Vanessa Selbst

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Vanessa Selbst has gone on to establish herself as one of the world’s most formidable tournament players.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Vanessa Selbst has gone on to establish herself as one of the world’s most formidable tournament players. Selbst developed her competitive spirit from a young age, as she excelled both academically and on the sports field playing tennis, field hockey and rugby.

After achieving excellent results in school, Selbst attended MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for one year, before transferring to Yale. Although she began playing poker in home games in high school, Selbst has credited much of her poker education to her time at Yale, where she began to discuss the intricacies of the game, and became involved in the 2+2 forum.

While still a student, Selbst began to dedicate her summers away from study to play poker, participating in her first World Series of Poker in 2006. Her first WSOP could be considered a success, as she final-tabled the $2,000 No-Limit Hold ‘Em event finishing 7th for $101,285. Selbst would continue her success at the WSOP in the following years as she finished in 3rd place in the 2007 $5,000 World Championship Heads-Up event for a $128,968 cash, before winning her first bracelet in the 2008 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. In the heads-up section of the Pot-Limit Omaha event, Selbst’s opponent Jamie Pickering, who had been drinking alcohol throughout the tournament, was shoving all-in blind and Selbst survived the madness to pick up her first WSOP bracelet.

Selbst managed to win her 2nd WSOP bracelet in 2012 when she won the $2,500 10 Game Six Handed event for $244,259. Selbst’s biggest career win to date is her first place finish in the 2010 Main Event of the Partouche Poker Tour, as she took $1,800,000 for her win.

In January of 2013 Selbst took down the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller event for $1,424,402. Selbst had proposed to her partner the night before the event began, making the tournament an extra special win for her. Unlike many other professional players who drop out of education after realising they can make money playing poker, Selbst is unique in that she has continued on with her studies.

Selbst returned to Yale after graduation to pursue a law degree, graduating in 2012. She has since stated that she would like to pursue a career in civil rights: economic equality, racial justice and against the government’s abuse of authority.

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9 years ago10,641PokerTube,

Published 9 years ago

PCA 2015 - Vanessa Selbst-Bahamas Are Lot of Fun

Vanessa Selbst chats with our own Rikard as she is getting ready to leave Bahamas and discusses poker, tennis career that never re...

8 years ago7,485BestPokerVids,

Published 8 years ago

PCA 2016 - Vanessa Selbst Interview

Vanessa Selbst interviewed by Poker Update live at the 2016 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

11 years ago4,074

Published 11 years ago

PCA10: Switching from No Limit to Mixed Games with Selbst and Greenstein

PokerStars hosted a Q & A with Vanessa Selbst and Barry Greenstein.

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PCA10: Vanessa Selbst Gets Engaged!

Sarah talks to Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst about playing the PCA Super High Roller for the first time and getting engaged!

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Published 11 years ago

PStv Top 5: Vanessa Selbst

Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst is a force to be reckoned with at the felt. Check out this countdown of highlights from PStv.

8 years ago8,491BestPokerVids,

Published 8 years ago

Party Poker Premier League - An Emotional Vanessa Selbst

Varying emotions for Vanessa Selbst in these hands from the Party Poker Premier League as she goes up against Aces twice, first ag...

7 years ago12,810BestPokerVids,

Published 7 years ago

Phil Galfond Is EMBARRASSED To Lose Like This

Online legend Phil Galfond faces a tough decision in the NBC Heads Up championship. He faces Vanessa Selbst in the third round, an...

9 years ago15,865ThePokerAces,

Published 9 years ago

Phil Laak in a Talkative Mood

Phil Laak talking away in a hand vs Vanessa Selbst

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Poker Night in America - Vanessa Selbst in Bad Spot

Vanessa Selbst gets in an ugly spot with Ace-King

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Published 9 years ago

Poker Night in America - Vanessa Selbst vs Ebony Kenney

Vanessa Selbst and Ebony Kenney playing interesting pot

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Woods pounced on Selbst's tweet by misusing the word malaise, and misunderstanding her point.

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​Once upon a time, the King of Instagram Dan Bilzerian had a dream life spending most of his time alongside countless female friends with no worries whatsoever. Proof you ask? Well, what you’re about to see is only a glimpse of Bilzerian’s boss life.

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Is PokerStars changing tack on their policies?

The Illest Becomes the Thrillist as Kelly Minkin 5-bet Bluffs with Seven-Deuce

With Vanessa Selbst retiring from the game, poker needs a new brave and bloodthirsty female to grab the reins

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Not everyone is still in love with the poker dream it seems

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​If the first week of the 2016 World Series of Poker brought us the shock returns of both Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson, and all the talk of recriminations and reprisals which went with it, then the 2nd week hasn’t let us down either.

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Vanessa Selbst $2M Prop Bet

Selbst accepted a bet from over-confident poker player Urbanovich. The Polish put on the line $10,000 to his cause: win three World Series of Poker gold-bracelets in his first appearance in Las Vegas.