Cindy Kerslake is a born and raised Canadian – originally from Manitoba but not living in Calgary. She lives a relatively calm and reserved life as a wife, mother of two young children, and kindergarten teacher. Some vacations have been taken to Ls Vegas, but otherwise, there is not much of an outward or obvious connection to gaming for the Kerslake family.

What happens inside the home is another story. Cindy was taught to play poker by her husband, who has spent a great deal of time reading poker books and studying the game. She noted in an interview, “He always says, ‘If they ask you about how you learned to play poker, tell them that you watched me play and do the exact opposite.’” The couple enjoys playing, even though time is limited with two children under the age of six. Cindy’s husband even deposited funds on an online poker site so they could play together, and they worked a bankroll of $50 up to $1000.

While Cindy honed her skills online, she prefers playing live poker, though there isn’t much of a chance where they live. However, she has been able to play in several ladies-only tournaments, affordable because of the lower buy-ins, and cashed in four out of six tournaments, even coming in second in a ladies Canadian Poker Tour event. She even made it to the final rounds of the Daniel Negreanu protégé contest but narrowly missed winning a sit-n-go in the Bahamas to win the spot. But she certainly earned her seat in the spotlight by making the final table of the WPT Ladies Championship in April of 2008. She finished in third place for over $20,000.