A swarm of poker’s most popular and occasionally polarizing vloggers is set to descend on Prague for the sure to be exciting WSOP series next week.
Notable players include Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Frankie C, Ryan Depaulo, Andy Stacks, Xuan Liu, Jonathan Little, and others.
Lexy Gavin-Mather, a well-known vlogger, is also making the journey to Prague. Few players straddle all sides of the game: professional player, accomplished author, and content creator, as Lexy does.
Career-best score
Gavin-Mather most recently achieved her career’s biggest score at the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event and now heads to Prague with more at stake than content. This trip is about results, not just views. Winning the Main or Ladies event would thrill her fans and boost her Player of the Year chances.
With a new Player of the Year race and an upcoming extensive vlogger push, Gavin-Mather is ready for battle. PokerOrg caught up with Gavin-Mather a few days before she boarded the long flight to Prague.
'The most prestigious brand in poker'
Why did you take the WSOP’s offer to vlog at next week’s Prague series?
I've always been a huge fan of the World Series of Poker, which I consider the most prestigious brand in poker. Four years ago, when I started my YouTube channel, I vlogged daily at the World Series during the summer, and I continued vlogging for four years straight.
I did it for love of the brand and the hope of working with them. I wanted my daily vlogs to catch their attention.
Clearly, you succeeded. Now you’re one of several star vloggers headed to Prague for the series.
It’s so great they created this vlogger program. It gives creators like me the opportunity to travel to events I might not normally attend. I am very excited to be working with the WSOP.
Have you traveled outside the US to play in tournaments in the past?
I've played internationally before. The last international event besides The Bahamas was the Super Circuit main event in Cyprus. I cashed the Main there.
Do you find a significant difference in the approach to the game compared to the Vegas regs?
I find that when competing against European players, they are pretty tough to play against. A lot of them are fundamentally sound and play more of an aggressive style. I'm excited to get in the mix in Prague and compete with some great players.
The inaugural winner of the WSOPE, Annette Obrestad, has announced she will also be in the mix. Have you played with her in the past?
Yes, I’ve played with Annette before. She’s exactly as expected: solid, composed, tough, and a poker icon.
She's inspired many women to play. I'm excited she'll be there. It's great for women in poker. I believe she'll also play the ladies' event.
Euros are tough
So when you face those tough European players overseas, how do you approach their aggressive style?
I think that one of the most important things for me is to be aware of the perception that they have of me. I need to figure out who knows me from my vlog. If they watch the vlog, then I might have to switch some things up because they will be a little more familiar with how I play than someone who doesn't know me.
If I don't think they know me, I need to figure out my strategy. They might try to bully me more, so I would combat that with more aggression or by bluffing a bit more.
So, really just trying to figure out what their perception of me is and then figure out ways to kind of exploit that.
You’ll also be participating in WSOP Prague Ladies Event. How does the Prague event compare to the standard WSOP bracelet event in Las Vegas?
I think that there's going to be a lot of tough cookies in Prague. The Las Vegas ladies’ event brings in massive fields. People from all over the world fly in for it. So, you get a wide mix of pros and recreational players.
The Ladies event in Prague is still going to have quite a lot of entries in that one. But the field is going to be a lot of female pros who I'm actually really excited to meet.
Are you a little afraid that Jeff Platt will interview you during the event? He does have a reputation for causing some bust-outs.
I used to question the curse. I wasn't sure if it was true or not. But the last time Jeff interviewed me was at WSOP Paradise, and I actually had my biggest score to date.
Actually, no. I am hoping that he will interview me because he got me to my first six-figure score at the WSOP Paradise last December. I love Jeff. He's just so amazingly flawless. He never fumbles his words. He never makes mistakes..
OK. OK. You can stop now. We expected fear and loathing. But it's all good. Last question. Where can fans watch the Prague Main Event?
The WSOPE main event will be streamed on YouTube. I'm so excited for that because people who can't make the trip can still get to watch. It is going to be live-streamed on the WSOP YouTube. That will really be great for the people who have FOMO.
Follow Lexy’s Prague adventures on YouTube, X, and IG. And check out the Main Event livestream on the WSOP YouTube channel.
