Weekly Freebie: Melanie Weisner Joins PokerStrategy.com [Interview + Video]
Melanie Weisner has joined PokerStrategy.com's team of coaches and makes her presence felt with a free video dissecting a very interesting hand played at the World Poker Tour Venice.
| • Game type: | Tournaments | |
| • Producer: |  melanieweisner |
|
| • Status: |  Free |
|
| • Length: | 42 minutes | |
| Watch the video now | ||
PokerStrategy.com is pleased to welcome Melanie 'Callisto5' Weisner to its stable of coaches.
The Texan poker pro earned over $500,000 playing largely heads-up Sit & Go tournaments at PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker while studying vocal performance at New York University.
Interview with Melanie Weisner
 |
| PokerStrategy.com welcomes Melanie Weisner! |
Melanie has several notable online and live tournament successes, including six figures in online MTT cashes and came runner-up in the Partouche Poker Tour's heads-up event. She is also the first woman to win multiple Ladies' Event titles on the European Poker Tour.
We sat down with Melanie to discuss her post-Black Friday career, the live tournament circuit and what PokerStrategists can expect from her videos.
"Before Black Friday I played $1,000 heads-up SnGs"
PokerStrategy.com: Thanks for joining us, Melanie. So where are you based right now - did you relocate or stay in the US after Black Friday?
melanieweisner: I did set up a residence in Toronto, where I go when I'm playing online. That's taken a backseat to live play though. Most of my time is still spent traveling the European circuit and in my other residence in New York City.
PokerStrategy.com: Before Black Friday, you were largely an online player whereas now we expect to see you on the live circuit. Could you tell our users some more about what games you were playing?
melanieweisner: Before Black Friday I was putting in a lot of online volume, mostly high stakes Superturbo Heads-up Sit & Go tournaments (mostly $1,000 buy-ins) on Full Tilt. I had reduced my MTT schedule to mostly Saturdays and Sundays, except for when big series were taking place.
"I have experienced a distinct advantage as a female player"
 |
PokerStrategy.com: Now you're playing live games mostly - how do you find that?
melanieweisner: It's always different. When I first started, a lot of people didn't know who I was, or that I was capable, or even that I was associated with online poker whatsoever, so that was an easy image to exploit.
Nowadays, it varies a lot so I'm constantly having to read and adjust to what I think different people perceive me as when playing live, which is a fun challenge.
PokerStrategy.com: Do you think being a woman gives you an advantage?
melanieweisner: The most prevalent factor is the discomfort I perceive at the table - regardless of what type of player [my opponents] think I am, players are far less used to playing against women than they are against men.
Therefore they will always be a degree less comfortable playing against women for a variety of psychological factors, even some which are very subtle. I have experienced a distinct advantage as a female player with regard to social dynamic and strategy at the table.
"The series that I'm doing now is quite unique."
PokerStrategy.com: So what can we expect from you in upcoming training videos?
melanieweisner: The series that I'm doing now is quite unique, and I plan to continue with it as long as I have interesting material to work with. Working with the additional information you receive in live play and applying it to hand analysis is really something that I believe takes your game to the next level, since you incorporate an entirely new strategy plane, which gives you even more combined edge.
I plan to take my singular experiences, which will center around unique strategic elements in order to explore different concepts in great depth, and hopefully compose a broad-spectrumed series that will overall improve the viewer's live play and give them a larger arsenal from which to draw upon in game.
PokerStrategy.com: Thanks for your time, Melanie. We look forward to more videos from you!
How to win at live poker - a very interesting hand
In Melanie's debut video for PokerStrategy.com she dissects a hand she played at WPT Venice. Don't miss the chance to see how the pros think in big live tournaments:
