"Girls Are Afraid of Me" - Interview with Charlotte Van Brabander

She was a famous Counterstrike player in the past, switched to poker and is now a Friend of PokerStars: Charlotte Van Brabander. In this exclusive interview she talks about her previous E-Sports career, her live skills and women in poker.

Charlotte Van Brabander Source: PokerStars

PokerStrategy.com: Charlotte, you were a successful Counterstrike player in the past, but we don't know much about your poker career. Could you please tell us when did you start and which are your preferred formats and stakes?

Charlotte Van Brabander: It all started five years ago when a friend of mine, who also played Counterstrike, sent me some dollars on PokerStars.

I was a complete newbie and didn't have any strategy background. The only thing I knew was that two aces are a very strong hand.

I also played live with friends on holidays. It was fun because it was mainly a social game. I had no idea yet about how good you could be at poker.

Three years ago PokerStars contacted me because they had noticed me in a big newspaper about my gaming experiences. I played Counterstrike 1.6 at a professional level and PokerStars thought there were many similarities between the two.

For a counterstrike player I was very competitive, I trained (yes it might sound weird to some of you) like five hours a day to make sure my aim and reflexes were at premium level.

In poker you also have to train hard to be on the top of the list. It's also the reason why I prefer MTTs because they are more similar to a Counterstrike game. There is a clear winner and that is something that attracts me in a game.

Besides that Counterstrike was a very emotional game. If we lost a round we could not lose faith and we had to keep our focus otherwise we would go on a losing spree. It's the same in poker. You have to chill when you get a bad beat.

Hand by hand, no rush. Another thing that gave me some advantage is that I'm a computer freak. I feel very comfortable with my computer, which makes it easy to play more games at the same time. I love to make quick decisions and love to think fast. This is why I love to play online.

So to answer your question; MTTs from $11- $215.

PokerStrategy.com: We know that some famous poker players helped you to improve your game. Which coaches influenced you the most?

Charlotte Van Brabander: Well I had some lessons from Kenny Hallaert who's known as "SpaceyFCB". He thought me the basics. From C-betting to the ICM stuff. In that case I could say he taught me the most.

Beside that I also had a lot of help from Joris Fontaine "Evilduke11". He's one of the best MTT players in Belgium. I had the opportunity to rail him. I learned a lot from doing so which improved my own game too. When I have specific questions about hands I played I normally go to Christophe De Meulder.

"I'm going to look for a small job that I can combine with poker"

"I want to play poker for living"

PokerStrategy.com: So you play poker for living or just as a hobby?

Charlotte Van Brabander: Last year I finished my master degree in criminology. This year I started another extra year in Public Management, which means that by the summer I'm done with school.

I'm going to look for a small job that I can combine with poker. This doesn't mean that I don't want to become a professional. I really want to up my game as much as I can.

I want to be able to live from my poker earnings. I think that's one of the nicest ways to live. If you can play poker with profit it makes your life much easier. Especially when you're a lucky girl like me that gets a sponsor contract from the number one in poker: PokerStars.

I want to get everything out of it and want to play every tournament at my best. One of my big idols is Galen Hall. He manages to balance his poker well with other activities, which keeps him motivated.

He combines his poker career with his studies. But when we see him he plays fully concentrated and gets sick results. It's so important to load your batteries so when you play a tourney you're in for the win. This for me is one of the things what divides the best players from the rest.

PokerStrategy.com: You played your first major tournaments in Berlin 2012, the Main Event of the European Poker Tour. Could you evaluate your live poker skills?

Charlotte Van Brabander: Well, 2012 was a good year for me. Especially Berlin treated me well. I became 69th in the main event there, which was good for my biggest live cash so far. It was my biggest buy-in tourney I ever played so it was very great to cash it of course. The same weekend I won the ladies event.

It was an exciting week for me because I never won that much live and I never won a live tournament either.  The same year I final tabled three ladies events, which were also nice because I didn’t play that much live. This year I already played 3 events at the PCA, 2 at Deauville and the UKIPT London main event. I only final tabled the ladies at Deauville so this year I still have to get some nice results to make myself happy.

