Erica Schoenberg “Poker Babe“

Hometown
Akron, Ohio

Birthday
March 25

Total Winnings
$281,184

Erica Schoenberg's parents raised her in a quiet, Midwestern town and emphasized the importance of education when she was young. She also learned that gambling was and would be an integral part of her life; her parents met at a horseracing track, and they enjoyed casual betting on everything from household chores to small change. Erica grew up with an appreciation for such things, which actually translated into math skills that she used to excel in school, even winning a math competition in 1991. She went on to college but couldn't decide on a major, though she focused on theater and drama, along with sports like volleyball and kickboxing.

After college, Erica moved to Los Angeles where she worked on a career in acting and modeling, which ironically led her back to the world of gaming. She was called to work on a show for GSN, played on the World Series of Blackjack for the television network, and met some of the members of the MIT blackjack team who subsequently trained her to play professional blackjack. Though she did this for some time, another invitation from GSN " this time for a poker show " gave her the inspiration to study and play poker.

Today, Erica plays poker professionally, and she made quite the impression on the poker world when she finished in 16th place at the 2006 World Poker Tour Championship tournament for more than $117,000. The WPT then invited her to participate in the Ladies Night event in 2006, where she finished fourth. She has a number of cashes under her belt to date, and she consistently works on improving her game through books, opponents, and her mentor, David Benyamine.