Intro: Jen Leo is, without a doubt, our favorite female poker blogger.  Granted, it’s not like there’s a ton of competition in that market, but even if there was, she’d still be our favorite.  Cause she can fucking write. She’s like the Mia Hamm of writing. In that Mia Hamm is like the best female soccer player of our generation, and Jen is a damn witty, funny, intelligent writer…and a girl. We like her so much we’ve even put her pink header graphic at the top of this post. Yes, a big bright pink header, on WCP. But this isn’t about us. It’s about Jen.  Maybe you’ve seen her stuff in BLUFF, Woman Poker Player (it’s a magazine for women…who play poker), TIME, and Playboy. She’s also got a book in the works. The girl has got talent. Which is great. Cause we respect women. We respect their minds. We respect what they have to say. Lots. For real.

WCP: So…what are you wearing?

JL: I am wearing a short, lavender bathrobe, nothing underneath.

WCP: Hot. Alright. You’re a quote unquote writer. So what the hell got you into poker? Shouldn’t you be at a coffee shop typing away on your Mac wearing Moby-esque eye-glasses?

JL: I’ve been in the travel book publishing biz for ten years. But the Chinese side of my family has insured that I’ve had gambling in my blood for longer than that. My grandfather taught me how to play craps, and then proceeded to take me to Vegas several times a year after I was 21. After a while, I wanted to write about my gambling experiences but didn’t quite know how to go about it. So, on one trip to the desert I went to the Gamblers Bookstore and got the grand tour from Howard Schwartz. I asked him to set me up with books that I could learn from. One of the ones he suggested was Anthony Holden’s Big Deal. After I read and raved about that one, a friend recommended Positively Fifth Streetby James McManus.

That’s all it took. Two books. I was hooked and just had to see the World Series of Poker. So, knowing very little about the game, but knowing how to get a few writing gigs, I packed my things in San Francisco and moved to Vegas for the summer. That was just last year. Now, I’m hooked the whole way around. On tournaments, and playing in our home game, and online.

But yes, if I were a kept woman and could say no to the ever present marketing ideas that take over my brain and lead me to busyness, I’d love to sit and write romantic comedy scripts at a coffee shop. It’s the adult version of a teenager’s bad love poetry.

WCP: How much leverage do you get out of telling people, "Yeah, I’ve been in Playboy…"

JL: That’s funny. But still a lame question.

[click to continue…]

Tagged as: phil gordon, Rafe Furst

{ 13 comments }