Betfred Ladies Poker Tour Champion 2010: Helena Brett

Helena Brett is the new queen of Britain's card rooms after securing a £20,000 sponsorship package for 2011 by winning the Grand Final of the Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour. The 31-year-old from Staffordshire, who works as the head of commercial activity for a charity, beat Raine Hilson heads-up at London's Western Club in her first full year competing in the series.

We asked our new pro some questions and here is what she had to say:

BF: How did you get involved with poker? Where did you pick it up?

Helena: About three years ago when I met my boyfriend. He was a poker player after having a few cashes in the Midland Masters and other local events. He was keen for me to come along one day and watch. We went to a £10 re-buy at Star City in Birmingham and I had no idea what I was doing. I was really nervous as I didn't understand blinds, bet sizes or anything. Everyone was really nice to me and somehow I managed to get to the final table through a field of over 100 runners - ha ha, beginner's luck - and after that I was hooked

BF: What was your motivation for starting to play poker?

Helena: It started as a social activity, meeting up with regulars, having a chat and sometimes making a bit of cash, nothing more serious. However, over the last year or so I've managed to consistently make final tables and started to play in bigger tournaments and really started to make a nice bit of pocket money. We now book holidays around poker and have had three trips to Las Vegas and one to Morocco to specifically play poker.

BF: How often do you play poker?

Helena: It depends on work commitments but on average a live tournament two or three times a week and a few online games to keep me interested midweek. Since I've started to have consistent success rather than beginner's luck I've started to play in more deep-stack freeze-outs rather than cheaper re-buys. I lose patience in 'bingo' games!

BF: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment in poker so far?

Helena: Without a doubt winning the Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour. I had a consistently good tour, finishing third in Sheffield, fourth in Leeds and first in Northampton, then the famous short-stack slog in the final to win it. This really does give me the opportunity to play in bigger games with some of the great names in poker, so I'm chuffed to bits!

I must also tell you about the strangest week I ever had in poker when I spent a week in Brighton. I played poker every night for five nights in a row and won, then on the way back played in the Broadway Casino in Birmingham and won. Never have I had such consecutive luck and cashed so much! It was great as it paid for all my Christmas shopping. If only I can keep up that luck now I have my sponsorship!

BF: What is your style of play?

Helena: Firstly, connect with the table and make sure people have an understanding of how I'm playing or how I'd like them to think I'm playing. This means laying down really good hands when there are big raises before me and not pushing my luck with button shoves. When you have a tight table image and people actually enjoy your company, it's time to turn on the game.

I'm extremely good at managing a short stack. I feel no pressure if I don't have many chips and I tend to pick up on vibes off other players, such as when is a good time to make moves.

Tight-aggressive people may say, but more than anything it's about timing and not putting your tournament life on the line ever unless you're 100% confident you'll get through. Races are races and you will never win them all.

I will fold A-K but shove with A-2 quite happily if the timing is right and I know people are distracted. For example, after scooping a big pot they never want to lose their chips, especially when me, with a tight image, shoves.

BF: Have you got a bad-beat story that's out of the ordinary?

Helena: Well, we've all had bad beats after bad beats. I had pocket 10s once when there were about 18 runners left, paying to 12th from a pot of about 4k. I flopped quad 10s and people were betting into the pot left, right and centre with another three people involved. I was just smooth-calling all the way. When the river card came down an ace, everyone was all in and I turned over my cards in delight to see I'd busted a straight and two pairs. The third guy slow-rolled his cards over with the Royal. I couldn't believe it, never before had I been so confident I would win a pot but then didn't. Not really a bad beat but it taught me not to be so cocky when you flip over quads.

Then there is the bad beat I served up to a fellow lady player in Northampton. Having lost half my stack early doors, on the button I had pocket kings when she raised my pot (with a history of raising lots). Happily I shipped in my chips and she flipped over aces, so my coat was already on and I was starting to walk until flop K-J-K, turn A, river J. Well, my quads were certainly beating her full house. Wow, that was lucky, thankfully no other ace on the river! That was the game I went on to win.

