The air within the Amazon ballroom became noticeably thinner in January of 2011 as Ana Marquez continued her march toward the overall table of the PCA Main Event. Onlookers on the Atlantis were holding their breath to peer if she will be the first woman to make the overall table. Unfortunately the cards turned against her on the end and he or she walked away in tenth place, just in need of the general table, but with a huge cash of $155,000. It was an implausible payday for the then relative unknown who was playing her first 10K major event and the primary time a lady had made it to the highest ten within the PCA Main Event.
As we glance forward to the 2013 event, it sort of feels a great time to revisit Ana's deep run to look the way it all happened. Within the interview below we tried to wrest a couple of insider tips from her, and in case you read carefully you'll pick up a few, in addition to some insight into what it appears like to seek out yourself that deep in a big tournament.
PokerStars Women (PSW): Ana, are you able to give us a bit background leading as much as your tenth place finish on the PCA and why you made a decision to play it?
Ana Marquez (Ana): This was my first 10k and my first main event basically. Before that, I played mostly 1-2 or 2-5 cash games and some online tournaments, similar to the massive Sunday tournaments and super Tuesdays. I had also played live tournaments as much as $1500. This was my second year going to the PCA but I had only played a few side events (the year before).
Right before I played the PCA I USED TO BE at a vital point in my poker career. I USED TO BE deciding whether to maintain playing or quit. I BEGAN playing in 2007, taking it as seriously as I MAY with my bankroll limits. In 2009 I wrote my thesis and finished college while playing almost full time. However, I still had in mind doing my Master's degree, so I DETERMINED to maintain playing and get ready myself for the GRE. That's what I did until the Christmas of 2010. I USED TO BE doing okay in both poker and preparing for my Master's, but I wasn't excelling in either and this was causing me quite a lot of stress.
That Christmas I had a chat with my parents they usually made me see that to do very well I needed to cope with one who. night I won a small tournament online and that i realized that even supposing I NEEDED to visit school and continue with my degree, poker was my passion and what made me happy. It was how I challenged myself. That December I USED TO BE on a mission. Not more studying. I bubbled two PCA satellites, but I made approximately $20,000 on small tournaments, so my boyfriend Bryn decided to offer me the most productive Christmas present ever, he put me within the PCA.
PSW: Did the truth that only some women played the primary Event at the moment factor into your preparation for the tournament whatsoever?
Ana: The truth that I USED TO BE a girl or what number of other women were within the field didn't cross my mind for a second until they said I USED TO BE the last woman standing. But I still didn't care that much. The cause of this was that even supposing I USED TO BE able to play, this tournament was so big that I USED TO BE really overwhelmed. The scale of the buy-in, the dimensions of the field, the extent of the players, the deep structure, everything was big. So I MADE UP MY MIND to enter a bubble and just play as though I USED TO BE playing an extended [high buy-in] cash game. I DID NOT need to take into consideration what number of players were left or if there have been cameras around, or anything. I just desired to play my A-game.
PSW: When you got on the subject of the general table, did the magnitude of it hit you ways? did it feel to grasp you were making history?
Ana: It worked out until the last day. That was the primary day that I felt the pressure. I went to my table at the start of the day being the last woman and the last Spaniard, and the chip leader. It was more or less hard to disregard the pressure at that moment. When I'm playing, I try to not take into accounts what I WILL accomplish by winning the tournament, I just take into accounts how I WILL BE ABLE TO play my best.
PSW: How do you notice the way forward for women within the game?
Ana: I strongly believe that the odds of girls in poker are going to extend so much within the next couple of years. I FEEL it is very possible that the numbers may also up sooner or later. The most productive part about being a qualified poker player is that you simply set your limits, your schedules, and the way of living you need to live. So I ACTUALLY don't see what could stop women from becoming professional players.
PSW: What would you are saying to young girls who see you as a job model and need to soak up poker once they get older?
Ana: I'D advise them to have passion for the game, because it is a very demanding profession physically and mentally. I FEEL some of the keys for fulfillment should be the private interest. Therefore, only opt for it in the event that they are really in love with the sport and devoted to [setting up] the effort and time to get good at it. It is necessary that they . . . read books, observe other professionals, and practice at low stakes.
PSW: Advice for ladies who're just starting out?
Ana: I'D also advise women who're starting out to make bankroll management their primary priority. This can be a job and being organized and disciplined is earn a living and revel in making it.
PSW: One last question! What did you do to celebrate your great finish and your huge cash for tenth place?
Ana: The very first thing I did was to name my entire family. I hadn't told them I USED TO BE deep within the tournament, to be able to my surprise, they were already well informed about everything. Afterwards, I went out to a pleasing dinner with my boyfriend, and we finally had an opportunity to speak about the tournament. JUST A LITTLE relaxation and assimilation of what had happened was just what I WANTED.
To read more about Ana and other Team PokerStars Pros and all of the other details about women in poker in a single place, see the dedicated PokerStars Women homepage. And for more information about the approaching festival take a look at the PCA homepage.
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Ana Marquez]
No comments:
Post a Comment