Straight from our Summer archives comes the glorious Isabelle Mercier! We had the fortunate opportunity to sit down with her just a day before the 2006 Main Event. Relaxed and funny away from the tables, Isabelle is a serious threat in any poker game. She surrounds herself with some of the best in the game, and has made it her singular mission to be the first woman to take down the world championship. Even though it didn't happen this year, we wouldn't bet against her...

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PL: So thank you for taking some time to talk to us today, just a few days before your Day 1 on the Main Event. What do you have planned for the weekend?

IM: I'm heading to the mountains outside Vegas, to get some fresh air, clear my head, and prepare for the big tournament. I've been here for like 6 weeks already, and it feels like forever..[laughs]. A break will be very nice.

PL: How has the WSOP been for you so far?

IM: It's been great. I made the final table in the $5,000 NLH event with Marcell Luske, Phil Hellmuth, and Vinny Vinh, so this was one of the highlights of my life, not just my poker career. I had such a blast playing with those monsters!

It's funny, because when the tournament took place, July 4 th , I was supposed to get away from Vegas for two weeks. I got here and started playing some of the smaller buy-in events and thought, geez, I need to get away. But then I saw Doyle, sitting there every day, and I figured if he does it, then I can do it too. I want my bracelets also, so I decided to stay and play on the 4 th . Once I made the final table, there was no way I was getting away after that [laughs].

PL: The rush of making a final table is well-documented…

IM: It's amazing – you get so much better just by going that deep because the play changes. I've been smiling every morning since then, thanking the universe for that great chance!

And the $5K event is the best structure you can find in the WSOP, outside of the H.O.R.S.E. and Main Events, because you get so many starting chips that it isn't a crap shoot like the lower buy-in tournaments. I like a deep stack and good structures.

PL: You couldn't have asked for a more star-studded final table either.

IM: Oh yes, it was incredible. But it was not televised, which is too bad, because all those guys talk a lot and are a lot of fun. I do wish I won, but I'm saving that for the Main Event.

PL: Did those other pros intimidate you at all?

IM: No, you know, it was strange – I just felt good and wasn't nervous. I was very detached and confident. I made one bad bluff against Phil Hellmuth and he called me with King high which was a really big mistake. The funny thing is that I did the exact same thing in a tournament a few months ago: same exact play, same bluff, and a player called me with K-high. I was like, “wow, slap! I've done it again and this mistake has possibly cost me a title and hundreds of thousands of dollars.” So I hope I don't pull that again. [laughs]. It could work against an amateur, but a pro will call me everytime in that situation with K-high, as I would do the same.

PL: Have you played with Phil before?

IM: No, that's the other thing. I've been a professional poker player for two years and have played with almost everybody, but not Phil. And then he's been at my table a ton since the beginning of the WSOP, and he's really good. I got to say, he is one of the best players out there today. I don't think I won a single pot against Phil so far. He's in a league where I'm not yet – but I'm getting there. [laughs].

It also made me realize that these guys, Hellmuth, Luske, and Vinh, are like big monsters at the table. I need to be more of a monster myself. No woman player is big enough today with their table image…not that can compare to these super monsters. I hope to be the first one with this status. I'm mentored by Gus [Hansen] which helps me with my craziness. You guys are more easily aggressive and competitive. Women read better, have a better sense of other players. We need to work to become as strong as you guys in poker because that image is a key element at the table.

Sometimes I sit down and just pretend to be Gus because it makes me do crazy things that I'm not used to.

PL: How did your mentorship with Gus come about?

IM: Actually I was working on a poker book with Gus and Paul Magriel and we started on it about 3 weeks before my WPT event in 2004. We worked every day on the book, and they completely brainwashed me with their strategy. So when the tournament came around I just destroyed the other women [laughs]. I mean they didn't stand a chance. That's the night Mike Sexton gave me the name “No Mercy”, and it's stuck. So the three weeks working with Gus and Paul was just amazing.

The book is still getting made, but we're three crazy people all over the place, so it's hard to nail that down.

PL: So tell us about your involvement with the movie “Deal”.

IM: I have basically one line: “I'm all-in”. [laughs] Took me two days to shoot that. It was great meeting Burt Reynolds, who is so great, and he's the one that busts me out at the final table with a set of 4's.

I've done a lot of TV shows, work in front of the camera, but movies are a totally different world. First of all, I spent like 3 hours every morning in makeup. I'd get out of there and go “My God, is this my skin??” [laughs]. But I looked really good, so I wish I could have that every day. So you wake up, jump in the shower, and BOOM! goto the studio. You don't have to worry about how you look or anything.

It was an amazing experience and I cannot wait to see the movie.

PL: I noticed you used to be a law student and a dealer at the same time. There seem to be a lot of ex-lawyers and ex-dealers in the game today. What do you think it is about those professions that lead to becoming a pro poker player?

IM: well being a lawyer is so boring, which is one reason people get out.

I know I'm an intelligent person, and what happened in my life for awhile was that I wasn't meeting many people who really challenged me on that level. But when I came into the poker room, I realized that there were brilliant monsters all over the place! Ex-lawyers, scientists…brilliant people who enjoy life, who don't want the mundane 9-5 working life in an office. I also understand that life is short, so I want to enjoy it as much as I can, and poker players get that.

PL: That's it, I'm quitting my 9-5 today! On the flipside, people outside the poker world looking in often see a bunch of degenerate gamblers…

IM: You know, when I wakeup, I meditate for 45 minutes, I read, I eat healthy food, I do yoga. I lead a balanced life and see poker as a really high-level competitive challenge, like chess. It has nothing to do with gambling, so I don't see that connection. I've played blackjack and craps for a few hours before, with friends. It's gambling, it's horrible! If I lose $100 at those games I go crazy! [laughs] Poker is completely different. It is a game of risks and rewards and strategy.

