Vanessa Rousso interview
On May 2, 2009, our honored guest Vanessa Rousso dropped $33,000 to enter into a high stakes poker tournament called the European Poker Tour (EPT) High Roller Championship located in Monte Carlo, Monaco, confident like every one of her 78 competitors who also entered of winning it all. Considering the entry fee was three times that of the World Series of Poker, you can bet everyone brought their best game and they certainly didn't plan on showing any mercy along the way toward the final table.
So what's the likelihood of Ms. Rousso faring well in such an ultra-competitive contest?
To answer that question correctly, you'll have to never mind she received relatively little acknowledgement in the press or from other players for her poker skill, especially next to bigger, better-known names since they've been in the poker world longer.
Never mind she stood out because of her physical beauty. After all, how can any poker grunt take her seriously after her appearance in the most recent Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and becoming a GoDaddy girl? Her past poker achievements were flukes, ephemeral, and skin deep, right?
Never mind that she competed against almost all male players ...
... never mind indeed because all of the above points weren't disadvantages but clear advantages for her case!
Never minding her graduating from Duke University, one of the top universities in the nation, in a record 2.5 years where she read Sun Tzu and concentrated her studies on game theory, the other players didn't realize they had little chance.
And never minding her incredible success of amassing over $2 million in tournament earnings in just a few years since turning pro, they allowed themselves to be shark bait. For you see, Vanessa Rousso wasn't swimming with sharks -- she was the shark. Anyone who underestimated her soon found himself leaving the poker table with all his chips sliding toward her already massive chip pile.
In this EPT tournament in Monte Carlo a day later on May 3, 2009, Ms. Rousso stepped into the final table leading in chips and then methodically surrounded and subdued her prey one by one. She stood up from that table winning first place and $960,000, which pushed her across the $3 million mark in career earnings ... and she's only 26 years old.
Therefore we won't make the same mistake as her poor competitors. We believe the most recent example of Vanessa Rousso's performance at Monaco is indicative of her future performance in the poker world, and the thought of that should send shivers down the spine of every poker player when she swims by.
But for us Art of War enthusiasts, she is an ally. And guys, she's a bookworm! We're ecstatic to have Vanessa Rousso at Sonshi.com; below is her much-anticipated interview. Enjoy.
Sonshi.com: Do you remember your first time reading Sun Tzu's Art of War? What was it about the book that interested you?
Rousso: Of course, it was while I was an undergrad at Duke. The thing that most intrigued me was the cross-applicability and timelessness of the lessons espoused to other areas (besides war) in far different times (such as today) than that of the original writing.
Sonshi.com: We understand you played many games such as chess, backgammon, and of course poker when you were very young. You later earned your bachelor's degrees at Duke University in economics and political science in only 2.5 years -- a school record! Any correlation between your game playing and your incredible determination?
Rousso: Probably. I think it comes down to having a competitive spirit. If you are a natural competitor, you gravitate towards games. I believe it is that very same spirit which drives intense determination in all areas.
Sonshi.com: At Duke you studied and concentrated on game theory. What was it about economist John Nash's game theories you found useful in poker?
Rousso: Well, without giving away too many things from the boot camp I teach on this subject, game theory has an array of applications to poker. Calculating expected value in games of incomplete information, understanding the prisoner's dilemma and its effects on deception & cooperation, and even evolutionary game theory and its analogy to the evolving nature of the poker community all influence my poker strategy.
Sonshi.com: Does game theory work on irrational players, who you probably encounter on a regular basis?
Rousso: Traditionally, game theory presupposes that all players are rational in order to determine an 'optimal strategy.' However, it does allow for the possibility that some players will not act rationally in its application of 'exploitative strategy.' Exploitative strategies are a way of optimizing behavior given an opponent's demonstrated tendencies to act irrationally.
For instance, say it is optimal to raise with Ace-King on the button if it folds to you. Well, if you happen to have an irrational player to your left in the small blind who flips up his cards so that you can see that he has two Aces (or exhibits some other non-optimal tell to the same effect). Now, it is no longer optimal to raise with Ace-King. The exploitative strategy would be to take advantage (hence, exploit) of this extra information you have squired and fold to the clearly superior hand on your left.
Sonshi.com: Since 2006 you earned over $2 million in poker tournaments. Apparently you applied very effectively what you learned, and so we can't think of a better person to learn poker from than you. Tell us more about your upcoming Art of War poker seminars.
Rousso: I am really excited about this seminar series. We launched a few weeks ago in Pompano, and just finished an event in Jacksonville. We plan to offer many more camps in the near future [Jan 10, 2010 in Paradise Island, The Bahamas and Jan 22 and 23, 2010 in Biloxi, Mississippi]. During the camps I teach poker tournament strategy geared towards the intermediate poker player. I draw upon my own readings and experiences, The Art of War, and my education in Game Theory to offer what I believe to be one of the most unique poker learning opportunities currently available.
Sonshi.com: You have appeared on the 2009 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and was bungee jumping in a Pokerstars commercial. But we at Sonshi.com highly suspect you would rather curl up with a good book. Are we wrong?
Rousso: Definitely not. Is it that obvious that I am a book worm? :)
Sonshi.com: Trying to learn from Sun Tzu's Art of War, readers often focus on their enemy but there is also an emphasis on detachment and controlling their own emotions. Do you often see the same lesson in poker players who become their own worst enemies?
Rousso: Absolutely. When I teach poker strategy I often remind my students that every lesson must be integrated into their game in TWO ways. The first way is to use the lesson to analyze their opponents with better accuracy. The second, equally important way to use strategic concepts, is to hold a mirror to themselves and their own play in search of what the lesson will teach others about them.
