Interview With Evelyn Ng

Shawn Perry : July 31st, 2009

When the topic of women in poker comes up, one name that’s almost always a part of the discussion is Bodog-sponsored pro Evelyn Ng. Famously mentored by Daniel Negreanu, Evelyn has more than made a name for herself in the pokerverse over the last few years, and was nice enough to take a break from her busy tournament schedule / post-WSOP wind-down to answer a few questions for us.

First off, what were your feelings on this year’s WSOP? Did it seem noticeably different from last year’s in terms of the general mood, logistics, etc?

I think the general mood around the poker tables remained pretty consistent with the last few years, but I did notice that my mood and those of my close friends had changed quite a bit. It seemed like everyone was tired and grumpy, and in need of some nap-time.

How’s the experience with bodog been so far? They have a pretty small roster – what do you think attracted them to you?

Bodog has been so great to me and I couldn’t be more thankful for having such a great company and team behind me. Bodog is known as much for their lovely Bodog Girls as they are for their online casino and sportsbook and I think Team Bodog was in need of some babe-ishness!

What’s your favorite live tournament series to play at the moment? How about online?

I’ve really enjoyed playing in Europe, and of course, any sunny beach location is always a lot of fun. I like being able to get a vacation out of a work trip. The fields in Italy and France have been particularly “fun” to play in. I don’t really play many online tournaments outside of the Bodog Poker Open because I enjoy the face-to-face aspect of live events– but it’s really cool to be a “bounty” in some of the tournaments, and the regulars also really enjoy it which is really cool.

Head back in a time machine and give the bracelet to Farha instead of Moneymaker. Do you think you’d still be playing professionally?

Considering that I had already been playing poker professionally for about a decade before Moneymaker won the title, I’m pretty sure that I had already experienced “the poker boom” long before the TV audience had. Most likely, I would still be playing poker, but maybe I would have stuck to cash games more and would be playing fewer tournaments.

How’s the general climate for women in poker these days? Would you describe it as drastically different than it was in say 2006?

There’s definitely a huge difference in the number of women playing, but we’re still only a small fraction of the field. I think that it’s no longer an odd occurrence to have more than one woman on a tournament or cash table, but that doesn’t mean that sexism has quite gone out of style just yet with some of the smaller-minded poker players.

Is there any advice you’d give an aspiring female pro? Anything you really wish someone had told you?

I wish that I hadn’t been as intimidated by tournaments as I was when I first started. I think women’s events can be a good gateway into the tournament circuit to get your feet wet, but I think that diving into open events can give you valuable experience and confidence as well.

Exactly how sick are you of interview questions that focus on the ‘Evelyn as female poker player’ angle?

I’m not sick of it at all, mainly because I get a lot of positive feedback from other female poker players who enjoy or learn from my experiences and insight.

Favorite non-Bodog poker sites currently (blogs, etc)?

I wrote a few blogs for PokerNews.com, and my boyfriend (Lex Veldhuis) has been blogging for their Dutch site for quite a while. PokerTableRatings.com is a pretty cool site for tracking and analyzing online players. I’ve also been known to occasionally check out the NVG forum on 2+2.

Obviously the tournament landscape is evolving pretty rapidly. What’s the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make over the last year?

It seems like every tournament I play, the fields are more and more aggressive. I’ve faced much tougher decisions and had to adjust to being attacked more often. It’s also more difficult to spot-read your opponents– especially when the kid across from you who looks like he got carded on the way in might be some online wizard who plays in the biggest games and already has hundreds of thousands of hands under their belt.

What’s your favorite non-standard poker game? Give us a quick breakdown of how it works.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero are my favorite games by far. I spend practically all of my time away from the poker table frantically pressing buttons and strumming on a fake plastic toy guitar. It lets me live out all my rock and roll fantasies, and it always challenges me to improve just as if it were the real thing. My favorite card game besides poker is a Chinese game called “Choi Dai Di”, also known as “Big Deuce”. It’s like regular (13-card) Chinese Poker, mixed with the game “Asshole”.

Name one poker player you’re pretty sure you could drink under the table and one you’re pretty sure you couldn’t.

I can’t drink anyone under the table, and I don’t want to try either. I’m allergic to alcohol and drinking usually makes me fall asleep or feel very sick and uncomfortable. I’m missing that enzyme that a lot of Asians don’t have which helps metabolize alcohol, and just one drink or a shot, and I will turn bright red all over and probably itchy too.

Any other projects you’re currently working on?

All projects (besides rocking-out) are currently on hold as I begin the search for another new apartment. My landlord just informed me that my place is getting foreclosed-on. This will be my third move in the last 2 years. Just when I had everything in the right place!