Capture the Flag: Samantha Abernathy

Las Vegas poker pro Samantha Abernathy is one of the game’s best up-and-coming grinders. She cashed more than 30 times in tournaments around Vegas in 2014, and she regularly plays $2-$5 and $5-$10 no-limit hold’em cash games.

She has more than $84,000 in lifetime tournament earnings, thanks to roughly $50,000 in tournament scores this year so far. The 24-year-old chatted with Card Player about how she found poker, what women in the game face, as well as what some of her early leaks were and how she corrected them.

Brian Pempus: Can you talk about how you got started in poker?

Samantha Abernathy: I’ve been playing cards and board games since I can remember. After college, I moved to Chicago on a whim, and about a week later I miraculously landed my “dream job." I began working full time at a digital agency, where I designed apps, games, websites and software. It wasn’t even a full year before I realized the 9-5 job was not right for me, no matter how many ping pong tables and fun activities they distracted and bribed us with.

On another whim, I quit my job at the agency upon receiving the opportunity to go on tour with Steve Aoki and Waka Flocka. When they went to Russia for the winter Olympics, I stayed at the Seminole Hard Rock in Florida, which is when I somehow found the poker room, somehow registered for a tournament, somehow managed to not completely embarrass myself, all the while falling in love with the idea of pursuing a career in poker, without having a clue about what I was getting myself into. A week later, I went to Prague to play some WPT events. It seemed like a whimsical play at the time, and when I got back to the states I decided to move to Vegas and take it seriously.

BP: What do you like most about the game?

SA: I love everything about the game, but I really love the competition. I was a high level gymnast for most of my life, and I had two Russian coaches who helped me develop a healthy competitive mindset at a young age. Gymnastics, like poker, is a one-man show type of sport. When you win you get the gold, and when you lose you go home, secretly throw a quick pity party, get over it and train harder.

BP: Has your background with software/web design helped you as a player?

SA: Yes, definitely. I’m right-brain dominant, but working in the User Experience and User Interface (UX/UI) field requires a balance of both right and left brain. Being right-brained is where my creativity, intuition, thoughtfulness and subjectivity stems from at the table. However, my experience exercising my left-brain has helped me to be more logical, analytical and objective. Learning to use both sides of my brain at the same time has most definitely strengthened my abilities at the table.

BP: Could you talk about your history playing cash games?

SA: When I first started playing poker, I was still in the honeymoon-phase with tournaments, so I never played cash. Once I was introduced to the wonderful world of tournament variance and swings, I realized cash was a great supplement, alongside freelance [projects], to support tournaments. I started small with $1-$2 and $1-$3. Now, I mostly grind $2-$5 and $5-$10 regularly when there isn’t a series going on.

BP: What are some of the challenges women in poker face?

SA: Women are naturally the under-dog in this game, being the minority, but it’s not like we’re playing rugby. It’s a mind-sport, and especially since psychology and manipulation are involved, I think women have the capacity to be much better at it than men. The truth hurts. For me, the under-dog mentality actually fuels my fire and motivates me to prove this point. I personally have faced a few challenges both on and off the table in the poker community. On the table, I think there are four types of guys: The kind that sees me as incompetent and can’t wait to stack me (this is my favorite type); the kind with an ego so large that it’s physically impossible for them to fold to me, even if their life depended on it (this type makes me laugh); the kind that wants to befriend me and flirt and give me pity-folds (least favorite type); and in rare cases, the kind that treats me just like any other player, which we need more of.

Off the table presents a whole slew of other challenges, for example with backers. I’ve had many friends say, “It must be so easy finding a backer, being a girl in poker.” To their credit, they’re half-right. There are plenty of men who are willing to back women in tournaments, but it’s tricky. I’ve learned that a lot of men in this community do not have the purest intentions, and although I look naive, I have a super sensitive radar for detecting ulterior motives. Be careful, ladies.

BP: How do you think the game of poker can attract more female players?

SA: I think the game is already on an upswing of having more female players. It’s not uncommon anymore for me to sit down at a table that already has two or three other female players. This is great for the game, and it’s only going to continue attracting more females in the future.

BP: What advice would you give to a woman looking to get into poker?

SA: Be careful with who you trust. Have some confidence at the table, and don’t play like a girl. You are who you surround yourself with, so don’t surround yourself with fish. You need to study a lot. Take it seriously, but also find balance outside of poker.

BP: Can you give some bankroll management advice for new players?

SA: For me, I freelance [design] to supplement my personal expenses and bills, but I know this isn’t the case for most full-time poker players. That said, I would suggest compartmentalizing your bankroll so you never find yourself in a spot where you’ve not only depleted your poker bankroll, but also funds needed for personal expenses. I’m not very organized in most aspects of my life, but when it comes down to numbers, I might as well be full blown OCD. I keep detailed spreadsheets of my wins and losses, and only a certain percentage of my earnings actually go toward my bankroll. The rest goes to savings and other places for long-term security.

BP: What were some of the early leaks you had in your game?

SA: Trying to out-think fish in low-stakes cash games and even in live tournaments. I eventually learned that they never fold, and that you can’t out-think someone who is making decisions impulsively, so I had to adjust how I play against these types of players. Being results oriented, confusing “running bad” with playing bad, backtracking and developing bad habits. I used to over-play over-pairs and played way too “ABC." I rarely defended my blinds, continuation-bet too often in the wrong spots and on the wrong boards. Not taking advantage of my image by three-betting light more often.

BP: How have you improved as a poker player?

SA: Finding my own schedule and balance outside of poker. Hand history review sessions and transitioning between live and online. Online has been one of my greatest outlets of improvement. You get so much more volume and grow at an exponential rate, as opposed to live. Learning to control and set my image at the table as well as having a better understanding of my perceived image at the table. I also learned to understand the value of analyzing my mistakes.

BP: Can you talk about the biggest cash game you’ve ever played in?

SA: Recently I had the opportunity to play on “Ladies Night II” on the CBS Sports Network show, Poker Night in America. It was a televised high-stakes cash game with $25-$50 blinds. I think the majority of us bought in for $5,000, and of course some added on and reloaded as the game progressed. Fortunately, it was a good session for me, as I was only in for $5,000 and picked up with $18,000 at the end. I left that game thinking that I would only play $25-$50 for the rest of my life, but realistically, I’ll probably never find a game that tight-passive anywhere again.

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