By
Lenny
A woman succeeding in poker is nothing new, yet for some reason, it continues to catch our eye. Kristen “Hyacinthgirl” Williams first sat down at a poker table in her college days at Arizona State, where she played 1-4 spread limit stud with a bunch of older men. She says they would react to her in one of two ways, either in a condescending, “isn’t she cute” kind of way, or with a grumbling “what’s this girl doing in a man’s game?” attitude. No matter what others thought, hyacinthgirl didn’t let it faze her. She was there to have a good time. A few years later, she has turned an entertaining hobby into a significant source of income.
To be honest, I might not be writing this article if it weren’t for hyacinthgirl's recent success, but she has been a frequent and valued contributor in the forums for so long, I am very glad to be doing it. For the past year and a half hyacinthgirl has steadily honed her game from purely recreational to a steady, if modest income. She has been grinding out small and midstakes for a while now, but taking out money for expenses never allowed her to grow her bankroll. Her proven track record of profitability did attract the attention of her many friends in the online community and she recently set up a backing arrangement that has allowed her to pursue poker without the pressures of monthly bills.
Whether she was just due for a big win, or the added freedom of backing allowed her to play her “A” game, I can’t say, but a few weeks ago hyacinthgirl broke through in a big way. She won the Full Tilt Poker 14k guaranteed, which beat the guarantee by a good margin as usual, earning $4,251 for her efforts. When I asked her how it felt to get a big win like that she replied, “Really, really good. I have been making so many changes in my MTT game, and just not putting in a lot of volume that I haven’t had many changes for a win, but it felt great to take this one down.
“I was top ten in chips for a very long time, and then I took a quick succession of beats on the money bubble which left me short. I managed to hang around and was the short stack on the final table bubble as well. I won the blinds and antes every time I pushed and then was lucky to pick up pocket Queens and have them hold against another short stacks A-10. After that I went into the final table as chip leader and I didn’t really look back. It was a great confidence booster.”
Hyacinthgirl started out playing stud and continues to play all varieties of poker. Texas hold ‘em is where the money is right now, but she is “anxiously awaiting the day when other games can be found in Bricks and Mortar casinos.” She enjoys playing online, for all the obvious reasons of convenience and lower costs in rake and travel, etc., but this girl is a live poker junkie at heart. “Even now, when I got to Vegas I have the most fun playing the tiny stud games. The biggest drawback for me in playing poker so much more seriously than I used to is just that: taking it too seriously,” she says of the differences in playing for income.
A baseball fan and a poker player who spends a lot of her time surrounded by guys, either online or live you might think Kristen would be a bit of a tomboy, but she definitely stays in touch with her feminine side. She was almost too shy to include a picture with this article, but I talked her into sharing her smiling face with all of us (so be nice!). Despite that softer side, hyacinthgirl definitely knows how to take care of herself, and doesn’t put up with any b.s. at the tables. When I asked her how she was treated playing under a screenname including girl she informed me that most people actually still assume she is a guy. She added, “I get referred to as ‘him’ or ‘man’ a lot. I think people just gloss over screen names for the most part.
“I think there is a place for women-only events in poker as a good way to get women involved in the game who might not be comfortable otherwise, but I hope they don’t encourage the idea that women need to play in separate events. Poker is a level playing field. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman.”
In a game where success is dictated by brains not brawn and some of the best players in the world are women, it is clear that any woman who puts her mind to it can succeed in poker. There remain many cultural barriers for most women to even be inclined to try and then once they do they are often faced with disrespect, if not outright hostility from the men at the table. As hyacinthgirl points out, “much of that has changed with poker’s increase in popularity. Television exposure has brought all sorts of new people to the game.”
Kristen Williams is the mother of a one and a half hear old son, who is at the center of her life. A smiling baby boy has to be an instant cure for tilt, so that has to make up for the times she has to run away in the middle of hand to take care of him. When it comes down to it, poker is a great way for hyacinthgirl to earn some money while she is at home with her son, but I am sure he helps her keep the importance of a card game in the proper perspective. I am sure I speak for all of the Pocketfives community when I wish you continued success!