Vanessa Selbst Profiled in NY Times Article

It's not every day that a "former" professional poker player gets a write up in the New York Times. Then again, Vanessa Selbst is far from being your typical ex-poker pro.

As the winningest female poker player in tournament history with almost $12 million in cashes, Selbst stands far above other women players. But she also stands out among the male poker pros as well, her aggressive playing style and outspoken nature being part of the reason.

However, as most already know, poker is no longer Selbst's everyday gig. She traded it in for a 9-to-5 at Bridegwater Associates, a hedge fund that prides itself on hiring "people who are really, truly different,” the firm's head of investment analytics told the Times.

What he didn't tell the Times, but Selbst did, was that Vanessa's transition to the world of finance and investments didn't go very smoothly at first. She had to learn to be less "intimidating" and more "approachable," a change in demeanor befitting of a hedge fund trader and not a high stakes poker pro whose attempts at bluffs on the poker tables have become legendary.

That status as a bluffer was solidifed even more at the 2018 WSOP Main Event when Selbst shoved all in with jack-high, was called and got busted. The trolls on social media were relentless, resulting in Vanessa explaining that she has no qualms about her decision to leave poker (for the most part) and join the hedge fund.

“That this is not my life anymore,” Selbst said of poker, admitting that despite the difficulties she initially experienced adjusting to her position as an investment associate, that it's "really nice to know I have somewhere else to get back to.”