Jacqueline Burkhart and Molly Mossey Came for the Fun and Stayed for the Poker
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As Day 2ab in the 50th annual World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event starts to wind down, all eyes are on players who are rising to the top of the counts. Among these players are two familiar female faces in Jacqueline Burkhart and Molly Mossey.
Burkhart has been near the top of the counts for a good chunk of the day, also on the main feature table with the legendary Chris Moneymaker. She started the day with 105,000 in chips and now sits on over 320,000 on the dinner break.
Mossey is hovering around 100,000 herself after starting with 187,000 earlier today, with plenty of big blinds and lots of poker to be played.
Burkhart Just Wants to Have Fun
A common trait among these ladies is they have been around this industry for a long time and have worked hard on their game. Playing on the biggest stage in the poker world is no easy task, but they have been trying to have fun while playing their best.
Last year, Burkhart won a PokerStars Platinum Pass to play in the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold'em Championship (PSPC) in the Bahamas. She entered a contest put together by PokerStars Ambassador Maria Konnikova, tasked with writing her 'poker story'.
A full-time dental hygienist and mom, Burkhart wrote about playing poker with her family. She also talked about using poker as a tool to keep her mind sharp to hopefully ward off Alzheimer's disease, which she is at a greater risk of getting given it is in her family.
"I've worked so hard to try to be half-decent in that $25k field that it's just really helped me. That was my goal in the $25K - to just learn and have fun," said a passionate Burkhart.
She mentioned purchasing Nick Petrangelo's course on Upswing Poker to use it as a tool to help improve her game. "It's over my head, a lot of it. But the parts I could absorb were really, really helpful."
"I also feel that supporting one another is also important. Not tearing each other down, but really building each other up."
Burkhart also credits talking hands with her best friend Angela Jordison. “She's an amazing player. Also Jason Gooch, who is second for player of the year. And Ryan Laplante is my coach," smiled Burkhart.
"I have a full time job and I just play for fun, so I do take it seriously but I'm just trying to have fun. I wanna play my hands well, but I'm here for fun. So I wanna make friends, have good table talk, play my hands well, and hope they hold."
Burkhart's best cash came from the PSPC after she came in 38th place for a payout of $86,400. Prior to that, she final-tabled the 2018 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Ladies' Championship for a fifth-place finish worth $28,167.
Mossey Pulls From Her Experience in the Poker Industry
Mossey is currently the Marketing Director for VerStandig Law Firm, which represents poker players and all forms of gamblers. Previously, she was a valued member of the media, working as a Live Reporter and Media Coordinator on the WSOP Circuit. Now, her job still keeps her involved in the poker world, but she has the means to play on poker's biggest stage.
"I am so, so lucky because I love my job that I currently have. I loved my job before - I loved being a reporter," Mossey told PokerNews. "It's just totally different, but I still get to be in the poker world."
Along with Burkhart, Mossey made the same final table of the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Ladies' Championship in 2018, coming in eighth place for $11,411. After that, she decided to play the Main Event and is now playing it for the second year in 2019.
"I'm having such an awesome summer," said Mossey. "I love to play poker, there's no doubt about it. But I'm gonna be really honest - it is not something I would ever wanna do for a living. I love the poker world. I love the industry. I feel super blessed to be able to play these bigger tournaments and just have an awesome time doing it."
“I wanna make friends, have good table talk, play my hands well, and hope they hold."
In talking about how she has progressed in her poker career over the years, Mossey credits the people she has surrounded herself with. "I have been really lucky to have had some boss poker players as friends." Some of these people include her housemates and good friend, poker pro and commentator Jamie Kerstetter. "I've been able to learn a ton from just hanging out and talking hands with people," explained Mossey.
Additionally, Mossey learned a lot as a poker reporter and being part of the media in this industry. "For me personally, I think the most important thing as a reporter is that literally anything can happen in this game. And you can only play the hand in front of you as best as you can. And, you can't be emotionally tied to the result," said Mossey.
Finally, Mossey touched on being a woman in poker and how important it is to grow this game. "The whole reason I got involved in poker in the first place was because I wanted to be a female in a 'man's' game. I am a fan of ladies' events, obviously. I think it provides a comfortable atmosphere for women to learn the game and really grow into the open fields."
"I also feel that supporting one another is also important. Not tearing each other down, but really building each other up," said Mossey.
BJ Nemeth's LEGO Last-Longer
Both Burkhart and Mossey are participants in poker media's own BJ Nemeth's LEGO last longer. Nemeth handed out LEGO mini figurines after posting to Twitter, organizing a fun last-longer contest during the WSOP Main Event.
"I've been giving out LEGO minifigs for several years now," Nemeth told PokerNews. "I enjoy buying things like this, but I don't enjoy having things like this. I'm something of a minimalist." This led to Nemeth handing them out, once per day, while he traveled. This turned into giving away 100 figurines during the 2018 WSOP, and then eventually creating an engaging last-longer contest this year.
"When last year's WSOP Main Event happened, I started tracking all of the players who I had given LEGO to. That was the unofficial birth of BJ's LEGO Last-Longer," explained Nemeth. Ben Yu went the deepest in 2018, finishing in 150th place.
We made it to Day 2, @BJNemeth! https://t.co/s0IVexr9Ia
— Andrew Barber 🌹 (@abarber1)
"So this year, I wanted to formalize it a bit. My goal this year was to get 100 players, but I told myself I'd be happy with 50. I got 44, but I'm still having fun with it, so I'm happy." Anyone who cashes will receive minifig-sized LEGO playing cards. Nemeth has spent close to $1,000 for this contest, and the final prize is being kept under wraps for now.
What's the point of all of this? "Mostly, just the fun of it all. There's something about LEGO minifigs that most people react to, either from nostalgia or just the simple cuteness of the form," explained Nemeth. "It's just a fun way to have a rooting interest in a lot of people that you wouldn't otherwise know."
Some of the other players involved in this LEGO Last-Longer include the likes of Jessica Dawley, Danielle Andersen, Andrew Barber and Jamie Kerstetter.
Follow Jacqueline Burkhart and Molly Mossey's progress in the WSOP Main Event via the live updates and see if they can make it to Day 3!
