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- Name: Vanessa Rousso
- Nickname: Lady Maverik
- Current Residence: Hobe Sound, Fla. & Las Vegas, Nev
- DOB: February 5th 1983
- Birth Place: White Plains, NY
- Sponsored by : Pokerstars
- Online site she plays at: Pokerstars
- Total winnings: $2,486,846 (March 2010)
- WSOP bracelets: none
- Marital status: Single
- Age started playing poker: 5
Who is Vanessa Rousso?
Vanessa Rousso was born in New York, her parents were a French businessman and an American school psychologist. The first ten years of her life were spent in Paris, France. Vanessa was a whiz-kid from an early age, her intelligence always stood out above average. She learnt how to read when she was only 3 years old and she was playing poker by the age of 5.
During her teen years, Vanessa liked to join swimming competitions and was an active player in the lacrosse and softball teams at the high school. She was also a member of the debate team and during her senior year she got a full scholarship to Duke University where she graduated with honours. She then continued her education at the University of Miami School of Law where she was also on scholarship.
It was during her time at Duke when Rousso got very interested in game theory and the complexity of math based decisions of poker. At first, she was too young to play live poker so she went for online poker but soon Vanessa found herself driving to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida where she played NL Hold'em on $65 single table Sit and Goes. She managed to build a good bankroll and gain some great tournament experience.
Soon after that, in 2006, Vanessa Rousso final tabled the WPT Championship and finished 7th, cashing for $250,000. During the same year she final tabled the WSOP in the $5,000 Shorthanded Hold'em Event. Right after Vanessa was taking down the $5k NL Hold'em at Borgata Poker Open and in 2007 she came 2nd at the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker. Most recently she won the High Rollers tournament at EPT Grand Final for $749,000.
Apart from being a great poker player, recently Vanessa Rousso spoke in favour of changing the Florida gambling laws and she has also been running her own poker instructional camp "Big Slick Boot Camp" in South Florida since April 2009. She appeared on the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated during 2009 as well. Vanessa Rousso is sponsored by PokerStars and plays on the site under the alias ‘LadyMaverick'.
Where does the nickname ‘Lady Maverick' come from?
Vanessa's taste for high couture clothing and over-sized Dior sunglasses has become so unique at the tables that her fellow professional poker player Dave ‘Devilfish' Ulliott started calling her "Vanessa the Dresser". However, Vanessa is mostly known for her online alias Lady Maverick as "The Lady Maverick of Poker".
Public Perception and Reputation
Vanessa is incredibly smart, she is stylish and beautiful. She is a strong poker player and has worked her way up in a game that used to be considered men-only.
Poker Techniques
Vanessa's performance at the tables is characterized by her animated demeanor, her chatty table image and smart play.
