This Woman Turned $15K in Poker Winnings Into Real Estate, Then Cashed Out $100K

Reyna did not expect to become one of the best female poker players in the world. Her journey began when she was just 20 years old, still not allowed to play in casinos in the US because she told her boyfriend she cared more about money than about video games. They had little in common and were searching for a shared hobby.

Because Reyna still could not play legally, she devoted a whole year to learning poker literature and doing simulations. Finally, she played her first game of poker in Las Vegas when she turned 21. Her boyfriend lost his money in about 15 minutes, while Reyna doubled hers.

“It just started an addiction, to be honest,” she explained. “I just kept playing and playing, and I realized that I was decent because whenever I was recording my scores, I was making money.”

She won around $15,000 during her first year playing poker, which is a considerable sum for a student. Instead of spending it, Reyna bought two investment properties in Ohio for $7,500 and sold them during the pandemic for about $100,000.

Reyna quickly became one of the 27 best female poker players in the world, winning around $200,000 per year. As a player participating in tournaments all over the world, she traveled to Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong, and Las Vegas as she tried to cover as many countries as possible in the poker world.

However, her success raised her status, and now Reyna participates in high-risk private games far away from the small-stake games of her youth. For instance, in one such game organized at the Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles, the entry fee was $15,000, and this room had celebrities, venture capitalists, a massage, and a personal chef.

Moreover, in almost every game, Reyna is the only woman in the room.

“In a room of 500 people, you get maybe two or three women players,” she explained.

Such a lack of women has affected the way her opponents treat her. Some flirted and gave her some chips, but others were quite aggressive because they did not want to lose to a woman.

Reyna says that such underestimation of her skills has helped her. She learned how to navigate male-dominated halls, relax her opponents, and turn their assumptions to her advantage.

“I don’t think I ever truly felt respected,” she explained. “But it was a nice thing because they just didn’t expect much.”

According to her, playing poker is not just about the ability to read cards but also about reading people.

“You’re trying to find out how much they’re willing to give and how much you want to take from them,” she explains. “Sometimes you have to give them hard decisions to make, and you’re hoping that they make the wrong moves so you’re able to capitalize on that.”

Reyna holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering, which allows her to apply probability and expected value in poker. Moreover, she notes that the concept of “tilt,” which refers to making decisions under the influence of emotions, may work in her favor given the new situation for her opponents.

“I think being a woman definitely does a lot to these guys because they’re not thinking clearly when a woman sits down at a table,” she explained.

Reyna has now suspended poker to concentrate on her OnlyFans account. However, she still uses poker skills, negotiation, body language analysis, and decision-making in her business activities.

“I think there should be more women that play poker,” she stated. “Girls should be more exposed to it. They’re trying to keep us at the bottom. It’s the patriarchy.”