WSOP: Woman Stars of Poker

When she’s not on the west coast on one of her gambling tournament tours, Cyndy Violette, 48, spends most of her time in Atlantic City’s Trump Taj Mahal clocking in for another day’s work as a professional gambler.

When It All Began
At the age of 12, Violette moved from Queens to Las Vegas with her family. In Vegas, Violette learned the secrets of card playing and fantasized of the day she could begin to play cards legally. (Whatever happened to ponies and princesses?)

Violette’s first poker hand was not for leisure reasons, though; she was working as a blackjack dealer. With a new baby on the way, Violette sat down for the first time as a player shortly after her employment. She had launched her professional gambling career when she won a 7-card stud tournament at the Golden Nugget earning $74,000. At the time, this was the most money ever won by a woman.

In 1990, Violette made a $62,000 comeback in a tournament at Caesars Palace. Although she was living in Washington State, Violette spent her time between Las Vegas and Los Angeles pursuing the rare dream she had as a young girl in Vegas.

Top of Her Class
In 2004 I achieved one of my dreams. I am proud of the title as Poker champion," says Violette after winning her first World Series of Poker (WSOP) Bracelet, "Winning was a dream come true.” The WSOP bracelet was given to her in a 7-card stud hi-lo split tournament in the 2004 competition. Cindy was one of only three women to receive the bracelet that year, along with Kathy Liebert and Annie Duke.

Poker Passion
After her divorce in 1993, Violette became a regular WSOP participant and had moved to Atlantic City. She saw the casino capital of the East Coast City as a sanctuary where she could relax and enjoy life while pursuing her real passion - healthy vegetarian cooking.

Violette’s luck did not end at the 2004 WSOP; she made it to the final 3 tables in the next year's tournament with six cashes total. Representing the minority of women in the gambling industry, Violette gained much fame from her success with appearances on FOX Sports Net and the Game Show Network.

Although she is a loyal participant, Violette believes there is room for improvement in the WSOP. "The real World Series champion should play all games," says Violette. "it should be a five-game tournament - you play, and every half-hour you switch games, Hold 'em, stud, every game should be played. That would be my wish, that it was more of a mixed game thing to win the world title. It would be more based on real skill."

A Woman Stud
Although poker is known as a "Man’s game," Violette became known as a champion in "stud". Just like she beat the odds of poker, Violette beat the odds of survival in a man’s world.

As of 2007, Violette's total live tournament winnings exceed $1,100,000. Today, Violette attends as many major tournaments as she can handle and also finds time to work on her poker inspired clothing and motivational items. With a profession as unstable as card playing, Violette doesn’t seem to be leaving any time soon. Cyndy Violette is a modern day role model setting the image of a successful American woman.