)

I am definitely looking forward to the ceremony on September 3rd!

Women in poker Hall of Fame

I was just looking at the nominations for the induction to the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and here are my thoughts:

Betty Carey: Great choice! Although I have never played with her, I have heard of her and she is one of the pioneering fearless lady players.

Phyllis Caro: Seems like she has worked in many different aspect of the industry and as brought a lot to it. I like that.

Nani Dollison: This girl has 3 bracelets and quite a great poker folio! Although she seems to have slowed down in the last 2 years, the previous ones are quite impressive. She is also a supporter of ladies events and plays them frequently.

Annie Duke: With her winning records, her WSOP bracelet, her book, poker video's, charity work and constant teaching and contribution to the game she definitely deserves to be in a Poker Hall of Fame. Maybe not the woman's one though, as she is not a supporter of ladies events. If you look under the rules for elections, under the 3rd rule it clearly states: "Eligible Candidates for Induction — Candidates to be eligible must meet the following requirements:
-Player/industry leader must be a proponent of women's poker. Even is she does not play in women's events, she must support them."

Jennifer Harman: Definitely a good choice, with 2 bracelets, amazing results and charity work. Although she unfortunately does not play ladies events, she does not seem to object to them.

Kathy Liebert: As far as tournament results this girl is quite a machine!!! She has made over 5.3 million in tournament career winnings over the years and is still going strong. She also once was a ladies event player.

JJ Liu: She plays it all... main events, ladies events, mix games... you name the tournament and she plays, and wins too! This lady is always so sweet and well dressed, yet fearless and very aggressive at the table!

My number one pick goes to Kathy Liebert for her constant records, for being the highest tournament winner and her support of ladies events. My second choice is going to either JJ Liu or Nani Dollison for their continuous support of ladies events and for kicking ass at poker! I still have a few days to make up my mind on who to pick. :)

I am definitely looking forward to the ceremony on September 3rd!

There's a secret?

I came home today completely disgusted from my tournament results thus far and with a love /hate relationship with poker.

My moral was way down... So I grabbed a copy of "the Secret". For those who do not know what it is, "The Secret" is a book on positive mind set. It teaches you how to make your dreams come true through the laws of attraction. I read it before but it's been quite a while ago and felt I could use some reading on positivism. I am 2 chapter in and it totally works! I can see that I was looking at things from the wrong angles!

Here are a few quotes on the subject that I think you guys might like:

"If you are gonna be thinking anyway, you may as well think big". ~Donald Trump

"A man is the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes". ~Gandhi

"If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was
started with a dream and a mouse". ~Walt Disney

"Everything you can imagine is real". ~Pablo Picasso

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you". ~Oprah

"I dream for a living" ~Steven Spielberg

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance". ~Oscar Wilde

"The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do". ~Steve Jobs (co founder Apple Inc.)

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy". ~Ann Frank

"Just play, have fun. Enjoy the game" ~Michael Jordan

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right". ~Henry Ford

"No matter how hard the past, one can always begin again today". ~Buddha


Now that I am getting all pumped up again, I will play some satellites tomorrow and kick some major ass at poker in the weeks to come!

I am sooo reading the whole book!

Happy Birthday to me!

What a busy week!

Last weekend was mainly focused on ladies events so my friend Doralee Rae (aka Lady Pink) decided to throw a party for all of the gals at her fabulous house on Monday night after all the ladies events were over. It was a lady’s only evening and everyone had to wear pink. All I can say is that girl sure knows how to host a party! Wow! She had lots of food and a full bar with fancy drinks for everyone, really hot cabana boys in jeans, black camisoles and pink cowboy hats to serve us. Marcos Questas and Ruta Maria came over to do a Tango demonstration. Doralee read us a special poem that she wrote for poker. It was also perfect timing to celebrate Stacy Nutini's victory as she won the Ladies LIPS Championship the night before... way to go Stacy! It was so nice to catch up with all the ladies in a different setting than poker.

This week was also my birthday!
I turned 22 years old for the 16th time! :)
I was not planning on celebrating since my focus was mainly on poker as I was playing the $1500 No Limit Hold'em event #30 at WSOP on the day of. However, the night before I ended up going out with friends to a last minute birthday dinner at Yard House in Town Square. I was actually surprised, being last minute and in the middle of the WSOP that most of them could make it! The food was good, the company was great and to my surprise there was a vegan cake made for me! It was awesome!





