WSOP is made up of many stories and those who work at the tournaments as dealers are also part of them. The Event #3 (US$ 500 Industry Employees NLH) features some of them. Brazilian Andre Welt was at the final table, finishing 6th for US$ 11,052, but another player in this final also made – and has – a beautiful story.
Read more Jennifer Harman recalls painful defeat during the 2005 WSOP
However, we are not even talking about the champion, Jerome Neppl, who took home US$ 64,083 and the bracelet, but rather the American Jessica Odom. She was interviewed by “Poker.org” and shared how her passion for poker began. The dealer has been working at WSOP for almost a decade and even dealt cards at the Main Event’s final table.
Thus, Jessica finished 9th in the final and received US$ 4,828. A native of Texas, she revealed that she learned the game in a bar shortly before traveling to Las Vegas for the first time. After that, she started playing local tournaments. “My girlfriend and I used to play almost every Thursday or Friday. We just fell in love with the game”, she said in the interview with “Poker.org.”
Later, Jessica fully entered poker as a profession, but not as a player. “I thought I should try to be a WSOP dealer”, she recalled in the same interview. She also works in real estate and balances both roles out of her love for the noble card game.
Read more Sunday Million on PokerStars celebrates 20 years with a special edition
Learning from the best
In this way, the experience accumulated alongside the best players in the world helped further develop her understanding of the game. “What I love about being a dealer is that I get to see everything. I have a front-row seat to watch the best of the best. I learn a lot”, she told the news portal.
In addition to this, Jessica revealed that she closely observes the technical details of the professionals while working. “I really pay attention to bet sizes and the patterns people use”, she explained in the interview. Even so, she assures that she continues studying poker regularly on her own.
Finally, the American assured that she rarely plays multi-day tournaments. “I just love the game. I love the community and this environment. WSOP is the best place to be”, she told “Poker.org.” It is always important to remember to respect dealers at any poker table and that Brazilian professionals are the best in the world.
Read more Alisson Piekazewicz advances to the GGMillion$ final table of the GGWF
