Poker Player - Isabelle Mercier
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Isabelle Mercier is one of the rising stars of the professional poker circuit, her long hair and elegance bringing a touch of feminine glamour to a game known for its image of smoky backrooms and high roller men. Looks can be deceiving though, as Isabelle Mercier has not been tagged with the nickname “No Mercy” for nothing.
Isabelle was born in Canada, on 5th August 1975, and studied for her law degree at the University of Montreal. On graduation, she practiced commercial law, and a year later travelled to the Sorbonne, Paris, to study International Law. To help fund her studies, Isabelle took a job as a Poker Room Manager at the Aviation Club to France. The Aviation Club de France has one of the most stylish and sophisticated card rooms in Paris. Isabelle, also being stylish and sophisticated, was ideal for the role. It wasn’t long before plans of academics and Law fell by the wayside as the game of poker seized her interests and imagination. Before playing professionally, she was twice nominated as “Staff Person of the Year” in the European Poker Awards, but the thrill of playing was greater than the satisfaction of being a great manager. She hasn’t looked back since.
Isabelle is now highly visible in the poker world, although she has only been playing poker for a very short time. Her clear ambition is to win as many poker titles as she can, and to learn everything there is to know about Poker. Her willingness to learn is no doubt one of the reasons that she has been catapulted into realms of the major players so quickly.
Most famously, Isabelle came into the limelight when she won the September 2004 World Poker Tour Ladies Night Out II Championship, held in Los Angeles. A rookie, her aggressive style defeated more well known female players including Cyndy Violette and Wendeen Eolis. She has also won at the World Poker Ladies Invitational at the Commerce Casino and in the No Limit event for the European Poker Tour Grand Final, held in glittering Monte Carlo. She has also been seen as the commentator for the televised editions of the World Poker Tour Championships at the Aviation Club.
More television appearances include the “Tournament of Aces” event, which involves a poker professional (Isabelle) playing against 5 French celebrities and her invitation to play in the British Poker Open, which was also televised. She has written books on Poker and on has a clothing range called Bad Martha, which she endorses on her website.
Isabelle also has a high profile online, following the trend of younger and more modern poker stars to combine live tournament playing with “virtual casinos”. She has been selected as the roving ambassador for PokerStars.com, a position that allows her to play in the largest tournaments in the world. Other big stars like Chris Moneymaker, WSOP champion 2003, Greg Raymer, Erin Ness, and Evelyn Ng flank her place on the team.
All the glamour and celebrity aside however, Isabelle has managed to successfully rake in a serious amount of cash from her playing. In 2004, her winnings were $78, 521. In 2005, this increased to $164,727. Already in 2006, she has earned $72,797, bringing her total winnings so far to a total of $369,544. Isabelle also continues to play extensively in Europe, not confining her skills and competitiveness to The Americas alone. She now travels the world, living out of her suitcase, admitting that her favourite place above all is still Montreal. With her inimitable style, “nonchalant, chic and elegant”, and her ability to adapt to all situations, it is without doubt that a lot more will be seen from Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier in the future!
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