Poker’s Pretty Faces

In the days of yore there was a common sailor superstition that kept the women off the ships. It was thought to be bad luck to set sail with a woman on board – a superstition likely invented to keep the women on the shore rather than be a distraction to the hard working sailors.

A pretty face can do that. In the world of poker women are at the table more and more, and while they won't cause you to wreck your ship, paying attention to their looks instead of their game can certainly leave you lost at sea.

There are plenty of lovely ladies in the casinos and on poker TV these days – although there is always room for more – and we have a few names here you will recognize and few you may not.

Evelyn Ng is one, a young thirty something pro player from Canada who started out as a blackjack dealer in her teens. That means she has more experience dealing cards and dealing with cads that many, and she puts that experience to good use at the tables.

Isabelle Mercier is of similar age and skill as Ng, and surprisingly enough (or not so much) she also worked dealing cards before working playing them. Her law degree gave her options, but she chose poker when working at the famous Aviation Club in Paris. Also a Canadian.

Hmm, the next woman on the list is also linked to blackjack. There might be something to that. Erica Schoenberg, however, wasn't as much into dealing as she was playing – and winning – at 21. Of course she had a little help learning the game from the infamous MIT Blackjack gang ( you can catch a fictionalized version of their story in the upcoming movie 21).

So, should you face one of these deadly women poker players at the table, keep in mind the old sailor superstition. No matter how many sharks are in the water, the woman next to you could be your greatest danger.