Among the 300 hopefuls in the room during the first break on Day 1B of the $3,500 World Poker Tour Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship is ClubWPT qualifier Caren Walsh.
Walsh is below the starting stack but says, “This trip is already a success for me. I’ve never won anything in my life, and it was fantastic to win a WPT entry. I’m just happy to be here.”
“My day’s been a little trying, but I have a good table,” Walsh adds. “I’m having a great time.”
A little bit of everything
Walsh is retired at 61-years-young with a self-described “colorful work history.” She spent 13 years in law enforcement, owned two businesses, sold cars, and even worked as a table games dealer at Harrah’s Cherokee.
While she might be the most inexperienced in live poker at her table, she’s not letting that get to her. “My past work experience and life in general taught me patience, not to let people intimidate me, and perseverance,” says Walsh. “All of those things help me at the table and in life.”
She played in a Ladies event at Cherokee but didn’t cash. “I like playing both (live and online),” Walsh says. “I like personal interaction when playing live, but I also like the convenience of sitting at home on my couch to play.
Reluctantly moving around
She found the game through Chris Moneymaker’s popularity during the poker boom. She was born and raised in Euclid, OH and spent 40 years there. But she got married, and her husband gets a “ten-year itch to move.”
Walsh doesn’t necessarily like moving to new places, but each place has been full of new adventures for them.
She’s lived in Florida, Georgia and now West Virginia, but she’s done moving. “I told him that we were going to die there one way or another,” she says. “But, I’ve said that before…[laughs]”
Walsh’s passion for the game is palpable, so we have to ask: What is her perfect night of poker?
“It’s sitting in a comfortable chair, with good tablemates, a good dealer and better beverages,” she says. “Good cards would add to it, but it’s not likely for me.”
All photos courtesy of World Poker Tour - Drew Amato
