With the Women’s Winter Poker Festival only a few weeks away all eyes are on London’s legendary Hippodrome Casino.  Poker ladies from around the world are headed to London this November including myself (all the way from Australia) to be a part of this historic event.  PokerStars are running plenty of satellites online and giving packages away to ladies in the USA with a nice package added to the upcoming NAPT Las Vegas Ladies Event, which is on November 5 for a $330 buy in, with a $30,000 GTD and as an added bonus:

A pass to the Women’s Winter Festival in London which includes:
  • Main Event Buy-In with that awesome £100,000 GTD,
  • Economy flights to/from the US to London
  • 4 nights of accommodation From November 21-25
You’ll also gain a seat in the Women’s Closer freeroll with the exciting opportunity to win a package at EPT Prague in December!  As we all prepare for London this November who are the poker ladies of London?  We put 10 questions to Lydia Cugudda a well known player from the UK who is Kerryjane Craigie’s Co-host on the new podcast series ‘The Real Poker Girls of London’.
10 Questions with Lydia Cugudda
When did you start playing poker?

I still remember my first game of poker. I was part of a boxing team and we were waiting to compete. Being a boxer can be a pretty miserable existence when you’re trying to get to weight and stay there. The guys on the team were having a game, whilst we were waiting for our bouts to kill time. It was £1 buy in. I remember getting quad jacks and asking if that was good. I went on to win and was hooked from there.  This was in 2008.

Who’s your favourite poker players?

I’m guessing I’m not allowed to say KJ.  If I’m not allowed to choose KJ then I’m going to go with Maria Konnikova. The Biggest Bluff is the best book I’ve read in years, I think because so much of it was relatable. I’m not going to lie, I haven’t see much of her play but hearing her journey was brilliant and inspirational. Her recent WSOP Online Bracelet is brilliant and I love that she’s still being successful at the tables.

What do you do to improve your game?

I think like most recreational players, I accept that if I want to improve my game, it’s going to mean studying. The difficulty is that this comes at the expense of playing, and when you love the, study seems somewhat boring compared to just playing.  That said, since I became an ambassador for the Hippodrome, I’ve been more disciplined and accept that something is better than nothing. I signed up to a poker school, which was great for identifying my leaks. I was really overwhelmed when I first started studying. I remember my husband commenting on why I was paying for a study package when there is so much free material out there.

I didn’t disagree with him, but if you don’t know what to study then as I said, it is overwhelming. Obviously I’m not going to disclose what I’m studying as that will tell everyone what my leaks are lol, but I’ve recently started getting coaching from Dara O’Kearny. He’s brilliant and I really enjoy having some time to focus on my game.

Do you have a study group or coach?

I did start a study group a while back and am a member of a discord group, I’ve slowly built my confidence to get advice on hands in that and the guys have been brilliant. Again, this can be quite daunting at first as you don’t want to look stupid. I think that when you get past that, I would look more stupid if I didn’t ask for help and advice.  KJ has recently set up a session for ladies in the Hippodrome group. We had our first session the other week. Whilst there was only a few of us, it was a really good session and definitely felt like a safe space to discuss hands and strategies.

What would be your ultimate poker goal/win?

Poker goals, where do I start? At the Goliath in 2022 when KJ asked me to be her ambassador that was like a dream come true. I went through the whole imposter syndrome thing and kept looking round the room thinking why me? So and so is such a better player. It has taken some time but I think a couple of years down the line I’ve got comfortable in my new skin as an ambassador.  KJ made more dreams come true when she then asked me to be her co-host as a Real Poker Girl of London. I mean I do like the sound of my own voice so I couldn’t say no.  In terms of wins… winning the WSOP Ladies would be amazing. I tried to visualise it this year and even photoshopped by head on the pic of a previous winner with the bracelet… unfortunately it didn’t go to plan.

Failing a bracelet (or ring) I want one of those pretty spades. I like nice shiny things, KJ has 3 spades, I’ve a long way to go to matching hers, but one would be a start.

How often do you play? Live and online?  How do you balance poker and your family life as a mum? 

I play online quite frequently, several evenings a week. I don’t play live as often as I would like but it is that balance. I was on a course last year which meant I was away Monday to Friday. It was really tough to then justify disappearing at weekends to play when I’d not been around during the week. I had to be a lot more selective about the games I played. Fortunately hubby plays too, so at least we can spend time together and we do get a few poker trips in, mainly Vegas and Malta. We actually got married in Vegas in 2011, we had planned to go there for the WSOP Circuit event and decided to get married whilst we were there, having only got engaged the month before.  I love playing, and I’m not going to lie, it causes frictions sometimes with hubby, but that’s on me to find balance. My daughter knows that poker is my main hobby, I think she’s reasonably forgiving especially as she thinks I’m famous lol. This was after she was in Malta, and I was flying in after her, she met loads of people who knew who I was

How did you meet KJ?

Our paths have crossed numerous times over the years, I mean, who doesn’t know who KJ is?

We really started to get to know each other over breakfasts in the Hilton in Coventry. I really missed those this year as unfortunately she wasn’t there. Since she became PBL (Poker Boss Lady) as I call her, we’ve got to know each other even better, we have a lot in common, we both like handbags, we’re both extremely funny and of course we both love all things poker.  Oh and we both LOVE Chop Chop, well food in general. Although she’s still some way behind me in terms of eating.

What advice do you have for new ladies in poker?

Advice for newbies – just remember we were all new to the game once. Join the FB and WhatsApp groups and become part of the poker community. We’re all very welcoming and don’t be afraid to ask advice.

Do you have other hobbies, sports?

I’m an enthusiastic squash player and I like to run. I love squash, its fast and great for stress relief. My relationship with squash is similar to poker. I know that if I want to get better then I need to dedicate time to drills and practice.  Put like poker, I just love to play.

Anything else you want people to know about you?

I recently completed a Masters Degree in Defence Studies, I wrote a 15,000 word dissertation on “To what extent can the strategic elements of poker enhance military decision making and planning.”  I use a Thor Hammer fidget spinner as my card guard. People often comment on how heavy it is. I tell them not to worry. The only time I will throw it at someone is if they say “I know you’re ahead, but I call.”

Like most ladies I am super excited to play the inaugural Women’s Winter Poker Festival in London.  You can follow Kerryjane Craigie and Lydia Cugudda on all the socials to keep up to date on The Real Poker Girls of London. We are so excited to meet all these amazing ladies from the UK and Europe on the upcoming podcast episodes launching this November, filmed live at The Hippodrome Casino.