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 Getting into poker was a pretty
natural move for me. My brother Skye Pinson was already a successful player and eager to teach his competitive sister the ropes. At the time,
I knew that he loved the game, but I was about to get a lesson in what it means to really love something. I never thought of it as a
“real” profession – just another crazy scheme that my big brother had concocted. Although he had already been making a living as a
player for a couple years, I had no idea what the game had to offer or that it could it be so dynamic. My first few years of playing
were pretty intense, mainly multi-tabling online and working hard on my technical game. Skye was (and still is) a brilliant teacher,
utilizing our time living together in San Francisco well. We would often have “strategy sessions” in our apartment before we played,
going over hand histories saved from the night before on our white board (this totally cracks Shirley up, picturing us going over
poker hands like they were football plays). We would make weekend trips to Lucky Chances to play
Spread-Limit Hold’em and travelled to
LA and Las Vegas for the big tournament series. It didn’t take long for me to realize that LA is the place to be when it comes to
poker, and so after 5 years of grinding it out online, I took the plunge and made my move in December 2007. What a change; since
moving I have become a member of a poker community that just didn’t exist in San Francisco. Playing in the live ring games on a
regular basis has helped my game immensely, adding so many layers to the technical foundation I built as an online player.
In addition to the fun I have playing at the Bike every day, I have found some awesome friends in the card rooms that I never would
have crossed paths with otherwise. Of course one of these people is Shirley. I had read Poker-Babes on a pretty regular basis when I
lived up north, and we knew some of the same people, but we didn’t meet until I made the move to LA. We instantly connected, sharing
so many of the same personality traits and of course our love of poker. As a grounded, strong and successful female player, she is no
doubt someone I look up to – not to mention have a blast with. You will often find us playing and chatting together in the same cash
game at the Bike, always rooting for each other but definitely playing tough against each other every time (I’ll never chop the
blinds, even with her – no friends at the poker table!) In the years that I have been playing, I have found that it is essential to
surround yourself with people who are supportive and grounded. I am thankful to have found some amazing friends along the way who I
can share this adventure with.
Although I consider myself more of a cash game player, I have had some international success in tournaments. I have made final tables
in the United States, New Zealand, and the Bahamas where I finished
second to Vanessa Rousso in the $1,000 Ladies Event.
Some of Halli's articles on this site include profiles of
Carlos Mortensen,
Erick Lindgren,
Warren Karp,
Matt Hawrilenko,
Sabina Gadecki,
John Phan,
Kimberly Lansing,
Barry Shulman and Jeff Shulman. |
