An Interview With Vanessa Rousso

by Aaron Angerman

With more than $1.5 million in tournament winnings, Vanessa Rousso is helping to lead a charge of females to poker prominence. As a member of Team PokerStars Pro, Rousso has become a marquee name on the tournament circuit, appearing at the biggest events the world has to offer and even starring in her own commercials.

A dual citizen of the U.S. and France, Rousso graduated from Duke University in just two and a half years. Sometimes Rousso could be found behind a painted face, as just one of the Cameron Crazies cheering on the basketball team. Upon graduating from Duke, Vanessa moved on to Miami Law, where she is nearing graduation. She plans to return for her final semester after her vigorous travel schedule settles down. While she may not want to trade her budding poker career for a law career at this point, she believes the knowledge gained at Miami Law will guide her when she's at the felt and away from it.

When she's not bungee jumping, hanging out with her new fiancé, Chad Brown, or walking the red carpet at the Ocean's 13 premier, Rousso can be found on the felt. Vanessa took time out of playing a 2K Euro side event at the PokerStars EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo to speak with us.

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. How is Monte Carlo treating you?

There are a lot worse places you could be playing at. I made it to the last level of Day 2 before busting out of the Grand Final. I think I played my A+ game the whole tourney. But I have been watching players around me play bad, so I decided to give it a shot and play bad in the side event. I'm chip leader right now, so maybe I'm on to something.

What are your feelings about playing on the EPT?

Europe has this old world feel. I grew up in France, so the idea of playing in Europe adds a special element for me. I wouldn't doubt if I've played every EPT event in a couple years.

How does it feel to have your fiancé, Chad Brown, on Team PokerStars with you?

It is super good news. The tournament trail is tough, sometimes. It can be a really lonely journey. Having Chad with me is going to make everything a lot easier.

You recently took 2nd place at the PokerStars WCOOP, only after the original winner, 'The VOid', was disqualified for suspicion of multi-accounting. What's your feeling towards multi-accounters?

The terms of service are very clear. There is a tremendous amount of equity online, with lots of bad players. There's no reason to cheat. It's just greedy.

I hear you're going to be appearing on the Latin American Poker Tour. Is that true?

Yes, I can't wait. I'm going to be at the Rio de Janeiro event. I'll get to hang out with my buddy and PokerStars Teammate, Andre Akkari. He's from Brazil and is going to show me around. I'll miss the Costa Rica event, since I'll be busy instructing at the WPT Boot Camp in Las Vegas, but after that's done, I'll head down to check out the Uruguay event.

Congrats on the Poker After Dark win. You also have other big cashes on your resume, including a $5K win at the Borgata and the WCOOP runner-up. Do you feel you'll need a major tourney win to validate yourself, or are you even worried about that?

You can't need that kind of thing. There are lots of excellent players out there without a tournament win. I've already been so lucky on the tour, I don't really need it. I don't like to be results oriented.

You are considered a role model for aspiring female poker players. How do you feel about people, including top female pros, who would like to see the WSOP Ladies Event banished?

Get another hobby. If somebody wants to host a tourney for just those with short hair, or short people, go for it. If women feel more comfortable in a tourney without men, then give them one. I get such a good feeling to see how many women are taking up poker. Why would anyone want to ruin that?

Do you have any goals for 2008 WSOP?

Again, I'm going to try not to be results oriented. That's something I always try to remember. I just want to make as many correct decisions as possible. I want to keep cool and control my emotions. I really need to enjoy myself. I'll probably be playing the WSOP for the rest of my life. I'm not going to be young forever and I don't want to miss out on every summer, so I really want to enjoy my time at the WSOP.

Do you have any influences at the table, anyone you mold your game after?

I try not to emulate any one person's style. Instead, I chose to be a chameleon. I'll switch it up. If I want to play aggressive, maybe I'll start playing like the Grinder [Mike Mizrachi]. Sometimes I want to play like Dan Harrington, sometimes Phil Ivey. I have different modes for different situations.

So, we've all seen your PokerStars commercial. Is that really you bungee jumping?

Yup, that's me. We filmed that in Vancouver. I'm into crazy stuff. Some people call me an adrenaline junkie. They're talking about skydiving for the next commercial shoot, so we'll see if that happens. I'm really excited.

After the WPT $25K World Championship, Rousso will make her way to Rio de Janeiro for the first leg of the LAPT, May 3rd - 5th. From there, it's on to a full schedule at the WSOP. For any more info on Vanessa, visit vanessarousso.com.

Previous Article | Article Listing | Next Article

More Interviews