What do women really think about their poker playing partners?

Join SaWachka, a member of our Russian community, as she sits down to talk with the ladies that inspire some of our community's finest poker talent.

Author: sawachka - who you may remember for coming third in our Miss Russia Community 2013 competition.

Today I want to explore how to cope with having a famous poker player as a serious partner.

These high stakes players are hailed as some of the brightest stars in the Russian speaking community - biggogi,peppery,scattygamer - but today we are not talking about them, instead we're speaking to the beautiful girls that inspire their success.

So, please welcome our special guests - Ira, the wife of biggogi, Olya, the wife of peppery and Katya, the girlfriend of scattygamer.

Hi! How was your introduction to the world of poker? How do you feel about your partner playing? Did you initially perceive it as a hobby, a temporary fad or a serious business?

Ira, wife of biggogi

Ira: Hey. I learned about poker from my husband Egor. Initially it was treated as a hobby and a form of entertainment. It was only seriously considered when it started to bring in more money than both of us made at work. I questioned him over how much time he was dedicating to playing poker and studying the game, we had a long talk about everything, but I'm still worried about stability and the long term.

Каtya: Hi! Six years have passed so I don't remember all the details, but I know it was Pasha that introduced me to poker. Of course, in the beginning it was more of a hobby, but at the same time, as we were both students and unable to get full time work, it brought in a decent wage. I appreciated that Pasha was largely independent and less dependent on his parents.

Оlya: Hi! When Kostya got into poker, we had already known each other for about a year and I wasn't particularly surprised that the guy I'd met was a gambler. At first it was just fun, we even played together on Facebook, and then Kostya wanted to make poker his work. We discussed it and came to the conclusion that it was a good idea.

Is there ever any conflict over poker?

Ira: We, like all mortals of course, swear and fight. Reasons vary and include poker, but the decision to change his profession was made smoothly.

Каtya: No.

Оlya: No, I didn't have any preconceptions about poker as a profession, so there was no reason for conflict.

Which walk of life have you chosen for yourself?

Ira: I like family life, I'm a homemaker. I'd love to open a small family business, but now, because of certain circumstances, it remains just a dream.

Каtya: It's difficult to say because there's nothing in specific, I'm still looking and it's difficult to find something when we're always on the move. Even though I graduated with an Economics qualification and would be interested in a profession of that kind, I'm a creative person and therefore develop in that direction. At the moment I'm investing some time in stock photography.

Оlya: I used to work a couple of regular jobs, first for a bank and then with an insurance company, but when we had the opportunity to travel I put that ahead of work. For a while I couldn't find something that suited me: I was still thinking like an employee who's gravitating towards working for somebody and experienced difficulties when trying to organise my own time. But then I realised what I wanted to do my whole life - writing. And I've already finished my first children's book!

What do you do when your partner plays?

Katya and scattygamer

Ira: Get in the way! Just kidding, of course. I take care of our lovely daughter and sometimes cook.

Каtya: He plays an average of six hours a day. During this time, I cook lunch, dinner, bake, feed him sweets and do household chores. I also communicate with relatives or friends and read books - especially now I have a Kindle. Since we travel a lot and I love photography, I accumulate a lot of pictures and where there is inspiration, sew toys and dolls.

Оlya: I write, have fun with hobbies (I recently decided to open a channel on YouTube) and plan our trips – though that's not one of my favourite pastimes. I’m also seriously engaged in sports.

Tell us, is your family familiar with the word "tilt"? Do you ever feel it yourself? How does your partner cope with it?

Ira: Of course we're familiar! When he's in a bad mood because of poker it's noticed by everyone close to us. I try to help him by getting him to go for walks, talking to him, just general distractions.

Каtya: I think tilt effects every poker family. But to be fair, Pasha very rarely tilts, only during particularly bad sessions. I know he's tilted when I hear shouts from the next room or his fist banging on the table! At this point, I think it's better to stay away, I try not to bring up poker and to cheer him up. After these bad sessions he goes very quiet, but after a couple of hours everything is fine.

Оlya: I don't think there's a single poker player that doesn't know this word. I tend to try and avoid him when he tilts! No seriously, I just try to calm him down and cheer him up.

Does your partner tell you about his ups and downs? How often does poker come up in conversation?

Ira: I think every serious player talks about poker a lot. Sometimes I do ask to change the subejct though and talk about something else.

Кatya: He often shares his successes with me. Almost always after a session he'll tell me something funny that's happened or if he's busted an opponent for a huge amount.

Оlya: Of course! He always tells me about hands that were particularly memorable. Sometimes we sit together and I watch to see how it works.

What did your family say about you getting involved with a poker player?

Ira: My relatives supported me, though many didn't really understand what was going on. In time though, they realised how serious a game it is. Egor's grandmother once said to me: "If you stay with him you'll be penniless!"

Каtya: I have very modern and liberal parents. They understand that it is not just a fad, but a serious occupation. They are satisfied with our way of life, we are happy and that's important for them.

Оlya: They were very calm about it. But even if that wasn't the case it wouldn't bother me. We're adults and can make our own informed decisions.

Do you travel? Which country has been the most memorable? Where would you most like to live permanently?

Оlya, wife of peppery

Ira: Yes, we love to travel as a family. A particularly memorable place for us is Greece, we spent a whole month in Hellas which was great and we miss Athens very much. We also love Poland - especially the ski resort of Zakopane. For our honeymoon we visited Thailand and we've also been to Turkey and Egypt for what we call lazy holidays, where the majority of time is spent reading a good book by the pool!

A sort of accidental trip that we really enjoyed was Budapest. I was only interested originally because I had a lot of time on my annual visa. But we loved it and will possibly be back there soon.

We've also visited Israel, when we travelled through a special consular program and tried our best with the time we had to explore every corner of what was a small but proud country.

Каtya: We love to travel and I don't think there's a place that I wouldn't want to re-visit. Argentina occupies a large part of my heart, I also love the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. I'm in love with the nature and culture of Bali, but most of all we want to return to America. I dream of visiting every state by car, but there is still time for more adventure!

Оlya: I love China, particularly Beijing and Shanghai, I had a wonderful time there. It's also very cool in Singapore and of course Thailand. Generally, we love Asia, but I'm not sure we'd want to stay there forever. We love our country and it's hard to imagine leaving.

Have you considered playing poker yourself, considering you'd have the perfect teacher under the same roof?

Ira: I don't play poker, but Egor has offered to teach me. I must admit though, having become acquainted with the game, I've realised it can be both hazardous and curious, as you'd expect from games involving money.

Каtya: I've tried to learn to play online a few times, but it's totally not my thing. I've only really played offline with friends. We were in several casinos in Argentina and Macau, but I didn't play.

Оlya: I tried to play using short and mid-stack strategy and that allowed me to beat NL2/NL5. But poker as an occupation didn't really interest me and I didn't take it any further.

What advice would you give to women who have decided to share their lives with a poker player?

Ira: I'd wish them luck, patience and love!

Каtya: I'd advise them to be patient. Don't distract him while he plays, even though that's what I do!

Оlya: I don't think any special advice is required as poker players aren't that different to guys working other jobs - maybe they're just at home more often! Some general advice though, try and be gentle and wise, give them love and care and it'll come back to you in a good way.