Maureen RedhotmommaLudwig (pictured) out of Glen Ridge, New Jersey is a stay at home mom who juggles a busy lifestyle, but still manages to find time to play online poker in New Jersey. With over $20,000 in recorded online cashes, her notable finishes include a third place in a WSOPOC event for $2,500, a win in the WSOP.com$10,000 Guarantee for $2,750, and a seventh place in the PartyPoker/Borgata Poker $50,000 Guarantee for $1,484.

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PocketFives: Tell us your story of how you got started in poker.

Maureen Ludwig: When I met my husband, my mother-in-law asked me, “Do you gamble?” I said, “No.” She said, “You will!” So, I started playing poker in family home games. In 2004, I signed up for PartyPoker, PokerStars, etc. This was before Black Friday. We started a poker backing group with $1,000 and grew it to almost $150,000 in only a few months with four successful players, me being one of them. Players were backed, sent on their way, and got to keep half of their winnings.

We then cashed out, paid our taxes, hired a lawyer, and found out shortly thereafter that we could not proceed due to legal issues with poker. I became very experienced back then in only a few years. Sometimes I would play six $100 single-tables at once with a baby in my arms and two toddlers running around. Then, I would throw in maybe ten MTTs throughout the day.

PocketFives: What has been your most memorable cash or win on the New Jersey websites?

Maureen Ludwig: The most memorable cash for me was winning the $10K on WSOP.com on March 21. The chip leader had me at least three-to-one heads-up and I had made up my mind up that I was going to win it. I also won the $5K on PartyPoker on December 8.

PocketFives: What are your favorite New Jersey online poker sites to play and why?

Maureen Ludwig: I prefer PartyPoker and WSOP.com. I love the 10K chip stack that Party gives you in those big tournaments on the weekends. It gives you a little time to make something happen. Yesterday, I final tabled three times in the WSOP.com rebuy tournaments. So, now of course, I think I am starting to like those rebuys as well.

I love the satellites on WSOP.com too. I think they are a good value, but I think PartyPoker has done a great job in making the satellites accessible all day long. I would like WSOP.com to have a few in the morning.

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

Maureen Ludwig: I think I can attribute my success to thousands of hours playing online poker. There are just a few of us who have that kind of experience. I was lucky to have acquired that knowledge before Black Friday.

I think the other issue is staying positive. You have to keep your chin up so that you can recover from those beats. I don’t want to tilt in my other tournaments I am playing simultaneously. If you do, you should not play too many at once. I am a mother of three girls, so I also have to know when to rest. Gone are the days of sleeping in. I have learned that I do not play well tired! Therefore, I only play $100 buy-ins between one and three times per week, sometimes not at all. I would like to see a few days a week with an earlier buy- in, say an 8:30am start.

I also never play when I am in a bad mood. That is a recipe for disaster. You might as well throw your money out the window.

PocketFives: How can we get more women to play online poker in New Jersey?

Maureen Ludwig: I can’t tell you how many women laugh when they find out that I play poker. They laugh because they cannot relate. Or they say, “Oh, my aunt loves roulette!” Why aren’t more women playing, thus increasing our player pool? The answer is that women who don’t understand the game are intimidated. If they learn how to play online, that intimidation factor will dissipate.

We need more incentives to get them to play. Offer bonuses to women who join up and to the people that refer them. Offer women-only tournaments once or twice a week. Hire consultants to help them understand the game. Advertise the stay at home moms that are doing it. I probably play at least 30 hours a week, juggle the groceries, household, piano, dance, soccer, field hockey, swim team, voice lessons, and the social life of three happy girls. I am very lucky because my husband plays, understands, and loves the game as well.