Contestants:

Lauren Gallant
28 year old from Hoboken, NJ
Works in pharmaceutical sales
Wants to use any winnings she gets on MDC to buy her first house.

Answers from her questionnaire about her poker history:

How long have you played Poker? I have been playing poker competitively for about 4 years, but I learned when I was young.

Who taught you to play? My Grandmother. Her father owned a pool hall when she was young and she learned how to play every game imaginable. When I was growing up, we shared a backyard with my grandparents and I would play poker/cards with my grandmother everyday. If I get to be on the show, my grandmother will come out to watch!


Do you have a poker nickname? At the tables, my friends refer to me as the “Poker Bitch”. I got the name because I have no problem playing again tough competitors, I’m super competitive and confident in my abilities to play and win! On Pokerstars, it’s LGandLee.


Describe any major poker wins or big moments.
I was down in Atlantic City and it was the first poker tournament that I ever entered in to. It was $100 +20 to enter and I was freaking out because it seemed like a lot of money. Within the first few hands, I got pocket Kings. I went all in. It was pocket kings vs. pocket 3’s. A 3 hit on the flop and I was devastated. Finally, on the river…Boom! A King! I won a huge pot and I was never so nervous and excited at the same time. Four hours later, I made it to the final table and came in 7th my very first tournament.

Who is your favorite Poker Pro and why?
My favorite poker player is obviously Daniel Negreanu because he’s seriously like a psychic. I get a kick out of watching him call the exact hand that a player has. I also really like Barry Greenstein. I read “Ace on the River” and he seems like a very normal and down to earth guy. He’s honest about the ups and downs poker has had on his life. Vanessa Rousso is also a close second because I love that a girl has made it to the top and beats out tons of guys!

What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses at the poker table?
My biggest strength is that I am patient enough to wait until I have a decent hand to attack with. I am also good at reading my opponents. A weakness of mine is that I don’t bluff as often as I should.


Contestant 2
Loren Watterworth
50 year old from Temple, TX
Registered nurse in the VA hospital


Poker answers:

How long have you played poker? 5 years of Texas Hold’em. Poker since I could sit on my dad’s knee.

How often do you play poker “live”? (In-person, no computer) I play live poker at least 4 days a week, every week, at various home games. All of the games are cash, but on Wednesday there is a small ($220) freeze out tournament. I also travel to the WPT and WSOP circuit events in Las Vegas, Biloxi, Tunica, and New Orleans.

Where do you play live most often? I play at about 4 different “home games” in the area, as I said, at least 4 days a week. There is a poker room just 3 miles from my house where I spend a lot of time. I also play at the closest casino, 3 hours away, Winstar. The live games always have a professional dealer and full food and bar service with waitresses, so they are comparable to any casino poker rooms. Many people have built additions onto their homes that are poker rooms equipped with kitchens, bathrooms and 7 – 10 tables. The games may not be in a casino but they are just as good. The person who runs the poker room near my house has a WSOP bracelet.

What is your regular live game and stakes? We normally play cash 2/5, hold’em. The usual amount of money on the table is between $5,000 and $30,000. I usually buy in for $500 and then build it up. Some of the games are wild and get even bigger and the game turns into a 2/5/50/100. In New Orleans I played the 5/10 game where everyone had at least $3,000 in front of them. I am not afraid to gamble nor am I afraid of people with big stacks. Yeah, I know $100,000 is a lot but I can handle it.

What is your favorite poker strategy book and why? I really learned a lot from Caro’s Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro. For the successful player, the game of Texas Hold’em is more than just the cards in your hand, it is ALL about figuring out what the other person’s cards are through information. By watching for tells it gives me more information so I can make better decisions. For example, I was in a big hand in a cash game. I made what everyone thought was an insanely crazy call on the river to take down the pot. But it wasn’t insanely crazy, it was insanely accurate because I had a huge tell on the other player, I had been watching his blink rate and I knew he was weak.

What will you do with your winnings? I will help to pay for my kid’s college tuitions. I will also start a college fund for my niece. Her father died while she was still in my sister’s womb and my sister has been raising her on her own. I would love to help her with those costs. Anything left over will be used to fix up things around the house.