Monica Reeves is a professional blackjack and poker player that hails from Ontario, Canada. She was born and raised in Toronto where she grew up in a family that played just about every card game but poker and blackjack. After she graduated from high school, she earned a dental hygienist license from a college in Syracuse, New York in 1994.
Monica Reeves and Jim Worth
In 2003, she met professional poker player Jim “Krazy Kanuck” Worth through a mutual friend. It was Worth who introduced her to poker. Worth had won a trip to Aruba online and after the two had a few dates, he asked Monica to go with him. For two years while they dated, she would go to events with him but never played. As she has stated, she would watch or just hang out at the pool or the beach while he played. But Worth kept insisting the she should learn to play. Finally during a Christmas holiday, she agreed. Worth started her on low-limit games online to get her feet wet. Soon she was playing every night after work and after nine months, she felt that she was good enough to go to the next level.
Monica Reeves Blackjack
Monica entered the fourth preliminary tournament in the CBS televised show Ultimate Blackjack Tour where she took first place. She also finished in second place in the ladies’ event. Since her success on the show, Monica is now one of the endorsed pros on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour. Her win at the UBT is what allowed her to quit her job and concentrate more on blackjack and poker as a career.
Monica Reeves Poker
Monica has played in several more tournaments. She participated in UltimateBet.com’s Aruba Poker Classic where she placed 114th. Later at the St. Maarten Spring Poker Showdown she finished in eighth place. In July of 2006, at the Bellagio Cup II, Monica came in fifth place in the $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’Em.
Monica has stated before that she does not consider herself a professional gambler. She considers a gambler to be someone who plays games of chance such as craps or roulette. To play poker or blackjack, it is more than just luck involved. It takes a degree of skill. She also doesn’t feel that being a woman gives and advantages or disadvantages to the game. It is just as difficult no matter the gender. But she has admitted to using her charms strategically if she can. Men will sometimes soft play women to keep from knocking them out of a game. However, being a professional player and a mother can be hard. There are times when she has to be away from her home and children in order to go play at an event.
Monica Reeves Other Interests
Poker and blackjack are not her only interests. She spends most of her spare time with her kids. She also likes to sing, dance, read, and hang out with her friends. Her oldest son has expressed an interest in poker but Monica has discouraged him from playing for money. As a lesson, she once played him for his allowance. When he lost, he got upset and she stated that it wasn’t fun to lose money. Since then he has only played for fun.
Monica Reeves Future
Monica currently lives in Toronto with her two sons. She travels to tournaments all over the world playing both poker and blackjack. She has expressed no desire to specialize in either game and by doing that it leaves her options open. She at one time was a large bust model. As of 2007, her total live tournament winnings exceed $40,000.