I was playing the WSOP on the very day of my birthday. Everything was going smoothly and I built up my stack pretty high. I had around 30 to 40 big blinds for most of the tournament and birthday luck was on my side. Unfortunately, I got crippled in one of the last levels of the day with KK vs 1010 all in pre-flop. He flopped a set and I was left short stack. I then got a table change, which I must say was one of the most fun tables I have played in a long time. Everyone was friendly and joking around which is great to see at the end of the night. I played short stack strategy and survived for quite a while as nobody ever called me when I went all in. During the last level of the night my birthday luck left me and I got knock out after 12 hours of play at 335th out of 2394 players. Unfortunately they were paying only 243 players.





It's getting a little frustrating for me as I have been getting deep in every single event I played only to bust in the very end of the day, close to the money. I believe that if lady luck would be on my side a little more I would do amazing and get to the final table. I have been playing really good, but getting really unlucky in those late levels. I actually feel the Phil Hellmuth quote: "If there weren't luck involved, I would win every time."

I am gonna take a few days off to refocus and prepare myself for the next tournament. Until then I will be playing cash games & satellites, going to yoga and having some ME time!

WSOP Ladies (and few men?) event #22

I played the WSOP Ladies Championship Event #22 this weekend. Of all the events, it is the one that I look forward to the most. There is a camaraderie and complicity in that event that you do not find in any of the other mix ones. Plus, we all have to admit, it makes for a pretty good looking crowd!

Unfortunately as it’s been for the last few years, some guys could not help themselves and had to register for it. Technically, under discrimination laws, they are totally allowed to do so, but does that mean it is ethical? I think not. There are plenty of low buy-in events that they can go for throughout the WSOP; it makes for a lot of empathy towards them and bad publicity. Some girls are not comfortable playing mix events and would never play in a WSOP, but because it is ladies only they make a point to fly into Vegas to play it. The whole week is geared towards ladies tournament in various casinos, and these women come for the week to play them all.

I was told that some of the men, including Shaun Deeb, were playing for charity, but why not pick out a regular event to do so? Would these same guys crash the Seniors event or the casino employee one? So why pick on the ladies event? It's totally rude! Hopefully playing with us has made them realize it was a bad decision and they will be humble from it and respectfully stay away next time!

I was sponsored by Deliverance Poker for that event and was seen sporting their gear. Pretty cute stuff too actually!
Deliverance Poker is a new poker site for players that is launching in the next month. I am really looking forward to playing on there as I think it's gonna be quite revolutionary. Their tag line is: "Don't get screwed on the river" which should give you all an idea of what's to come with them! They have already signed some big time pro's including 2010 WSOP $50,000 Player's Championship winner Micheal Mizrachi and his brother's. Definitely a great team to start with!

I played awesome for most of the event and had a lot of chips throughout the day. I played for nearly 13 hours and ended up busting just before the end of the day one, in the last level with a little under 180 players left. I feel really good about the way I played, but got unlucky in the end. Unfortunately when those blinds get up there, luck needs to be on your side and your hands need to hold up! After losing a few pots, I ended up shoving with Q10s in the cut off position with 11 blinds left. I talked to numerous pro's about my last shove and most said it was the right one, including my mentor The Maven. Two of them said I could have played it a little different but overall, I do not think it was a mistake. I took a chance,I had position, it was just unfortunate that the girl to my left woke up with JJ and they held up.

There were 1,054 players in the event and 117 where getting paid, again, a long day but not quite good enough. I understand the win rate in tournaments is 1% and cash rate is about 10-15% so I am not discouraged. I am playing better than most; I just have to be patient. This is my year... my time will come!

Event 16 WSOP deep run... but not good enough!

My WSOP started this week with event 16, 6-handed No-Limit Hold'em. I was very excited to play that one as 6-handed is my game of choice when playing cash games or «sit and go's » online. I also like to play a lot of hands, so, being shorthanded works great for me!

The first table I got was absolutely fantastic! No known names and the players were fairly weak. I was running them over! My reads where great, my bluff worked my hands hold up. I could not ask for anything better! Unfortunately, the table broke and I was sent to a new table.

