Photo Credit: PokerStars Live Event Photos

I am sure you have seen this picture everywhere after Caroline Schallock, who affectionately goes by “Saxony,” won the Poker Stars Prague European Poker Tour (EPT) Ladies Event. Her win was big news for ladies in poker, as the event had been on a six-year hiatus. We had the privilege of corresponding with her after her win and discovered her story was even more interesting than her victory.

Caroline is from Leipzig, a vibrant city in the booming state of Saxony, Germany, which explains her nickname. Leipzig holds a profound historical significance as the birthplace of the peaceful revolution that helped lead to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Even after several decades since Germany’s reunification, the memories of that transformative event continue to resonate deeply within Caroline and are a great source of joy for her.

Caroline has been a fan of card games since she was “old enough to hold the cards in her hand.” Growing up in a competitive family of five with two brothers, they frequently played 17&4 (also known as Blackjack). In 1999, she had the opportunity to visit Las Vegas for the first time. She was naturally drawn to Blackjack and bingo since they were familiar to her. While exploring the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, she stumbled upon a poker room where a foreign game was being played. She found it intriguing and intimidating and would often sneak around the room watching it being played.

During this time, a friendly dealer approached her and invited her to join the game. She confessed her lack of knowledge, and he kindly offered to teach her. He took her to an empty table and laid out the cards, chips, and the dealer button, patiently explaining the game’s intricacies. It all clicked into place, and from that moment on, she was hooked. Her journey began in the former poker room of the Plaza, playing 2/4 limit Holdem cash games. Unfortunately, at the time, the game was not widely known in Germany, so she only had a few opportunities to play initially.

Poker became a part of her DNA but took a back seat during the formative years of her career. She worked for the police force for over 30 years and spent several of those years in the criminal investigation department. During her career, she was stationed for two years for the UN in the former Yugoslavia and later for FRONTEX (European Border and Coast Guard Agency) on various islands in the Mediterranean. This was her dream job; unfortunately, health got in the way. Losing this made her rekindle her love of cards, bringing her poker hobby to the forefront.

This hobby has made her deeply rooted in the women’s poker community. She used to stream her online poker game on Twitch for the Herzdamen Club, a registered association for women in poker in Germany. The group is a support network with an international reach for poker women. It offers its paid members study and analysis coaching sessions online monthly. Although a big supporter of the Herzdamen Club, she stopped streaming poker, stating that she missed live play and interaction with people.

Caroline plays live poker semi-constantly, mainly on weekends. She is an excellent Holdem player and loves PLO. Her home casino is the Grand Casino, located in Aš, Czech Republic, just across the German border. The casino has a cozy atmosphere that welcomes all types of players, and everyone knows each other’s names. They offer affordable buy-ins, and in September 2023, the casino hosted the third Herzdamen festival, a live event she attended. She occasionally makes the over-hour drive to the impressive King’s Casino in Rozvadov when she wants a bigger room.

In addition to her live play, she has recently started an exciting new poker media project called “Spadecast” which is a video news blog. For this venture, she has teamed up with Spadpoker, an English platform that provides the latest news for poker enthusiasts, and the talented team of Herzdamen. She co-hosts the VLOG on YouTube, which is released every 14 days in the German language.

As a member of the Poker Media, it was only natural for her to travel to Prague for the Poker Stars Eureka Cup. Advantageously, her early bust out of the event allowed her to participate in the Ladies’ Event. Though she was initially hesitant to join, her friend convinced her to give it a try. Despite her past unsuccessful attempts at ladies’ events, she decided to enter anyway, and this time, she hit the jackpot. Once she reached the final table, she played brilliantly against her opponents and won the tournament outright in an unbelievable nine minutes. She said she enjoyed the experience and described the atmosphere as fun, with plenty of chatter and laughter.

Caroline will take her winnings to her next stop, where she will play an Omaha event in Aš in January, followed by a team event. Later in the year, she plans to go to Paris for the FPS/EPT and then Austria to Seefeld with the CAPT series and try her luck at sea on the WPT Voyage. She is also hoping to win a Poker Stars package this year.

Caroline is a dynamic woman with an adventurous spirit who loves geocaching and uses her travel experiences to meet new people and exchange ideas. She always seeks to broaden her horizons and believes in peacefully resolving conflicts and promoting harmony between countries. She has an affinity for the ocean, fine wine, good food, and great company. Don’t hesitate to say hello if you cross paths with her during your poker adventures! She would love to meet you.