I actually did a radio interview recently where I said I don't see why kids shouldn't learn to play poker. Tournament poker, obviously, not cash games. I mean compare it to Monopoly – they go bankrupt, they buy properties, negotiate with the bank. Why shouldn't they learn the ways of poker, which is such a great reflection of life. They're both filled with ups, downs, and bad beats. Your approach in life will mostly be the same as in poker.

PL: What a great argument for the politicians who just don't seem to get it.

IM: Yeah, how about we ban guns, what do you think about that? I can go to Wal-Mart and bullets and BOOM! kill someone. Guns kill people, playing games does not. I don't get it.

I learned how to play poker when I was 3. I have pictures of me sitting around the table with all my uncles, I have $5 in front of me, and playing with them. It's a great game! I don't want dolls, I want cards. This is my thing, and I don't have a problem with kids learning early.

But actually the fact that I don't like to gamble is one my problems right now. I need to open up my game a little bit and take some more risks for the good rewards. My other advice to everyone playing poker right now is to remember it's a game – have fun! Don't take it too seriously. I hear people say they get bored, so they're playing worse hands, and I'm like “Bored?? What, is this game too easy for you?” I don't get it.

PL: So do you focus on tournaments more than cash games?

IM: Oh yes, I definitely love to play tournaments more. I love the competition, having one winner. I like cash games too, but I don't run to them after I bust out of a tournament. I'm an 85% winner at cash games, but I'm not money-driven to the point where I have to go everyday and win more. I'm all about winning the title.

If I could win the WSOP Championship and one dollar, or have $10 million and no title, give me the title any day!

I'd love to be the first woman to win the Main Event. It would so change the landscape of both poker and women's views in general. You want to be president? You can do it. So I'll do my best.

PL: You managed the Aviation Club in Paris for awhile?

IM: Yes, I was their manager for 5 years and had a great time. Once the poker boom really exploded, it was just a natural for me to head out on the tour.

I knew that being a good woman player that I would have a lot of sponsorship opportunities, so I jumped at it.

So I saved up $10,000, grabbed my suitcase, and was off to be a pro! So here I am, 2 years later and still in my suitcase, traveling constantly. I'll stop eventually and find a place to settle down, but for now, it's all about the poker. Bellagio is my “home”, but I also travel a lot in Europe . I can't complain. [laughs]

PL: And the PokerStars sponsorship has to be a nice deal…

IM: It changed everything. I was a pro for 8 months before I met with PS management. I just struggled before then, living off of $10,000. When I signed with PokerStars, that was the day I really embraced tournaments and didn't have to rely on the cash games any more. No more financial pressure now. I'm just happy playing and living my life.

And being a part of the PokerStars team is great – Greg Raymer is the best, Chris [Moneymaker] is fantastic! It's so great and really cool to be a part of a support group on the road. Now Barry has joined us, so I'm really happy. And don't forget Wil Wheaton – he's awesome!

PL: Do you have a favorite game?

IM: I love them all, but by far my best game is no-limit holdem. I feel like when I play I have huge confidence – I know exactly what I'm doing. Sometimes when I'm playing other games like Pot-Limit Holdem, there are little intricacies I discover because I'm not as much a pro at that game. It's good to play other games, though, because the best players in the world cannot be tied to No-Limit Holdem only. It's impossible.

PL: So do you have a 3-5 year plan?

IM: The only place I see myself is as the first woman champion of poker. Winning the World Series is all I'm thinking about right now. It's everything.

PL: How about the buy-in of the Main Event – do you think it should be raised?

IM: Not really. Everyone wants to play, and lots of people can, and it's the hardest one to play. I love the WPT Championship at Bellagio. $25K to enter, $50K in chips, hour and a half blinds – it's amazing! But this one, the World Series, is the biggest. It draws the most people and is the longest tournament, so it's incredibly tough to win.

I don't care about how many people I have to go through. I'm going to win. [laughs]

You can't think about how many players are left, chip counts, being tired, doing interviews, blah blah blah. You have to sit down and focus only on your two cards and your table.

PL: So what keeps you going and focused through these 14 hour days?

IM: I lead a very balanced life. Deep breathing, focus, relaxation, and enjoying the moment. Poker is all about the moment, so to play well you have to put yourself right there on the felt. Like that bad bluff against Phil Hellmuth – I was there! I was totally part of the felt and into the hand, even though we'd been at it for days. So I just relax, enjoy myself, and stay balanced.

And next time I make that bluff against Phil, I'm going to have a real hand!

Away from the table, I've recently scuba dived for the first time in Mexico . We went to a ship wreck, 100 feet downa true highlight. We went diving every day at 9 in the morning for 3 weeks! 9 in the morning – boom! Wow, was that a wake-up call. But I was away from poker for those 3 weeks and I came back so refreshed and anxious to get cards and chips again.

PL: How often do you play online?

IM: I try to play the Pokerstars big Sunday tournaments as often as I can, but outside of that, I try to relax away from the tables.

PL: What about the longest session you've ever played?

IM: 40 hours. It was when I was just starting to play and I lost my buy-in - $2,000. It took me 40 hours to win it all back, plus like $400! Whew, now I can go to bed! [laughs]

But that's what I really wanted to do and you should always do what makes you happy. Of course it makes relationships tough. I supposed if I was with a poker player we could travel together. Right now I am enjoying my life on the road, but know that one day I'll settle down with someone as soon as I find love. That person could be anywhere, and that will be my goal some day soon – to find that love and build a life together.

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