The 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been kind to 888poker Ambassador Ana Marquez. First, she finished 10th out of 8,809 entrants in Event #19: $1,500 Millionaire Maker for $95,720, and then placed 31st out of 968 entries in Event #47: $1,000 Ladies Championship for an additional $3,940.
Several days later she played a tournament outside of the WSOP, the MILLIONS Vegas at the Aria, where she took down her biggest career win to date – a whopping $445,000 for third place!
Setting Her Sights on Vegas
Prior to the WSOP, Marquez was in Spain for the 888poker Live Barcelona. She arrived in Sin City on June 5th and doesn’t plan to depart until July 20th, meaning she’s putting in a full grind. However, she does plan to take a break at some point.
“Breaks are important,” said Marquez, who stays with a friend while in Las Vegas. “Last year, I went to Lake Tahoe right before the Main Event. I haven’t decided what I will do this year but definitely will take a couple of days off before the Main again, maybe go to Sequoia National Park.”
In addition to taking breaks from the action, Marquez finds that routines play an essential part in getting through the summer successfully.
“Meditate, cook, workout, or do yoga a little bit, and hanging out with friends,” she said when asked what sort of things she does off the felt, “The WSOP grind is long and intense. Your body and mind go through a lot of stress; therefore, [it] is important to nourish it the best you can to be able to stay fit during the game.”
Of course, finding time to do all that isn’t easy.
“There is not a lot of free time during WSOP,” Marquez admitted. “I pretty much wake up, meditate, cook breakfast, go play, and afterwards get some food and go to sleep. If I have a free day, I try to rest, workout, and catch up with sleep and stuff I have to do.”
Food, Not Drink
Like many others, she tries to stay away from the nightlife temptations.
“Not really, maybe once or twice,” she said when asked whether she drinks or parties during the WSOP. “Besides not having much time, I’d rather take the free time to recover, not to put it under more stress. Plus, I don’t usually drink so much anyways.”
Instead, Marquez prefers to spend what little free time she does have with friends she might not otherwise see throughout the year. She also lists shopping and dining experiences at restaurants among her hobbies.
“There’s a lot of them,” she exclaimed when asked where she likes to eat. “Milos, Nobu, Sen of Japan, Raku, Sage, and more.”
To get there, Marquez will either rent a car or take an Uber, two popular options for foreigners while playing in the United States.
As for any 888poker qualifiers joining Marquez in Vegas for the 2019 WSOP, she had some simple advice.
“Enjoy and have fun!” she said. “And stay very hydrated.”
For more on Marquez and her 2019 WSOP journey, follow her on Twitter @AnaMarquez86 and on Instagram @anamarquezpoker.