My new table was a lot tougher, I had Bryan Micon to my right along with a few internet pros. Now for those who don't know Micon, he is this great winning player who also owns a podcast radio show that talks about Poker, girls, sex and anything that can be a little X-rated... He's kind of the Howard Stern of online radio with a focus on poker. You guys can actually listen to him on Wednesday nights at 7:30 Pacific time at www.donkdown.com/radio. Micon, like me, has also trained with "The Maven" in the past. So, it was kind of cool and strange at the same time to play next to someone who knew the same style of play and tricks. We didn't really get involved in too many big pots together, so I guess that was a good thing!

The tournament started with 1662 players and I was holding my own for most of the time but I ended up busting in the early 300th. Unfortunately they where paying only 162... So, not quite enough! The level before dinner break was not great for me and I started chipping down. I ended up coming back from dinner break with a small stack and went all in with AJ preflop. Got called by KQ, the flop became a King and the rest is history.

I actually have to give some kudos to the WSOP. The new kitchen now has a new wrap/salad bar which is awesome. Players can finally eat well in there! I also love how the rooms are now set up, and that there is a wider variety of buy -ins to fit every budget. I am definitely even more excited to play this year!

This week is going to be a fun one as all the ladies events are in town. I am especially looking forward to the WSOP one on Friday. I have a great feeling about that one... It's my time to take it down. I am ready!!!

It's finally that time of the year!

It's been quite a slow start for me this WSOP season as I was feeling under the weather. I didn't really want to waste money in a big buy-in event knowing that I was not feeling my best. I was very disappointed not to be part of the first week of tournament action, but I was good and stayed home.

I finally felt a little better by Tuesday and decided to play the Mega Stack at Caesar's Palace. They had a pretty good turnout with 544 players. The tournament was only $225 and we got $15k in tournament chips to start, which for such a low buy-in is a lot of chips! First prize was over $22k, so I had my eyes on that! The only thing that was kind of strange to me is that there were no antes until we reached 600/1200 blinds. I love playing with antes, so I could have used them a little earlier than that!!!

Everything was pretty good and I was cruising through each level accumulating chips. I had about 45k in chips by level 7 which was about twice the average when everything started going wrong!!! The guy sitting in seat 9 started going on a rush and became my nemesis. Every time I tried to bluff, he re-raised me, every-time I had a good hand, he had a better one! So it goes without saying that I was chipping down fairly quickly. I ended up short stacked and went all in with QQ and he called me with nothing less than KK. That whole level was a fiasco for me! Ugggggh!

Later on I went to cheer Sam Bensinger's final table where he took 4th at the Venetian for $14k! After that we went to the Rio to watch Michael Mizrachi play heads up in the 50K HORSE and take it down for $1.5 million! That was such a great moment!!! His whole family was there and lots of his friends. The place was filled with great vibes towards him.

---Some other exciting news is that my PETA interview is up on their website!
Here is the web address to it: http://blog.peta.org/archives/2010/06/annie_lepage.php
I hope you enjoy!!!

I am planning on playing mainly satellites the rest of the week. My 1st event should be the $1k this weekend. Although I might wait until Monday and play the 6 handed NL as it is a better game for my style of play and it's my game of choice when playing online. I am also playing the Ladies event next Friday and probably a Venetian Deep Stack tournament somewhere in between.

I will keep you all updated. I'm ready for my 1st WSOP bracelet!

The McEvoy's wedding

Ahhh... what better way to start the WSOP season than going to the wedding of a poker champ and his beautiful love! Tom McEvoy married Yolanda Stock this week at the Cornerstone Fellowship Christian Church. The ceremony was very sweet and romantic. I always like going to weddings; there’s an amazing feeling that comes from being part of such a special moment between two people. The reception had over 200 guests and obviously a lot of the who’s who of the poker world was there. There was some Mexican tradition mixed into the party which made it very unique. The bride and groom were glowing of happiness and everyone had a great time.

The celebration did not end that day... Tom hosted a poker tournament held in the Caesars Palace poker room the next afternoon called, "McEvoy's Ultimate Gamble Poker Tournament." The buy in was $230, ten poker celebrities (Tom McEvoy, Susie Isaacs, TJ Cloutier, Kathy Liebert, Mike Matasow, Chad Brown, Dennis Phillips, Barbara Enright, Barry Shulman) were "bounties" with a $1k prize on their heads and the place was packed with poker pros! It definitely was nice to see everyone in such a nice setting before the WSOP craziness! Wishing many years of happiness to the McEvoy’s!

The glass is half full.

