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Vanessa Ashley RoussoProfessional poker player
Date of Birth: 05.02.1983
Country:  USA |
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Biography of Vanessa Russo
Early LifeVanessa Ashley Rousso, also known as Vanessa Russo, was born in 1983 in White Plains, New York. Her parents, Marc Rousso and Cynthia Bradley, moved to Paris, France when she was three years old. Vanessa lived in France until the age of 10, when her parents divorced and she returned to the United States with her mother. She attended Wellington Landings Middle School in Florida, where she excelled in sports and academics.
Education and Poker Career
Vanessa's passion for games and strategy began during her time at Duke University, where she studied economics. She became particularly interested in game theory and started playing poker. Vanessa graduated from Duke University with honors in just two and a half years, setting a record for the institution. While studying at the University of Miami School of Law in 2004, Vanessa continued to play poker online.
Professional Poker Player
Turning her love for poker into a career, Vanessa decided to become a professional poker player at the age of 21. Despite her mother's disapproval, she sold part of her inheritance to compete in a tournament with a $25,000 buy-in. Vanessa's determination and skill led to early victories, and by 2005, she had already won several tournaments.
In 2006, Vanessa achieved 7th place in the prestigious World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament and won a prize of $250,000. She also became the youngest woman to reach the final table at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) that same year. In the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Vanessa took second place. She continued to excel in online poker and in 2007, she won $700,000 in the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker, making it one of the largest prizes in the history of online poker.
Personal Life
Vanessa met her future husband, Chad Brown, at a poker table during a World Poker Tour event in 2006. They got engaged in 2008 and married in 2009. However, they announced their separation in 2012.
Vanessa Russo remains one of the top female poker players in the world, known by her online nickname "LadyMaverick" and representing Team PokerStars. Her success, intelligence, and passion for the game have made her an inspiration for aspiring poker players worldwide.
