In 2008, UB.com pro Tiffany Michelle was the last woman standing in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Last year, Michelle filmed the CBS reality series “Amazing Race” during the Main Event and did not participate in poker’s biggest spectacle. Now, she returns to reclaim her place.
Poker News Daily: How are you preparing for your return to the annual WSOP at the Rio in Las Vegas?
Tiffany Michelle: Leading up to the WSOP, I’ve been playing a lot. I’ve been putting in hours online and having good results. Any time I’m successful in a tournament format, it reminds me to keep doing certain things. So often, you get sloppy in poker, so when you get through a few thousand people online and make a final table, it brings you back. I also find that if I specifically tell myself that I want to win one, I make the calls I’m supposed to make and do what I’m supposed to do.
PND: Talk about your mindset entering the 57-event tournament series.
Tiffany Michelle: I think my attitude is about the same as it was in 2008 as I was going deep in the Main Event. I won’t let myself think about the magnitude of what’s going on; I just focus on making it through each table. I’m just going to go in and pretend like it’s not a big deal. The day the Main Event starts, there are so many people and such a buzz that it probably won’t fully settle in until I get there.
PND: Mike Matusow went on record as saying that he would run naked down the Las Vegas Strip if three women win WSOP bracelets in 2010. Do you think we’ll be seeing Matusow’s birthday suit?
Tiffany Michelle: There are a lot of talented up-and-coming women players. At the end of the day, we just don’t have the sheer numbers to make that happen, though. I would love to see Trishelle Cannatella, Maria Ho, and I win, but until women can comprise a larger percentage of the field, you won’t see it.
PND: Do you ever see three women ever winning bracelets in the same year?
Tiffany Michelle: I feel like with the growth we’ve seen in the last three or four years, it would have happened by now. There has been such a large funneling of players that I’m not sure there will be anything big that will make it more appealing to women. More online female players will start coming out and playing live to grow our numbers, but at the end of the day, it’s a bunch of smelly old guys. You have female role models doing well in the game, but unless a woman final tables or wins the Main Event, I don’t see it.
PND: You recently attended the Derby Poker Championship and Kentucky Derby in Louisville. Give us some highlights!
Tiffany Michelle: I get to go to a lot of cool events, but that was probably the most fun event of my life. Jennifer Elise Cox has recently become a poker junkie and, by default, a friend of mine. We ended up hanging out with Chris Ferguson, Robert Williamson III, and Phil Hellmuth. We had a Hummer limo and a police motorcade. We had a sheriff who went with us everywhere. That’s the fun thing about the Derby: it brings out such an eclectic mix of players and stars.
PND: Did you wager on the Kentucky Derby?
Tiffany Michelle: On the first day of races, everyone was betting and I was like, I’m not a gambler. I’m not going to sit down and bet on horses or craps, so I didn’t want to waste my money. When the Derby came around, I saw everyone’s excitement and decided to bet. Robert Williamson III bet on #4 for the win. Corey Pavin’s wife had $1,000 on #4 and made $11,000.
PND: Tell us about your schedule between now and the 2010 WSOP.
Tiffany Michelle: I’ll be at the After-School All-Stars event hosted by Annie Duke. We just had Jennifer Harman’s Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals tournament and National Kidney Foundation tournament. I’ve been hitting the charity tournament circuit pretty hard. Very soon, the WSOP preliminary events start, so I will be relocating to Vegas with my Ho in tow. There are a few things towards the end of the summer project-wise I have in the works, but all I can say is that they’re TV-related.
PND: What’s it like to spend a day with Phil Hellmuth? Is it constant ranting and raving?
Tiffany Michelle: When people find out I play poker, their first questions are about Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow. All I can say is that away from the tables, they are two of the kindest, most fun guys you can meet. Phil is the sweetest guy. He’s fun to hang around. He loves life. There’s nothing better than seeing someone so successful and wealthy appreciate every moment they have. That makes you want to be around them even more.