I’ve watched many female poker players over the past few years and I keep coming back to the same thought: If you knew what I knew about some of today’s rising Florida female poker stars, you might be interested to find out how they maneuver through the poker world every day. You just might be surprised how their daily lives are sometimes similar or such a contrast from their personas at the poker table. Here are some of the ladies from Florida who have had much success in the poker world and are quickly becoming ladies to watch in the future.
Name: Jena Delk of Merritt Island
Cashes: nine ($68,021)
Hobbies: Hmm, poker, reading about poker, dreaming about poker, thinking about poker — did I mention, poker?
The Skinny: Jena’s most successful tournament cash came recently at the Southern Poker Championship at Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss. in January, grabbing 11th place and $26K. The mother of four also won the World Series of Poker circuit event’s ladies title at Harrah’s in New Orleans in May 2008.
Name: Lisa Adams of Boca Raton
Cashes: five ($153,149)
In her own words: I am the CEO and co-founder of very successful businesses; I am a mom and had a 20-year career in sales that has prepared me for life on the felt. I frequent the Palm Beach Kennel Club, the Isle of Capri Casino and Seminole casinos. I am always looking to sharpen my skills in both mixed and ladies-only events.
The Skinny: Lisa’s biggest score came when she took down the Wynn Classic in 2007, which was good for $110K. She also won a WSOP circuit event’s ladies title at the Grand Casino in Tunica, Miss. back in January 2006. The win was worth $27K.
Name: Marla Crumpler of Ft. Lauderdale
Cashes: one ($60,101)
The Skinny: Marla is a mother of twin boys, a corporate businesswomen and plays at Seminole casinos. She ranks 78th on the top 100 female money earners in the country. Her cash came in the 2008 WSOP ladies event, finishing fifth.
Name: Randi Calabro of Harmony
Cashes: six ($123,762)
The Skinny: Randi, who started playing just two years ago, ranks 46th on the list of top 100 female money earners. Her biggest cash was a third-place finish in the WSOP ladies event in June 2007, good for $106K, though she has placed first twice in other smaller events.
Name: Debbie Mitchell of Miramar
Cashes: 2 ($47,883)
The Skinny: Deb has a fantastic career playing online with more than $250,000 in winnings. She credits her playing abilities to studying the game, watching training videos, reading articles, discussing poker with friends and other great poker minds and being dedicated to succeed. She is a business owner and avid softball player. Her online ranking is 1,155 out of about 746,000 players. On the top 100 female live money earners in the country she ranks No. 91.
As these women have proved, poker comes in all shapes and sizes, professions and lifestyles. We’re very proud of our hometown “women of poker” and want to see more Floridian women achieve this level of competition and achievement.
— Lauren Failla writes a monthly column for Ante Up, tracking the progress of women in poker. Email her at lauren@highheelspokertour.com.
