On December 31st, Vanessa Selbst took to her Facebook page to announce her retirement from poker as a professional player. Selbst will be transitioning from the poker world to the business world as she starts to build a career with a hedge fund company. With her retirement, Selbst will no longer hold a position as a PokerStars Team Pros member.
Selbst is known as a top poker pro who was aggressive in her gameplay as well as in her attitude at the felt. She has a nice record of tournament wins and cashouts, with more than $11 million earned during live gameplay. In recent years, Selbst has found that the game of poker seemed more like work than fun and as she has aged, her priorities have changed. In her Facebook posts, she commented on the shift in poker and what it required and how that the changes do not coincide with her life goals.
In her post, Selbst pointed out that after Black Friday, it became impossible to live in the United States and travel was needed in order to play the game professionally. During her younger years, the travel was fun but as she moved into her late 20s and into her early 30s, she realized that her priorities had changed, and she wanted to create a stable home life and start a family, something that cannot be done while traveling the world playing poker.
Selbst pointed out in her post that poker has given her a great deal throughout her 12-year career. She has found the game to be intellectually challenging as well as fun and rewarding. She has traveled and created friendships all around the world. Yet now, it is time to say goodbye.
The poker pro will surely be missed, from her gameplay to her personality at the tables.