SpadeClub Winner: Kristy 'Guesss' Arnett

With weeks of anticipation, compiling of points and a multitude of daily red-token qualifiers leading up to SpadeClub's second $40,000 Mega Monthly tournament, there was plenty of energy and excitement as the tournament kicked off on Sunday, April 6. The winner of the event was Kristy "Guesss" Arnett, 22 of Las Vegas, NV. Kristy has had a passion for poker since she discovered the game four years ago. She can now be found playing weekly at the Venetian and Planet Hollywood casinos. Since moving to Las Vegas from Indiana, she has landed her dream job as a writer and video personality for Card Player magazine and Card Player TV. Kristy sat down with Card Player to discuss her recent $10,000 first place cash on SpadeClub.

Card Player: How did you hear about SpadeClub?

Kristy “Guesss” Arnett: I work as a writer and video host for Card Player magazine, and when I found out that Card Player Media was launching a subscription poker site, I thought it was a great idea and wanted to play. Plus, I thought it would be fun to play with Card Player subscribers since they read my stories and see my videos.

CP: Do you have a story behind you screen name?

KA: I used to work for the retail store Guess, and I want people to keep GUESSING! [When asked what her screen name is Kristy will reply “Guesss” causing the interested party to start to “Guesss” her screen name.]

CP: How long have you been playing poker and how did you get started?

KA: It’s been about four or five years. I feel like I have a ton of poker experience, but I find that the more I learn, the more I know I have yet to learn. I started playing tournaments with my friends for $3 a game, when I was a broke freshman in college. If I won, I would get like $15 and be so excited! We were all awful at poker when we started and thought that straights went through the ace! Like Queen-King-Ace-Two-Three. The first time I played with experienced players, I found out the hard way that this was not a rule, and I felt pretty embarrassed flipping over my King-Deuce, thinking I had a straight.

CP: What did you do to improve your game after that embarrassing experience?

KA: I really got hooked after I started playing online. I won a $5 freeroll and started from there, eventually building it up into a few hundred dollars which is a lot to any 18-year old. After crashing my car (for the fourth time), I cashed it all out for the repairs. I think playing online is the best way to learn because I got to see so many hands and wasn’t afraid to try new moves because of the anonymity. That’s also why I think SpadeClub is such a great idea.

Most of my live experience before moving to Vegas came from playing and dealing cash games and tournaments around town in Fort Wayne, IN. This is where I went to college. I definitely spent more time playing poker than doing homework. Sorry Mom! I still got really great grades but was definately more intersted in reading poker strategy articles than anything that was assigned in class.

CP: Do you consider yourself a recreational player, amateur or professional poker player?

KA: I would say that I am an amateur player. I am certainly not a professional, but do take the game very seriously. I play pretty much everyday either online or in a casino. I try to have fun when I play, but my major objective is always to win money. The only time I can really let loose, have fun, and not care about winning is at the famous Card Player home game. Whootywooo, shout out to the CP regulars!

CP: Do you think SpadeClub is a good learning ground for people who are looking to start playing?

KA: Absolutely. One of the most difficult things to do as a budding player is to improve your game without having to risk significant amounts of money. At SpadeClub, players can learn very cheaply while still having a chance to win thousands of dollars.

CP: How often do you play on SpadeClub?

KA: I definitely don’t play as often as I would like. I am so busy right now with work, school, and training for a marathon, that I don’t have much time to play. When I do get to play, I try to make sure I am very focused on winning to take advantage of the time I’ve played. I’ve played a couple of the late night qualifiers which are great. When I can’t sleep, it is a perfect opportunity to try and win a token. Luckily I won the Red Token qualifier for this $40,000 event the first time I tried. I had to stay up until 4 a.m. playing it though! Needless to say, I was a little sleepy at work, but it was obviously worth it.

CP: What’s the most money you’ve ever won in a poker tournament?

KA: This is the most I have ever won in a poker tournament. I’ve made a few $1,000-$2,000 cashes before, but nothing near $10,000.

CP: Do you have any plans for the money you just won?

KA: I’ll save a lot of it and hopefully use some of it to parlay into other poker winnings. I might try and invest in a new car since mine is currently stuck in park in my driveway. I will also use some if it to pay for my last semester of school.

CP: Was there a particular key hand that you played in the tournament that helped lead you to victory?

KA: There was one key hand heads up that is most memorable. When we all converged to the final table, I told some friends that were watching me that “kerry1964” was probably the best player at the table. She/he was very aggressive. It just so happened that it came down to heads up between us. When we were three-way and four-way, we had both been raising and re-raising pretty frequently, so heads up play was no different.

I picked up pocket kings and kerry1964 raised on the button. Sometimes, I like slow playing a little here but since it was not out of the ordinary for me to re-raise, and because there was a good possibility that he would at least call, I decided to go ahead and make it three times more what he had raised.

He called and the flop came all rags. I didn’t want to scare him away with a big bet, and a check might seem a little suspicious after a re-raise pre-flop, so I bet very weak into him, hoping to induce a bluff, and BINGO! Kerry1964 went all-in. I called and won the pot. This returned the chip lead to me heads up, which I never relinquished after that. Kerry1964 is very good, and I definitely respect her/his play.

CP: What advice can you give to other SpadeClub members looking to go deep in these tournaments?

KA: What works for me is to play extra tight in the early rounds and then start to loosen it up in late position. It is important to stay focused, composed, and to play tight-aggressive.

CP: What is your favorite part of the SpadeClub community?

KA: I think the community aspect on the site is great. I love clicking on the profiles of players I see at my table. It makes online poker so much more personable. I really like to read other people’s blogs too. I’d like to start writing some myself. I would definitely advise members to take advantage of the community part of SpadeClub, because nothing is more important in improving your game than an open mind and analyzing your game with other good players.

CP: Have you met anyone interesting at the tables that you’ve chatted with a lot during the games?

KA: I’ve met a ton of great people on SpadeClub. There were a few really fun players watching the final table of the $40,000 event who said that their home game had money bet on different final table players. Someone named Jack bet on me. Thanks for the faith Jack!

To learn more about all the features available on SpadeClub to improve your poker play and for your shot at the $100,000 monthly prize pools, start your free trial of Exclusive membership, by visiting SpadeClub today.

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