Capture the Flag -- Jennifer Harman

Jennifer Harman is the only woman to consistently compete in the "Big Game," and was a member of the group of poker professionals famously known as The Corporation who banded together in order to play banker Andy Beal heads up for millions of dollars. Not only does she have two World Series of Poker bracelets and more than $2 million in tournament winnings, she also has proven her talent by the longevity of her career in the toughest cash games in the world.

Kristy Arnett: When you first started playing poker, what games and stakes did you play?

Jennifer Harman: I played $3-$6 limit hold'em.

KA: Were you a winning player immediately?

JH: No, not even close [laughing].

KA: How did you turn that around?

JH: I just studied the game, and I was determined to win. I put in the hours and worked hard. I would play a hand, think about it, and see if I played it right; if I wasn't sure, I'd ask a friend how he would play it. That's how I learned.

KA: How did you rise up the ranks, and how long did you stay at each level?

JH: Well, as I said, I started at $3-$6 limit hold'em. I stayed there for a while, maybe a couple years. I remember, there was a really good $5-$10 game, and Freddy Deeb said, "Let me put you in." I said no, that it was way too much money, so obviously I wasn't comfortable enough to go up. But then I started playing in Reno where they had higher limits, so I started jumping into those. I got up to $10-$20, and then I moved to L.A. I started back at $5-$10 and got up to $30-$60 in three weeks. I stayed there for two or three years, but I would go and play $75-$150 and then go back down.

I remember at one point, there was a really good $200-$400 game. It was limit hold'em and lowball, and I'd never played lowball before, but the limit hold'em was so good that I thought I could just wing it in lowball, so I went and played it. I actually lost every pot in hold'em and won every pot in lowball. I won like $20,000 in that session, which was a big bankroll booster.

Shortly after that, I started to play $80-$160. I stayed there for a while, but I would still jump up and play a $200-$400 game, but I would usually lose. Then, I decided that I didn't want to play only limit hold'em. I wanted to learn other games, so I jumped into $75-$150 stud. I played that on a regular basis for like two months. Then I jumped into $75-$150 Omaha eight-or-better. I played that game for probably six months. I also played razz throughout my career. Then I started playing $200-$400 mixed games. I would lose, but I knew I could always make it back playing $80-$160 limit hold'em, so I would grind back what I lost in $200-$400 and keep taking shots. Finally, I started winning, and stayed at $200-$400. Then I would take shots at $300-$600. I would keep doing that until I started winning, and then take shots at $400-$800. I was like this, back and forth. Then once I got to $500-$1,000, it was the Big Game, and I just grew with the game.

KA: Taking shots was a big part of how you moved up in stakes. What advice would you give to players who want to take shots?

JH: I would suggest taking just a small portion of their bankroll and trying out the higher limit. If they lose that, go back down and grind out what they lost in that game, and keep trying that system. If they win in the higher game, keep jumping into that game. That way, you are risking only a small portion of your bankroll, and you aren't putting it in jeopardy. You can never put your bankroll in jeopardy, because if you go broke, you have no money to play.

KA: In a previous "Capture the Flag," Daniel Negreanu said that playing limit hold'em first helped him tremendously in learning other games. Was that true for you?

JH: I think so. If you start your career playing hold'em instead of Omaha eight-or-better or games like that, in my opinion, you have a better grasp of poker, because in limit hold'em, you get only two cards facedown and you have to go with your read, so you learn to read your opponents better, which helps you pick up other games quicker. You actually have to play poker if you're playing hold'em, whereas in stud, you can kind of just figure out a system. I know stud players are going to hate me for this, but you can actually figure out some kind of system to beat the game that doesn't really include reading players.

KA: What kind of system are you talking about?

JH: People can have different systems, but you can learn the odds, and when it's correct to take each action. You learn the math, and you remember the upcards. It's easier to figure out what your opponents have, since you're seeing so many more cards, but in hold'em, you don't see any cards besides the board and your hand, so I feel like you have to play more poker in hold'em than in a stud game, and that helps you become a better poker player. I think that goes for no-limit, too.

KA: What advice would you give to tournament players who would like to make the transition to cash games?

JH: Realize that cash games are totally different than tournaments, and that they need to approach them like that. Just like Omaha and hold'em are not the same game, you have to come into a cash game or a tournament with that frame of mind. They are two totally different games, so you have to learn them separately.

KA: What characteristic do great cash-game players share?

JH: They have to be able to read their opponents. That's the biggest thing. They don't judge anybody or jump to conclusions about the way people play. They will watch them, and be able to change their mind about the way someone is playing. They also can adjust very well to any situation.

KA: What is the highest you've ever played?

JH: Well, that's not fair because of the Andy Beal thing, so $100,000-$200,000. With my own money, the highest I played was $10,000-$20,000 in a ring game with Andy Beal. That was only one time, though.

KA: What stakes are you usually playing for these days?

JH: We usually play $2,000-$4,000. Sometimes we kick it down to $1,500-$3,000, and other times we kick it down to $1,000-$2,000, depending on who's going to play with us.

KA: What advice would you give to women cash-game players?

JH: Well, I see a lot of women do this: Because they are in a man's world, they overcompensate and play more aggressively than they should, and then they get themselves into trouble. So, just play solid poker. When you need to be aggressive, be aggressive, and when you need to back off, back off. Just go in there and play poker. Don't worry about the environment. It's still a man's world, so if you want to play poker, deal with it and play solid poker.

KA: Is there any other advice you'd like to give about playing cash games?

JH: You have to be aware of your emotions. If you are winning, you should stay and play until you're tired or you're not playing well, because everyone else in the game is losing, and you have a really good table image, which will enable you to bluff more pots and be able to pick up more pots here and there. When you are losing and you feel like everyone is coming after you, you have no way to pick up pots or bluff, and you start relying on hands. That's when you should quit. When you have no control in the game, you should get up from the table. Poker is all one continuous game. The game will be there tomorrow, so you can quit a loser for a session.