If I evaluate my live skills I think I still have a lot to learn. Especially to stay calm and don’t take too many risks in the beginning of tourneys as live is completely different then online. Also when my mindset is good at the table I’m playing at my best. I can be very patient which almost always pays off.  

I love ladies events because I have the feeling girls are a bit afraid of me. I might look a bit intimidating without realizing it? That's also how I think I won the heads-up of the ladies event in Berlin where I had not even 1/8th of her stack. I believe my stare down worked well although it is not to the level of Timex yet. By really applying pressure and going all-in all the time I came back and knocked her out.

PokerStrategy.com: Will you play this years EPT Berlin and what are your next events?

Charlotte Van Brabander: I will not play this year at Berlin. But I will play the main event of EPT Barcelona instead which I'm very happy about! I love Barcelona. It's one of my favorite stops because sunshine makes me feel good. When I feel good I play better so I have a good feeling about the tournaments I'm going to play there.

I'm also going to play the ladies event in Monte Carlo and some side events. The schedule of the EPT looks really appealing this year and I'm also experimenting with some non-Hold'em games lately. Especially Deuce to Seven single draw. Beside that I'm playing the Belgian Poker Challenge, which has three stops. I'm also going to London and I will play a few other regional events like the UKIPT the Estrellas Poker Tour or the FPS.

"When I do something I want to be good at it - otherwise I rather quit"

"A big life changing opportunity"

PokerStrategy.com: You were a famous Counterstrike player in the past, you played for Antwerp Aces, Mystiques, LowLandLions and Belgicas. Why did you quit and started your poker career?

Charlotte Van Brabander: Poker is a very time consuming game. Especially when you want to be good at it. The same counts for Counterstrike. When I play Counterstrike after all those years I feel very bad because my skill sucks. It's so painful to see you're not able to do the things you used to do. Like staying alive and killing five of your enemies. Now I would die immediately without or even with having only one kill. It's very frustrating so that's why I don't play counterstrike anymore.

It's also not fun to play it by yourself and all my teammates stopped playing as well. When I do something I want to be good at it. Otherwise I rather quit. I see Poker as a big life changing opportunity. My biggest goal is to one day win a big event.

That would definitely change everything, which makes me dream. But I realize results don't come by themselves. I'll have to work for it and that's why I want to put all my time in this game.

PokerStrategy.com: For many men in the poker scene women are just there for their looks and assume that they can't play well.

Charlotte Van Brabander: I think there are a lot of women who prove they can play as well as women. Look at Vanessa Selbst or Xuan Liu. Those girls are amazing and I don't see why girls would be worse in poker then men. If they put the same energy in it they will get the same level.

But the thing is that women are mostly not as die-hard as man. The same thing counted in Counterstrike. It was hard to find girls who were willing to play 5/7 just because they preferred to do other stuff.

That's why I believe I can become better in time. I'm motivated to be a die-hard girl. It motivates me to get questions like this because it's so fun to prove them wrong! That's also how I started counterstrike. My ex-boyfriend played in a good clan and he was always busy with his games. So I started to play Counterstrike secretly and became better then he was. I wanted to show that; no I actually don't know what I wanted to show. I think I’m just a crazy competitive person.

PokerStrategy.com: Is it hard to get respect as a female? And is this a goal for you to show the boys how good you are?

Charlotte Van Brabander: It's not my main goal. My main goal is to show myself I improve by the time I play. I don't put so much energy in something just to show girls can be good. I have fun playing and set goals for myself to stay motivated to reach my big goal, winning a big tournament. The rest will follow later.

PokerStrategy.com: You finished your Master of Science degree in Criminology - is this an area you would like to work in the future?

Charlotte Van Brabander: I'm not sure where I want to work. I change opinions every year. First I wanted to be an apothecary then a crime researcher, a consultant - I don't know. I think I'm just going to look for something challenging and then reevaluate if it's what I want. I don't believe a person can keep the same job for the rest of his live. I'll find my place like I've found my place in poker.

by tobiasfrey