There are times as a poker player when cards will not come your way or when you will find yourself not getting the results you are looking for. I have been there many times and it can get frustrating! Lately I have found myself a little discouraged as I was making the transition from cash games into tournament poker. You see, poker tournaments can be very rewarding, but that is if you make it to the top three. Other than that you find yourself playing all day for little or no money. It can be very hard on someone’s positive outlook at the game. It definitely was for me who is used to having a really good win rate and getting instant reward from playing cash games.

So how does a player like me stay focused and positive during these times?

Here is what works for me:
-I keep learning. There are many styles of play, so I try to learn new ones from different players. I get out of my comfort zone and try some of their tricks on occasion.
-I workout/stay active while not playing. I find myself having much more stamina and much more focus when I engage in physical activities a few times a week. Plus it is proven that people who are more active are happier.
-I eat well. Again, when I eat healthy I have more energy and I am more positive. I also have more stamina and play better.
-I try to keep a positive attitude. It sounds easy but it’s quite a task! I try to rephrase words when I say something negative. I would change, "I
can't believe I just played all day and busted just outside the final table for a small cash." To, "Wow, I am definitely getting closer. I outlasted over 5,000 players. I can feel that my time is coming soon! I am going to win!"
-I believe in myself, I do not listen to those trying to put me down, and there are lots of those! Like Roosevelt said, "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
-I take some time off every now and again and I give myself some "ME" time. I enjoy my life, family and friends. It gives more balance to my life and I usually come back stronger and ready to take over the world. I find my inner peace.
-I understand that "bad beats" are part of the game. I give some, I get some. They happen... and when they do, I put them behind me and focus on the present.
-I stay away from parties and alcohol. Partying makes me tired and alcohol is known to have a depressant effect, all of which keep me away from playing my "A" game and staying positive. I do see my friends, but rather chose a dinner to catch up over a night at the club.
-I keep short term and long term goals. I SEE myself achieving them. I think about them every day when I wake up and go to bed. I think of how to achieve them and I know that I can and will. I keep pictures that remind me of those goals. I tell myself that these goals are mine and that it's my year to get them.
-When I think things are going bad, I find 5 to 10 things in my life that I am happy about, it makes me realize that things aren't that bad and that I do have a lot to look forward too.
-I keep trying, I know my capability and I know I will get there!

It seems like a big list, but it only takes a little discipline and time to adjust to this way of doing things. I know that it makes my life a much better place. It's not being delusional... it's being persistent and positive. That's how I know I will get the results I want and find happiness in the pursuit of success.

"There is no telling how many miles you will have to run
while chasing a dream."

Throw down tournament for the Kidney foundation in Reno

I just got back from Reno, where I was invited to participate in the Jennifer Harman "Throw Down" charity tournament benefitting the National Kidney Foundation. I actually quite like Reno. Some people say negative things about it, but I like the "Old Vegas" feel it has. Plus, every time I go there I make money! The games are really soft. :-) I stayed at the Peppermill, where the event was held, and the room was really nice and comfortable with a huge Jacuzzi tub which I looked forward to jumping into at night!

The event was a huge success with about 515 players participating in a "team concept" tournament. I was on the Ultimate Bet team, but my points were also counting for the LIPS team. I played pretty well the whole time, but the structure was fast (as in most charity events). I unfortunately lost a few hands in a row and was left a little short stacked. I got moved to new tables quite often which made it hard having to adjust to new players. At my last table, I was placed to the left of David "The Maven" Chicotsky, with whom I have been training with lately. Knowing his aggressive style, I knew his range of hands were large and I ended up calling him all in pre-flop with KQ suited, he had 33. His pocket pair held up and I was out. He ended up making the final table which was pretty cool. This student is not surpassing the teacher yet, but it's only a question of time! *smile*

Team Peppermill ended up winning and Jeff Harrington was the last man standing. The foundation means a lot to him, as his wife is recovering from a 2nd kidney transplant. Great job Jeff!! His win also got him a seat to the WSOP main event worth $10,000! The event rose over $200,000 for the National Kidney Foundation. I am definitely looking forward to going again next year!

I am going to focus on playing online this week. I had some issues with my PokerStars account because someone tried to hack into it during my last trip to the Commerce Casino. The account had been frozen for security reasons since, but finally I can use it again. I just needed to send some proof of who I was to their security team. I hear it's a common problem traveling into different casino/hotels. Apparently the solution is to have your own WIFI card, (never use the public WIFI) and to have an email address that is only for poker such as an ISP account which is better than a free account (msn, gmail, hotmail, etc.).

