Tv’s 12 Best Poker Night-owl Gals, Part I: Veteran Babes

Six nights a week at 2:00 a.m., popular NBC show Poker After Dark features the best professional players of the poker industry. Among them, 12 remarkable women stand out, bringing not only beauty, charm and style, but also talent, experience and confidence to the table.

We invite you to meet them and prepare yourself for facing their sharpness if you are thinking on participating in the show’s free-ticket promotion or if you are seriously saving up for paying the $20,000 buy-in the show requires. Our lady poker pros have been featured according to the number of years under the poker spotlight, from the stars with the most poker years to the more recent ones. In this article, we are honoring the women with most poker spotlight experience in the Poker After Dark cast.

Cindy Violette, 22 years

This poker beauty is the owner of a bracelet and 22 years of poker experience. A fan of card games since her childhood, Cindy worked as a blackjack and poker dealer before deciding to start career in poker. 15 years ago, Cindy took a two-year break from poker but returned because she missed it too much. Known as one of the best mannered players, she is also famous for winning mercilessly at the felt. An assiduous yoga practitioner, Violette says “you have to have balance in life. Poker can be obsessive and then it's not good for you. You have to stay focused at all times; don't get emotionally involved, and don't let it take over your life.”

Dee Luong, 18 years

Born in Vietnam during the war, Dee learned from a very young age that she needed to always find the bright side of circumstances, and make the best out of them to survive. After moving to California at an early age, Dee’s attitude towards life drove her to pursue her dreams in Vegas, getting into the poker scene with the help of poke star Huck Seed, who gave her the tools to make it in the poker world. Since then, she has competed among the best in the game, and still continues to do so.

Jennifer Harman, 14 years

The first woman to win 2 bracelets in WSOP Tournaments, Jennifer has been labeled as the best female player and one of the best players in the world. Harman has more than 10 years of experience as a professional poker player, and her journey has taken her from bankruptcy to top success gradually. Therefore, there is not much Jennifer has not experienced and overcome in poker. She keeps her edge playing in live tournaments, where she says she learns and earns the most, and if you are still doubtful about this harmless-looking lady, you should read the chapter she wrote on Limit Hold’em in Doyle Brunson’s classic titled Super System 2 – according to some reviews, anybody who wants to get serious in poker should memorize it.

Annie Duke, 14 years

Owner of a bracelet and the respect of the poker community for over 14 years, Annie Duke is, according to Phil Helmuth, “the best all-round woman poker player in the world today.” After abandoning a career as a cognitive psychologist by dropping out from graduate school just before her PhD. dissertation, Annie got immersed into poker thanks to her brother, Howard Lederer. It paid off almost immediately, making her over $40,000 during her first full-time poker year. Today, Annie is part of the poker hall of fame, and anybody should think twice before sitting on a poker table with her.

Joanne Liu, 12 years

Born and raised in Taiwan, Joanne first moved to the United States to earn a master’s degree in computer science. Soon after landing a job in California as a systems analyst, she learned how to play poker in 1996, the same year she ventured to enter her first WSOP event, in which she finished fourth. From then on, conquering final tournament tables is a common achievement for Liu, who attributes her rapid success to the principles learned in Sun Tzu's book The Art of War, her poker bible, which says a lot about how fierce this poker talent is at the table.

Kristy Gazes, 10 years

Leaving a career as documentary filmmaker, Kristy has been in the poker spot light for 10 years. Kristy began playing poker since the mid-80s, bluffing at casinos about her age to be able to bluff at the poker tables. She considers Daniel Negreanu and her ex-husband, Bill Gazes, as her most influencing role models. Having a notorious presence at the tables, she sits down not only to win chips, but to also demand class and respect for every player involved in the game. She hopes to retire in 5 years, but not before earning a bracelet, so beware of the bracelet predator for the next 5 years of tournaments.

Check out these beautiful poker veterans and learn from them 6 times a week in NBC at 2:00 a.m.

Next: Meet TV’s 12 Best Poker Night-Owl Gals, Part II: Newborn Poker Babes