10 Questions with PLON member Marcy Paulson
First, tell us about yourself.
I was raised on a small farm in North Dakota where I was the oldest of five kids. We played board and card games most Sundays after church. I first was introduced to poker when my dad hosted poker night. I was supposed to be sleeping, but I was peeking downstairs through a heat register, watching the game. Dad loved to play stud poker and dealer’s choice, later teaching me versions like 3-2-1 burn down, low hand.
My fascination with numbers grew from there, and I eventually studied mathematics, as well as English, and became a secondary teacher. Now retired, I live with my husband, Brad, in ND during the warmer months and in Arizona in the winter. We have two grown children and a one-year-old granddaughter.
I played little poker until free bar leagues began in the early 2000s, and later, played poker tour tournaments to benefit charities. I was always one of a just a handful of women who played, and often, the only female. I read many poker books and watched countless hours of televised professional poker and videos to improve my game. I now play as many free online PLON tourneys as I can under the handle of MacyGrey or MG.
My first foray into a larger poker scene was in 2012 at the WSOP which was an unbelievable experience. I saw and met many players whom I had only watched on TV previously, and collected numerous autographs. I was fortunate to cash 29th out of 936 in the Ladies Event and the next day finished 8th in the Poker Queen event. Those few days sealed my love for poker; I enjoy competing and look forward to getting back to playing live in the near future.
1. Where is your favorite place to play live and why?
Las Vegas, I try to get there annually during the WSOP to play the many different series available. I prefer playing at the Aria, the Venetian, and the Wynn. Now, that I am wintering in Arizona, I hope to travel to Vegas more. When I get to the Minneapolis area to see my kids, I also like to play at Canterbury or Running Aces.
2. What is your overall poker strategy?
I don’t think at this point in my poker career that I have one specific strategy. In live tournament play, I like to analyze how the other people at my table play and how to counter them. As Terry Ring always said, “One Hand at a Time.”
3. What would you say is the most important thing for a beginner to focus on?
Beginning players need to play within their means and bankroll, mentally capping what they want to put into a cash game ahead of time. It is a good idea to begin with free poker, anyway. I still like to play tourneys more than cash as the outlay is known. In addition, a beginner needs to focus on position, playing stronger hands to open the pot in early position and stay aware of their strength in late position.
4. What are your poker goals for this year or in the future?
Once I’m able to play live again, I want to build my poker bankroll. I would like to travel to places I’ve never seen, meet more people, play more poker, and win more. Playing a circuit event is also on my bucket list.
5. What is your most dreaded poker hand or situation at a table?
I try not to have a most dreaded poker hand, but I have a history with pocket jacks on final tables, multiple times, that haven’t gone well in the past. If the board is textured, I tread carefully.
6. What do you think is the biggest advantage or problem women face in poker?
The biggest advantage we have in poker is that some men will continue to play a losing hand against a woman because they just do not like to lose to a woman and cannot lay it down. Also, in late position I have often bet an ace on the board, and opposing male players frequently fold thinking that women only play an ace – X hand. As far as the biggest problem women have in poker, I believe it is the verbal abuse some men dish out at the table and how to respond.
7. Where is your favorite casino in Las Vegas and why?
I love the atmosphere and beauty of the Venetian and enjoy their tourneys: It reminds me of my trip to Italy in 2013. My traveling companions and I wrote a blog entitled, “Four Old Broads Do Europe!”
8. What is your favorite “junk” hand?
Any hand that wins! I do have an affinity, though, for 5-2 of spades. I hit a straight flush in a cash game with it once.
9. What is your favorite pastime or hobby outside poker?
I enjoy reading books on my Kindle Paperwhite or listening to books on Audible, swimming and water aerobics, fishing for walleye with my husband, and spending time with my granddaughter Eliza.
10. Pick 5 people to play at your dream 6-handed table and explain why.
My dream table scenario is ever-changing: Vanessa Kade, Jamie Kerstetter, Erik Seidel, Daniel Negreanu, Bryn Kenny. I know I would learn so much from playing with these five. I included Jamie, a great player and poker commentator, with some revenge in mind, as she is the one who knocked out my pocket queens with her aces in the 2012 WSOP Ladies Event.
Who’s your pick to be the next to answer 10 Questions with PLON?
PLON Ambassador Jennifer Brown Germany