This week I will be playing a lot of the SCOOP events, MiniFTOPS and good guarantees all around. My pets are happy to have mummy home even though I will be staring at the screen most of the time! I am definitely looking forward to taking some events down!!!

Photo-Shoot, interview for PETA and Palm Springs.

This has been such a great week for me! I left for Los Angeles last Sunday night after my training with David "The Maven" Chicotsky and headed to the Commerce Casino. I had a busy few days ahead of me planned and thought it would be nice to stay there so that I could play poker on my spare time. Little did I know, there was no spare time and I didn't get a chance to hit the tables; but it's ok... poker will always be there. Sometimes we need to take care of other things.

I had a photo-shoot scheduled for Monday with photographer Collin Clark. He was highly recommended by many of my peeps who are in the fashion and entertainment industry. I have wanted to do some promotional pictures for awhile and was very excited to finally get them done. The studio was really cute and Collin was great to work with. We did four different looks and played with props to keep it poker themed in some of them. I am really looking forward to seeing them; there should be some great ones. I used to model in Toronto in my 20's and this took me way back. I always enjoy being in front of a camera and getting my hair and make-up done. Very girlie of me... I know! *smile* Speaking of hair and make-up, my friend Tommy Cyr did all of my looks. He is a great make-up artist who works for Access Hollywood and various celebrities. I especially loved my last look and can't wait to show you all the pics! It will have to wait until next week. I’m sure it will be well worth it!

The following day, I headed to the PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animal) office for a video interview. I have worked with PETA in the past to help promote vegetarianism as most of you know; I am a vegan and animal activist. I had never been to their Los Angeles offices, so I was quite excited about it all. I was very impressed when I walked in. The place is colorful and modern. There's a "loungy" feel to it. Anyone working there is free to bring their pets to work, so there were a few (very lucky) dogs sitting around enjoying the day while their "mum" or "dad" were working. The interview went very well. We talked about how I became vegan, a few issues that I have taken to heart, such as the veal industry, foie gras and how big corporate chains such as McDonald’s and KFC unfortunately do not apply less suffering regulations to their ways of raising and slaughtering the animals. We also discussed the positive aspects of being vegan while playing poker. The video will be up on their website at www.peta.org in a few weeks. Another thing I look forward to seeing!

After the interview I headed to Palm Springs for a few days for a mini vacation. I don't have time to take a few weeks to go away, so I like to squeeze a little time in here and there instead. I've always loved Palm Springs; it's the perfect place to relax. They have cute little hotels with nice pools, a fun downtown area, great factory outlets, good restaurants, the Morongo Casino (with very easy to kill poker games) and great weather. What's not to love?

I’m now back in Las Vegas and getting ready to play poker this week. I definitely will try to satellite into the main event of the WSOP circuit event taking place Tuesday the 27th of April at Caesars Palace. So good luck me :-)

I was invited this week to be a celebrity player in the Throw Down poker charity tournament hosted by Jennifer Harman benefiting the National Kidney foundation at the Peppermill Reno, Saturday, May 8th. I hope to see you all there as it is a fun tournament for a great cause. You can get more info on the Greasie Wheels website. http://www.greasiewheels.com/events/Jennifer_Harman_CPT_NKF.html

My training with "the Maven"

I have been playing poker for almost 6 years now. My ex is the one who got me into it; he was at the time playing non-stop and I was what I like to call a "poker widow”. He would spend night after night playing online while I would either design, cook, play solitaire or Sudoku. One night we had my family over and he decided to teach us how to play poker so that we could have a home game. I found the game so fun and I loved the unlimited amount of concepts one could learn. I was immediately hooked!

Over the next few days I read my first poker and started playing on Doyle’s Room with the "play money" applying everything I was taught from the book. I very quickly build that "play money" to over 3 million in chips. Little optimistic me thought I could do just as good playing with real money and gave it a shot. Which I, to this date, am still trying to make that 3 million! *smile*

I started playing micro stakes online, during that learning process I was reading pretty much every poker book I could get my hands on. I was playing every night, and went from a "poker widow" to a "poker junkie" after all, there's a saying: "If you can't beat them, join them"! I eventually felt confident enough and started playing live. I started with $1-2 NLH and occasionally played low buy-in tournaments. I lost some; won some eventually got better, and moved up in stakes. Every time I moved up I went through the same win/lose process until I would get better, and believe me, the winning parts were more fun than the losing ones! I continued my learning process trying boot camps, virtual classes, and reading poker forums.