I beat aces last weekend with a 2-7 flush on the big blind as he tried to limp and get the pot - not how you play aces.

BF: How did you come to be a follower of the Betfred Ladies' Poker Tour?

Helena: In 2009, my boyfriend bought me into the last leg in London as a present for my birthday. He did it after I started to do better and I was so nervous, it felt a lot more serious. I bubbled in that game, the first one I ever played, so I couldn't wait to try the tour in 2010.

BF: What is your favourite poker moment?

Helena: Without a doubt the Grand Final of the BLPT. By the time we got heads up I only had 10% of the chips. The blinds were so high so I'd resigned myself to second place. The first hand I hit two pair, the second A-Q hitting trip queens. I then lost a pot with A-J against pocket threes, giving us similar stacks. Then with K-10 I raised and my opponent, Raine Hilson, called with 10-3, so I managed to turn it around and 'grind' to the end. Wow, that was emotional for both of us.

BF: How do you prepare for the big events?

Helena: Is this where I say I eat healthily, do a 10k jog and go to bed early? In truth, the only thing I do differently is make sure I don't play the night before, just in case the outcome of that game changes my mindset in some way. I also make sure I'm not taking it too seriously and will try to have fun. Putting pressure on yourself isn't healthy and you end up making bad calls or playing way too tight.

BF: Do you get nervous when playing in big events? If so, what do you do to calm your nerves?

Helena: The only thing that makes me nervous is players I have a lot of respect for on my table. I often admire them and would love to get a good player thinking 'wow, she's not bad, respect to her'! I don't get nervous about TV cameras, interviews etc. I'm used to this for my job and it doesn't really faze me. I've always been a drama queen so it all suits me rather well! If I ever have a terrible hand or play awful mid-game I'll go to the ladies' and take a minute and come back as if I'm starting again, forgetting the previous hand or mistake. That way I deal with each level at a time, surviving and not trying to win every pot.

BF: You now have £20,000 to use for poker tournaments, do you have any specific tournaments in mind yet?

Helena: I'd like to do the Women's World Open V as it has great coverage, also some of the UKIPTs and maybe the Irish Open. I'll also play in as many £300-£500 events as possible.

BF: Do you have a favourite hand? Is there a story behind it?

Helena: Not really as your favourite hands then get beaten and you feel a plonker! My favourite hand is the winning hand. However, heads up in Northampton and the Grand Final on the tour I've won with K-10 as king high. I think it's hilarious when people say "I've got to call, it's my favourite hand". You never "have to call" anything. There's a regular player who loves 6-9, it's a standing joke now that he always plays this. Yes, sometimes he wipes out the field with straights all over the place, but he will only donk his chips back off again.

BF: What do you do as a day job?

Helena: I work for a charity, currently as Head of Trading on the retail and trading side. Basically it's trying to generate revenue via shops or selling products etc. I've worked as a Purchasing Manager, Product Development Manager and in marketing for over 10 years and now, in my current role, not only do I have to be very commercial and creative but also the profits help a very worthy cause.

BF: Do you have any hobbies besides poker?

Helena: Lots. I've written a book (unpublished as yet), I love to sing and watch theatre, films etc. I love the outdoors, cycling, walking, skiing etc. I'm not a shrinking violet in any shape or form!

BF: What are your aspirations as a poker player?

Helena: To set high targets could put pressure on me, but I would be lying if I said I didn't want to make this something more serious. I would like to turn the sponsorship into cash at a minimum for me, so to at least make a profit of 20k this year and if I can then get continued sponsorship, fantastic. I have huge admiration for Liv Boeree and how great she has done recently and I would and could only dream to be playing with the likes of Daniel Negreanu and Gus Hanson. Ask anyone who knows me, I don't do anything by halves and when I set my mind to something I generally go and get it! Watch this space.