Like Sun Tzu teaches, if you only know your enemy you will win some battles and you will lose some. Those who want to win all of their battles must know the enemy and themselves. And yes, if you fail to understand your own weaknesses and address them, you will certainly become your own worst enemy as a poker player.
[End of interview]
So what's the likelihood of Ms. Rousso faring well in such an ultra-competitive contest?
To answer that question correctly, you'll have to never mind she received relatively little acknowledgement in the press or from other players for her poker skill, especially next to bigger, better-known names since they've been in the poker world longer.
Never mind she stood out because of her physical beauty. After all, how can any poker grunt take her seriously after her appearance in the most recent Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and becoming a GoDaddy girl? Her past poker achievements were flukes, ephemeral, and skin deep, right?
Never mind that she competed against almost all male players ...
... never mind indeed because all of the above points weren't disadvantages but clear advantages for her case!
Never minding her graduating from Duke University, one of the top universities in the nation, in a record 2.5 years where she read Sun Tzu and concentrated her studies on game theory, the other players didn't realize they had little chance.
And never minding her incredible success of amassing over $2 million in tournament earnings in just a few years since turning pro, they allowed themselves to be shark bait. For you see, Vanessa Rousso wasn't swimming with sharks -- she was the shark. Anyone who underestimated her soon found himself leaving the poker table with all his chips sliding toward her already massive chip pile.
In this EPT tournament in Monte Carlo a day later on May 3, 2009, Ms. Rousso stepped into the final table leading in chips and then methodically surrounded and subdued her prey one by one. She stood up from that table winning first place and $960,000, which pushed her across the $3 million mark in career earnings ... and she's only 26 years old.
Therefore we won't make the same mistake as her poor competitors. We believe the most recent example of Vanessa Rousso's performance at Monaco is indicative of her future performance in the poker world, and the thought of that should send shivers down the spine of every poker player when she swims by.
But for us Art of War enthusiasts, she is an ally. And guys, she's a bookworm! We're ecstatic to have Vanessa Rousso at Sonshi.com; below is her much-anticipated interview. Enjoy.
Sonshi.com: Do you remember your first time reading Sun Tzu's Art of War? What was it about the book that interested you?
Rousso: Of course, it was while I was an undergrad at Duke. The thing that most intrigued me was the cross-applicability and timelessness of the lessons espoused to other areas (besides war) in far different times (such as today) than that of the original writing.
Sonshi.com: We understand you played many games such as chess, backgammon, and of course poker when you were very young. You later earned your bachelor's degrees at Duke University in economics and political science in only 2.5 years -- a school record! Any correlation between your game playing and your incredible determination?
Rousso: Probably. I think it comes down to having a competitive spirit. If you are a natural competitor, you gravitate towards games. I believe it is that very same spirit which drives intense determination in all areas.
Sonshi.com: At Duke you studied and concentrated on game theory. What was it about economist John Nash's game theories you found useful in poker?
Rousso: Well, without giving away too many things from the boot camp I teach on this subject, game theory has an array of applications to poker. Calculating expected value in games of incomplete information, understanding the prisoner's dilemma and its effects on deception & cooperation, and even evolutionary game theory and its analogy to the evolving nature of the poker community all influence my poker strategy.
Sonshi.com: Does game theory work on irrational players, who you probably encounter on a regular basis?
Rousso: Traditionally, game theory presupposes that all players are rational in order to determine an 'optimal strategy.' However, it does allow for the possibility that some players will not act rationally in its application of 'exploitative strategy.' Exploitative strategies are a way of optimizing behavior given an opponent's demonstrated tendencies to act irrationally.
For instance, say it is optimal to raise with Ace-King on the button if it folds to you. Well, if you happen to have an irrational player to your left in the small blind who flips up his cards so that you can see that he has two Aces (or exhibits some other non-optimal tell to the same effect). Now, it is no longer optimal to raise with Ace-King. The exploitative strategy would be to take advantage (hence, exploit) of this extra information you have squired and fold to the clearly superior hand on your left.
Sonshi.com: Since 2006 you earned over $2 million in poker tournaments. Apparently you applied very effectively what you learned, and so we can't think of a better person to learn poker from than you. Tell us more about your upcoming Art of War poker seminars.
Rousso: I am really excited about this seminar series. We launched a few weeks ago in Pompano, and just finished an event in Jacksonville. We plan to offer many more camps in the near future [Jan 10, 2010 in Paradise Island, The Bahamas and Jan 22 and 23, 2010 in Biloxi, Mississippi]. During the camps I teach poker tournament strategy geared towards the intermediate poker player. I draw upon my own readings and experiences, The Art of War, and my education in Game Theory to offer what I believe to be one of the most unique poker learning opportunities currently available.
Sonshi.com: You have appeared on the 2009 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and was bungee jumping in a Pokerstars commercial. But we at Sonshi.com highly suspect you would rather curl up with a good book. Are we wrong?
Rousso: Definitely not. Is it that obvious that I am a book worm? :)
Sonshi.com: Trying to learn from Sun Tzu's Art of War, readers often focus on their enemy but there is also an emphasis on detachment and controlling their own emotions. Do you often see the same lesson in poker players who become their own worst enemies?
Rousso: Absolutely. When I teach poker strategy I often remind my students that every lesson must be integrated into their game in TWO ways. The first way is to use the lesson to analyze their opponents with better accuracy. The second, equally important way to use strategic concepts, is to hold a mirror to themselves and their own play in search of what the lesson will teach others about them.
Like Sun Tzu teaches, if you only know your enemy you will win some battles and you will lose some. Those who want to win all of their battles must know the enemy and themselves. And yes, if you fail to understand your own weaknesses and address them, you will certainly become your own worst enemy as a poker player.
[End of interview]