Cash games were my favorite, so I focused more on them. I eventually got good enough where I was capable of making a living from cash games. After all these years of playing cash, this year I decided that I wanted to make the switch and play more tournaments. The transition has definitely been a roller coaster!! From getting deep and bubbling, to getting heaps of bad beats from great hands, to seldom making the final table on smaller stakes buy-ins and doing horrible in the larger buy-ins. It has been pretty crazy! Also, let's be honest, if I am gonna do well in a tournament, I'd much rather it be a major one than a small one!!!

After a while I started asking around what I should do, I knew the game, but was obviously doing something wrong. I needed something more advanced to take me to the next level. It seems like a lot of pros I talked to where pointing in the direction of "The Maven" David Chicotsky, who was BLUFF magazine's player of the year in 2008. Everyone I knew that studied his technique had seriously improved their game. So I got in contact with David. We talked a few times about my game, where I wanted to be and what he could do to help me. Other than being a really nice guy, I thought he was very knowledgeable and had lots of new concepts, so I decided to go ahead and train with him.

I took "The MavenVT" 3 day boot camp this past weekend and it was a great learning experience! The training center is located in the 26th floor of the luxury condominium "Panorama" which offers great views of the city, surroundings and is very modern. I wouldn't mind living there at all!! The main room is set up for 20 students with huge Dell computer screens. We started with heaps of theory followed by watching hands history on the screen. Then David played live and walked us through his thought process. The amount of information I got was enormous to a point where I thought my cute little blond head would explode! His style of playing is totally different than anything I have ever learned. However, there is a method to his aggressive way of playing and definitely lots of simple, but effective math and statistics. It's obviously the new generation poker!

It doesn't matter how long one has been playing poker, to have an edge in this always evolving game, you have to keep up with new concepts and keep on learning and growing as a player. I can't wait to go play, as I feel so much stronger about my game. I am definitely looking forward to the few private lessons I’m having with David in the weeks to come!

Jennifer Harman 4th annual Charity poker tournamant for the SPCA

This week was the 4th Annual Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament for the Nevada SPCA. Being a vegan animal activist and a poker player, I figured it would be a great way to have fun playing and raising money for a good cause.

The event started with all of the celebrities walking the red carpet with their own pets or ones that were up for adoption from the SPCA. Some of the famous names included Holly Madison, Doyle Brunson along with his daughter Pamela and daughter-in-law Anjela, Carrot Top, Louie Anderson, Tiffany Michelle, Howard Lederer, Tom McEvoy, Tyson Griffin, and "TheMaven" David Chicotski.

I walked down the carpet with my precious little dog Bijou who was a little nervous, but did great. I would have liked to take Lola since she is a rescue but unfortunately, she is a little hyperactive and might have gotten a little out of control with all the people and animals around!

The event had around 149 players and raised about $100,000. The tournament was $330 with re-buys and players started with a 1,000 in chips. There was an add-on after the 3rd level for an extra 2,000 chips. With that small amount of chips to start it made for a very fast structure and little did I know I was in for 2 re-buys and one add-on! Somehow I managed to built my stack to 7k by the 3rd level, but lost it all a few levels later when I unfortunately misplayed a hand that left me short stacked with 1,700. I later woke up with AA and moved all in only to get cracked by K,10. At least it was all for a great cause!

Little Bijou was on my lap the whole time, getting heaps of attention from the media. She did great and stayed calm except for one time where she jumped on the table which gave everyone but the dealer a good laugh!

There was also a silent auction, but I did not bid on anything. Even though the items where great, they where all sport oriented and nothing appealed to me.

High stakes poker pro Chau Giang won the tournament and the 1st prize which was a 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event seat. I would have like to have been the winner, but I am happy that I supported the Nevada SPCA in their efforts to find homes for all those poor homeless animals.

If I didn't already have a full house, 2 dogs of my own and a rabbit plus my roommate's 2 dogs, I probably would have taken one more home! The Nevada SPCA updates their websites daily with pictures of their available animals, so if you are looking for a companion you should check it out! http://nevadaspca.org/

I know that my pets are my babies and they bring a lot of joy to my life!