Lexy Gavin-Mather has been making some big moves lately. In addition to signing as an ambassador with Ignition Poker, the popular poker pro, author, and YouTube personality has joined Poker Royalty for professional representation.
That means her husband Bob, who previously handled her business deals as her ‘unofficial manager’, is out of a job.
And while Bob apparently did a fine job negotiating deals for his wife, things turned incredibly sour when he started asking to be paid for his services.
So, Lexy fired him.
But that's hardly the only thing keeping Gavin-Mather busy these days. It's been a hectic year on the circuit for Lexy after coming off a deep finish at last year's WSOP Super Main Event at WSOP Paradise in The Bahamas.
She's also taking her YouTube channel in a new direction, with plans to introduce poker to a more mainstream audience by sharing her passion for the game in new and creative ways. And there may even be a second book on the way.
PokerOrg was excited to catch up with Gavin-Mather to talk about her latest business moves, what's next in her poker career, and why life on the road with Bob is still as much fun as ever.
You're fired, Bob!
You've recently signed with Poker Royalty. Can you tell us more about working with the founder, Brian Balsbaugh?
I decided it was time in my career to get some representation. Poker Royalty has been amazing, and Brian Balsbaugh has been a dream to work with. You can tell he really cares about all of his clients and really wants to get us the best deals.
They recently brought on Tim Duckworth [formerly of PokerGO], who I think is an amazing addition to their team as well. I'm working pretty closely with Tim on a lot of things.
As a professional player, successful author and with a growing YouTube channel, who was handling all your business deals over the past few years?
My husband, Bob, helped me handle all my business deals.
What happened?
Well, he started demanding compensation, and I had to tell him he was fired [laughs]. Actually, he’s done some great work for me, but it was time for a change.
Lexy Gavin-Mather made Day 3 of the WSOP Super Main Event last December for her biggest live tournament cash.
Inspiring more women to play
You've become something of an inspiration to women in poker, particularly recreational players. Do you enjoy connecting with them at tournaments?
I love ladies' events, they're my favorite events to play, and I love interacting with women and hearing their stories. I love trying to inspire them to overcome any reservations about playing or moving up to bigger stakes.
A lot of women engage with my YouTube channel. I talk to many of them and sometimes feel like we're best friends.
What's the biggest obstacle keeping more women from taking that first step into a live poker game?
They all say the same thing: it's a very intimidating atmosphere.
That’s why they're afraid to sit down at a live table. I do hear that quite a bit.
What’s your best advice for the women who feel that way?
I tell them that everyone was brand new at some point. All the guys, all the women. Don't be afraid.
I tell them to start at the $1/2 games, or the smallest stakes available at the local casino. They will find that most of the people in those games are probably on the newer side, too. Don’t be intimidated.
Bringing poker to a new audience
You've also signed with Ignition Poker recently. What attracted you to your first online poker site sponsorship?
I've had small sponsorships here and there, but never with an online poker site. I played only online for the first half of my career.
They are in the middle of rebranding; I'm pretty excited to work with them.
You're experimenting with a different approach to your YouTube videos. What's the idea behind the changes, and who are you hoping to reach?
I'm just so busy with YouTube videos right now. I do four videos a month: two for Ignition Poker and two for my channel.
I've been batch recording a ton and trying a new style for my YouTube videos. I’m working to reach an audience outside of poker, so I've incorporated a lot of explainers and animation.
It’s like the popular show, Deadliest Catch. The people who watch those shows don't necessarily catch fish or crabs, but they enjoy watching it. And the show does a good job of explaining things and drawing the viewer in.
That's what I'm trying to accomplish with my YouTube videos. I have a narrator now, and I am doing animations to break down simple concepts and reach an outside audience to get more people into poker.
What's next?
You’ve had a long relationship with the WSOP, and we saw you make a deep run at WSOP Paradise last December. Will you be returning this year?
I will always love the World Series of Poker brand. I will absolutely be continuing to play in WSOP events. I love grinding the circuit events, and I'll probably compete at WSOP Prague.
I'm really looking forward to continuing my relationship with them. As for this December, I'm not going to Paradise this year. I have a very, very busy December. I am turning 40, so I have big plans in December as well. Hopefully, I play Paradise next year.
Your book, Mastering Small Stakes No Limit Tournaments, was a success for D+B Poker Publishing. Have you considered writing another book?
I have been on the fence about writing another book. I have to admit, writing a book was one of the hardest things I ever did. And when I first decided to write it, I didn't think it was going to be what it was. It was really a very big undertaking.
I am considering writing another book, though.
Can you share what it might be about?
It won’t be a sequel to Mastering Small Stakes No Limit Tournaments. It would kind of be more of an autobiography. That's something I'm considering, but probably not for at least another year.
Bob & Lexy Gavin-Mather love their life traveling the poker circuit together.Living the dream
You always seem to have such a positive attitude and a smile on your face, even during a long, grueling poker event. What’s your secret?
I'm just a happy person. I do a lot of yoga and try to meditate. I am a Christian; I read the Bible every day and try to connect with God, which I think helps a lot.
I'm just super happy. I have a wonderful family. I'm very blessed. We have a grandchild who is one and a half now. Bob and I also travel a lot, and we feel that we are living our best lives.
You brought Bob up again so I have to ask: he's become a fan favorite on your channel. What's it like having Bob alongside you on the poker circuit, sharing all these poker adventures?
We only travel to play all these poker stops together. I don't think we've ever been anywhere without each other. We're kind of joined at the hip.
Having Bob on the road with me is such a blessing. We have so much fun. He keeps everything light. He is such a ham and loves being on video. That's really good for the channel because he's very loved there. They always say #moreBob. We just have so much fun together.
It's nice that he doesn't play professionally, so we don't have that pressure on him to win, or on me to win to pay our bills. It's not like that. He's got a real job.
I'm just so happy that I found someone who understands the lifestyle and loves it as much as I do.
