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Youth, charm, and talent. These are the characteristics that endeared Erin Ness to poker players and viewers as well. Erin is known today as the rising star among the ladies of professional poker. She may look like a model, and she is marketable, but she is also great on the poker table.
She got her entry into the professional world of poker via the World Series of Poker in 2004 when she beat all staff of the Maxim Magazine in its office tournament. As a winner, she won an all-expense paid trip and a $10,000 buy-in to the main event of the World Series of Poker. Erin ranked 207th in the money, the third highest among the females during the main event, with Rose Richie in 98th and Lucy Rokach in 159th.
Standing tall at 5'5", enchanting Erin, now 26, honed her skills in poker by playing card games with her family and friends most of her life. She grew up in Ocean Beach, New Jersey where she and her family used to sit around for hours playing card games like gin rummy, hearts, war, and of course, the famous poker. Even while attending college at the prestigious Georgetown University, Erin made it sure to play poker at least three games a week. After graduating from college, she landed a job as a photo assistant with Maxim Magazine. And the rest is history, as they say. Erin now has her eyes on the professional big game of poker.
Erin also competed in the televised Poker Royale: Young Bloods tournament, for players under 30, that was broadcast on the Game Show Network (GSN) featured David Williams, Michael Sandberg, Scott Fischman, Mike "the Grinder" Mizrachi, and Erica Schoenberg. She finished second to David Williams. The Game Show Network realized the marketability of Erin and that she was exactly the type of person that is suited for television (not to mention ratings), they invited her back for another show, the Battle of the Ages.
Working full-time in the photography department at Maxim, and recently been promoted to Photo Editor, Erin still tries to play poker as often as she can. She continue to develop her craft by being an active member of the NYC poker club and she also plans to continue playing in tournaments. She has met a lot of professional poker players and has a lot of respect for many of them. She said she owes most of her poker skills to her buddies, Steve Raab and Ryan Porter, "because they are great players... and students of the game."
Erin has been one of the players sponsored an online cardroom as part of the team, a group of players affiliated with the popular poker site. Some of the other sponsored players are Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, Isabelle Mercier, Evelyn Ng and Wil Wheaton.
Again a crowd-pleaser at the 2005 World Series of Poker, thanks to her good-looks and endearing personality, she finished 46th in the highly competitive $5,000 no limit event.
Erin says she gets requests for autographs and receives a lot of fan mail. As long as she stays with it, works on her game, and wins a few more tournaments, she is sure to hit it big on the professional world of poker. There are so many tournaments and so much poker on television that a good player who is personable and attractive, like Erin, can make a living with smart marketing--and some good cards. A week after the World Series of Poker, Erin is asked again to play on another Battle of the Ages Poker Royale (pitting the best six players over 60 against the best six players under 30) for the Game Show Network.
Erin Ness shall probably need more experience with top-level tournaments and victories, of course - under her name to get widespread respect and recognition in the poker world. She enormously got a lot of good looks and talents. But most importantly, she is also realistic. "If this all goes away," she says, "I have a college degree, a good job, and I've done good things in my life. It won't ruin me."
The Goddess Asks
Who do you think is currently the best female poker player?
ERIN NESS