Written by :
Published on :
Jenny Woo here to bring you an update interview with powerhouse poker pro Vanessa Rousso. Just when I think this girl will slow down so everyone can catch up, she revs up that mind of hers and continues to grow. Her newest project is her new iPhone application "Poker 1 on 1 with Vanessa Rousso" that is now available in Apple's App Store. Go to http://app2.it/vanessa to be a part of this awesome game.
JENNY: It seems as though you never slow down. You recently released a new poker game application for the iPhone. I've read the press release but tell me a little about the game itself and what users should expect from the game.
VANESSA: The game focuses on heads up play, which is a great fit for the iPhone and for a poker video game because it's fast and the player has action all the time. The game-play itself tries to simulate a real poker table. Rather than putting buttons everywhere, the game uses gestures-if you want to bet, you push a little stack of chips into the pot, and if you want to fold you push in your cards.
What sets my game apart from the others on the iPhone is that it incorporates poker training into the game itself. There is a whole collection of training games in which players can choose a style of play for the computer opponent-such as a beginner, or a timid player, or a complete maniac-and then they can learn (by playing) how they need to adjust their own game to combat different styles of play when they encounter it in real life.
JENNY: How long have you wanted to do something like this? When did the idea come to you?
VANESSA: I have been wanting to do this for over a year now. The idea came to me when I met the guys from Headlight at a lunch with a mutual friend last summer.
JENNY: You worked with Headlight Software to create Poker 1 on 1 with Vanessa Rousso. When and how did you hook up with the company?
VANESSA: The guys at Headlight and I have a few mutual friends, and I was introduced to one of their developers during the 2009 WSOP and he showed me a couple of their apps-including a poker game. That planted the seed of the idea in both our minds. We kept in touch, and over the next few months we decided it would be great to work together on an app. Then in early 2010 things started moving along at full speed toward developing the game.
JENNY: You really put a lot of thought into this game. Example - Using Bluetooth wireless to connect two iPhones for player-vs-player action. Did you have any outside help other than Headlight Software for ideas?
VANESSA: The guys at Headlight are real experts at networking and wireless stuff. In fact, they showed me a prototype of the Bluetooth games early in the development process and that made me confident that this was going to be an app that I would be really proud of.
And the next time you're stuck at an airport with another poker player, you definitely want go get that Bluetooth game going!
JENNY: There's a "Virtual Vanessa" computer player in the game. Will players be able to play against an actual virtual image of you?
VANESSA: Absolutely! The Virtual Vanessa AI is already the toughest poker opponent on the iPhone, and the developers and I are continuing to make improvements and adjustments so "she" is just going to get tougher and tougher when updates come out.
JENNY: I'm liking the Big Slick Boot Camp website as I've noticed you've made some changes and updated the site. You have a WSOP Main Event Prep Camp coming up July 5th. How do expect the turn out to be?
VANESSA: It's looking to be our biggest event yet with at least 70 people if not 100!
JENNY: As for the WSOP, what events will you be playing in?
VANESSA: This year I have concentrated on playing in events in which I feel I have an edge--so, I have played less events than I have in the past, and have no longer registered for many of the smaller mixed games events that I experimented with in the past. This strategy seems to be working as I have two cashes for almost $100K (putting me firmly in the black for the series) already!
JENNY: You recently told me that you just got back from a 16 mile, 3 day, 35 pound bag carrying trek across Zion National Park and I immediately thought you were crazy. Did you just wake up one day and say "Hey that sounds like fun" or was it something you've been planning for a while?
VANESSA: I live by the motto ‘work hard, play hard'...so when it comes to my hobbies I always do it to the extreme. This was something I always wanted to try...and I'm glad I did! It was awesome!!
*If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Michael Burford (206) 985-4431, or e-mail pokerapps@headlightinc.com or visit http://www.poker-1-on-1.com/
