Anna Khait Is Back from "Survivor" and Ready for Poker

Back in early 2015, Anna Khait was becoming a regular player on the World Poker Tour when she was selected as a contestant for the hit TV show, Survivor. She snap-called to fulfill one of her lifelong dreams, perhaps not knowing at the time just how much it would change her life for the next few years.

The filming for Survivor: Kaôh Rōng took place in Cambodia from March 30 thru May 7, 2015. Survivor requires absolute secrecy enforced by non-disclosure agreements, so Khait couldn’t talk, tweet, or even mention that she would soon be taking the adventure of a lifetime. When she returned from filming, she learned that quirks of the Survivor schedule would delay her season about nine months before airing on TV — and during that time, Khait still had to stay silent.

During that limbo period, Khait wasn’t playing much poker.

“I took two years off from poker after I got back,” she told the WPT. “Survivor is a strange game, and it really messes with the psyche. I was in a weird head space when I got back from the show. The game definitely messes with you.”

The producers of the show seem to understand how disruptive the experience can be, as they have a psychologist available for players after their time on the show, to help them transition back into the real world outside the game.

Khait’s season finally began airing on February 17, 2016.

“I was quite nervous watching the show with America, my family, and friends,” Khait said. “It was too hard to focus on anything else. It’s one thing to play the game, and another to watch yourself on TV.”

Khait would eventually be eliminated on Day 13 of the competition, and it was painful.

“Reliving the highs and lows I felt during the game reopened some wounds,” Khait said. “It was also tough watching myself fall short of my biggest dream, but I feel super blessed to have been given the opportunity to play.”

Now that her Survivor experience has ended, Khait is back and ready to put all of her focus on poker again, and this is the first World Poker Tour event that Khait has played since leaving for Survivor.

“It took some time, but I’m happy to be back,” she said. “I’ve missed this event! It’s nice to be back at my home casino.”

In addition to settling back into her life, Khait’s also returning to charity work, something that’s always been a part of her life.

“I’m currently raising awareness for Reliance Treatment Center, that a friend of mine just opened up in Florida,” she said about a cause that has personal meaning for her. “It’s dedicated to helping people fight drug addiction. I have seen far too many friends get involved in the vicious cycle of drugs.”

Lastly, we asked if the Survivor experience changed Khait at all.

“I think the biggest lesson I learned from Survivor is to trust my instincts.”

And right now her instincts are telling her to focus on poker.