There are much more accomplished tournament players than myself but I have been playing the game for 13 years, and I am comfortable with how I play poker. It has always been how I’ve made a living. Of course I want to win a big event, but all I can really ask for is to play my best. If I played like a donkey and took down a tournament I would settle for that, but I prefer to say I played my best.

I’ve known Daniel Negreanu since we were both 16, and pool hall hustlers in our hometown of Toronto. What he has taught me is the mental attitude of a professional poker player.

I owe my career to the WPT. The Ladies Night [where she finished second in 2003] was my introduction to no-limit hold’em tournament poker. At the time I was a cash game player, and I was at Foxwoods sweating Daniel. They came up to me and asked if I wanted to be interviewed for the show. I guess I made a good impression, because when they decided to make the Ladies Night show I got a phone call.

Sexism in the poker world has given me a career so how could I fault it? If people focus on my looks or how I dress that is fine. I make a decent living, so I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I didn’t get into poker because I thought I would get on TV. Really, I’m just a poker player.

I made my living playing limit hold’em for ten years. I’m probably a steadier winner at limit cash games, but playing more cash limit poker is not something I am too thrilled about doing. I feel like that part of my life is over for now.

I try to keep my sanity by not burning myself out and only playing when it matters. When I don’t eat, sleep, drink poker every minute of the day I play better. I worked for my money for over a decade. Now I’m reaping the benefits of spending all that time being miserable, pessimistic and grinding it out.

I knew as soon as I was introduced to the game that it was something I would do well at. I dealt for a year before I played – I just wanted to learn as much as I could.