Lacey Jones is not only a talented poker player, but she’s also a model, actress and television hostess. On top of it all, she’s one of the most beautiful women to ever play the game of poker, as her nickname of “The Poker Barbie” will attest.
Lacey Jones - Proud Texan
Lacey was born on April 9th, 1979 in San Antonio, Texas. A fifth-generation Texan, her parents split up when Lacey was only seven years old. Her father moved away to Las Vegas, while Lacey and her younger sister stayed in Texas with their mother.
During this time, Lacey’s mother was also battling breast cancer. She instilled a never-give-up attitude on her daughters, and Lacey credits her mother as being the biggest influence on her as a person.
As a young girl, Lacey was tall and uncommonly pretty, so friends and family encouraged her to give modeling a try. She eventually took their advice and accepted her first modeling job at the age of 10.
She excelled as a model, and she received an offer to go to Hong Kong and Japan when she was 16. She turned it down on the advice of her father, however, as he suggested that an education was more important.
Lacey Jones - Poker Player
Lacey first developed a love for poker when she was a child. Her family would go on vacations to South Carolina, and they would spend all night playing cards at their beach house. Lacey Jones’ passion for poker continued through high school and college, and she soon found herself taking frat boys’ money at the University of Arizona.
When not playing poker, Lacey Jones spent most of her college life studying inside the campus library. She graduated at the age of 22 with a BA in Political Science and French. During this time, she also studied abroad in Paris.
Upon graduation, she moved to Los Angeles to once again pursue modeling. The jobs came rolling in, and Lacey worked for brands including Carolina Herrera, St. John, Mac and Co, Playboy Leather Collection, Nike Golf, Sony, Panasonic and Daimler Chrysler. She even started landing acting roles, appearing on both The O.C. and Entourage.
Lacey Jones - World Series of Poker
Lacey Jones’ big break in the poker world came when she was hired as a model to play in an ESPN poker tournament. She was only there as eye candy, but Lacey surprised everyone by finishing 32nd out of a field of 360. Afterwards, she was approached about a sponsorship deal with Absolute Poker, and she was paired with Mark Self to learn the finer points of the game.
The training paid off, and Lacey Jones cashed in three tournaments in 2006. She also started competing in the World Series of Poker in 2005, and she’s been participating every year since. When she plays in the WSOP, Lacey prefers Razz and Seven-Card Stud.
In order to devote more time to the game of poker, Lacey Jones sold her Manhattan Beach apartment and got a condo in Las Vegas. She began working on her cash game, and she can often be found playing at Caesars Palace or The Venetian.
Following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in the United States, Absolute Poker dropped their team of pros (including Lacey Jones, Mike Mizrachi and Sean McCabe). While she isn’t currently sponsored by a poker room, Lacey is still one of the most well-known faces on the tournament circuit.
In 2007, she was hired to be the hostess and bracelet presenter for the World Series of Poker. She has acted as the hostess for the U.S. Poker Bowl for Fox Sports, and has appeared at the Borgata Poker Open. Lacey has been featured in Woman Poker Player, Poker Player Magazine and Wicked Chops Poker. Lacey also teaches seminars for Rush2Win (along with legends like Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan), one of the Internet’s top poker educators.
She met her fiancé, mixed-martial-artist Heath Herring, at a celebrity poker tournament in 2007. He proposed to her in the Philippines after only six months of dating, and she accepted. They hope to eventually marry in Texas, but the couple currently owns a house in Las Vegas.
Lacey Jones - Hobbies and Goals
In her spare time, Lacey enjoys spending time with friends and family. She also like reading books, playing mahjong, visiting museums, working jigsaw puzzles, traveling and watching hockey. According to Lacey, Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harman are her heroes in the world of poker.
Her long-term goals are to attend law school, spend some time as a lobbyist and then become an ambassador to a French-speaking country. Without a doubt, Lacey Jones is not just another pretty face.
