PocketFives had the chance to chat with one of our members, redhat_jane, aka Addy Litfin (pictured) in the real world and suicidequ33non WSOP.com. She has been a member of PocketFives since December of 2010 and has been a resident of Las Vegas for almost five years. Originally from New York, she has taken quite well to the online scene in Nevada. She has cashed four times on the Nightly $3K events on WSOP.com has cashed in the lower guarantee events such as the “$10 at 10” and “Midnight Mayhem.”

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PocketFives: How did you choose your player name?

Addy Litfin: One of my favorite poker sayings comes from the late Amir Vahedi, who once said, “In order to live, you must be willing to die.” If you want to win poker tournaments, you’ve got to be fearless and willing to fall on your sword, hence “suicide queen” because I’m never afraid to put my tournament life on the line to win a pot.

PocketFives: How long have you been playing online poker?

Addy Litfin: My dad taught me how to play when I was a little kid, but I started playing live poker recreationally in casinos around 2006 and online around 2008. I really began studying the game and grinding seriously in early 2010 once I moved to Las Vegas.

PocketFives: To what do you attribute your current online success?

Addy Litfin: I think a lot of it simply comes from practice and the number of hours logged. Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the 10,000 Hour Rule in “Outliers,” which discusses how very successful people spent 10,000 hours, or 20 hours per week for 10 years, becoming experts in their field. I think the same is definitely true for poker: if you spend enough time playing and studying and reviewing hands, eventually variance will be on your side and the results will start showing.

PocketFives: Did you find it difficult as a female to put up with your male counterparts at the table?

Addy Litfin: Not really. I come from a long line of smart, aggressive Jewish women who never had any problems telling the men in their lives exactly how they felt about something. I don’t get intimidated or allow myself to be pushed around by men at the table. Most of the time this earns me respect, but sometimes I do get backlash from the guys who feel threatened by my aggressive play.

A lot of people automatically assume that being a woman is an advantage in poker, and while I do agree that women’s skills are often underestimated and we are typically stronger at reading men, there are many other social aspects to playing as a woman that I do not always feel like dealing with, which is why I really enjoy playing online.

PocketFives: Do you play cash games as well?

Addy Litfin: I used to play live cash exclusively when I first started playing. When I moved to Vegas in 2009, I probably played four to five times per week for the first year or two. These days, I’m much more of a tournament masochist and only play live cash during busy, profitable times. I mostly stick to $1/$3 or $2/$5 No Limit, but occasionally play $1/$2 PLO if I’m in the mood to gamble and light some money on fire.

PocketFives: What is your favorite local poker room?

Addy Litfin: For a long time, the only room in Vegas where I could cash in a live tournament was Caesars Palace, so I have to give those guys a shout-out. I adore everyone on their floor staff and despite their infamously high rake, the tournament fields are always super soft. It’s really unfortunate that their old room no longer exists and they’ve moved all their poker tables out into the sports book area because now I won’t play there due to all of the cigarette smoke in the air.

I also really enjoy playing at Wynn. They have a great staff, great atmosphere, well-run tournaments, juicy cash games, and plugs under each seat so I can charge my phone the whole time. It’s Heaven on Earth.

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