46 Facts About Vanessa Rousso

Vanessa Ashley Rousso was born on February 5,1983 and is an American professional poker player, attorney, DJ, and television personality.

Vanessa Rousso has earned money as a professional poker player since 2005.

Between 2005 and 2011, Vanessa Rousso finished in the money in numerous live poker events and accumulated nearly $3.5 million, but has been less active since, earning just $83,000 in live tournaments between 2012 and 2017.

Vanessa Rousso has placed in the money seventeen times at the World Series of Poker.

Vanessa Rousso has appeared on television in several cash or charity poker competitions, and finished in third place as a contestant on the 2015 season of Big Brother.

Vanessa Rousso was born in White Plains, New York to Marc Vanessa Rousso and Cynthia Bradley of Hobe Sound, Florida.

Vanessa Rousso began talking and reading at early ages says her mother, Cynthia Ferrara.

Vanessa Rousso lived in Paris, in her father's homeland until she was 10, when she moved briefly to Upstate New York.

Vanessa Rousso holds dual citizenship with the United States and France.

Vanessa Rousso was active on the high-school swimming, lacrosse and debating teams.

In debating, Vanessa Rousso excelled in national debating tournaments in policy debating.

Vanessa Rousso's mother is a guidance counselor at Jupiter Community High School.

In 2001, Vanessa Rousso graduated as valedictorian of her high school in Wellington, Florida.

Vanessa Rousso maintained a 4.0 GPA at Wellington High School while participating in the National Honor Society, and French Honor Society.

Vanessa Rousso founded the Environmental Club and served as its president.

Vanessa Rousso was active as a violinist, varsity swimmer, and volunteer for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

Vanessa Rousso has two younger sisters: Tiffany, a high school teacher and contestant on the 18th season of American Big Brother, and Leticia, an optometrist.

Vanessa Rousso graduated early from Duke University after two and a half years with a major in economics and a minor in political science in December 2003.

Vanessa Rousso began law school in 2004 and was the inaugural recipient of the Chaplin Scholarship from the University of Miami School of Law.

Vanessa Rousso did not initially finish law school, dropping out to pursue her burgeoning poker career instead.

Vanessa Rousso has been televised numerous times on both ESPN and the Travel Channel.

Vanessa Rousso has made several appearances on the Poker After Dark television program.

Vanessa Rousso has been televised as part of the World Poker Tour.

Vanessa Rousso is known for wearing a cap, headphones and designer sunglasses.

On February 12,2006, Vanessa Rousso placed fifth at the final table of the 195-entrant $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em WSOP Circuit event at Harrah's Atlantic City.

Vanessa Rousso joined the professional poker tour in April 2006, and by October was among the top 80 in earnings that year.

Vanessa Rousso finished 80th in a field of 1068 in Event 4, $1,500 Limit Hold'em, 63rd in a field of 824 in Event 5, $2500 Short Handed No-Limit Hold'em, and she placed 8th of 507 in the Event 30, $5000 Short Handed No-Limit Hold'em event.

In October 2007, Vanessa Rousso was part of a contingent of poker industry representatives and leaders of the 800,000-member Poker Players Alliance who flew to Washington, DC, to attempt to convince the United States Congress to overturn the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Vanessa Rousso spoke in favor of a proposal by Barney Frank to license and regulate online gambling.

Vanessa Rousso had originally placed third in the event, but the winner was found to have violated the Pokerstars terms of service, which caused a disqualification ruling and caused all contestants to be elevated one place in the rankings.

Vanessa Rousso placed 57 of 605 in Event 38, $2000 Pot Limit Hold'em, placed 44 of 2693 in Event 52, $1500 No-Limit Hold'em, and 625 of 6844 in the Main event 54, $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em.

In January 2009, Vanessa Rousso just missed the televised six-handed WPT final table while playing at the World Poker Tour Season VII Southern Poker Championship; she finished in seventh place and earned $79,117.

In 2009, Vanessa Rousso spoke in favor of changes to Florida gambling laws that would remove caps on buy-ins and wagers on poker in the state.

Vanessa Rousso felt the gambling limitations precluded more strategic and skillful deeper-stack competition and said that Florida gamblers "don't have enough chips in front of them to play out the bets and raises that are required in the skillful aspect of the game".

Vanessa Rousso had her own April 2009 poker instructional camp in South Florida.

Vanessa Rousso called her camp "Big Slick boot camp" and charged a $399 participation fee.

Vanessa Rousso was formerly sponsored by the PokerStars online poker cardroom under the screenname LadyMaverick as part of their Team PokerStars.

Vanessa Rousso appeared in an advertising feature paid for by PokerStars, rather than the swimsuit article itself, in the February 10,2009, swimsuit issue.

In March 2009, Vanessa Rousso signed to promote internet domain names by GoDaddy, a sponsor of the 2009 National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

Vanessa Rousso has worked with American Poker Player, writing on game theory, and worked with Forbes, teaching poker to its "100 Most Powerful Women".

Vanessa Rousso was a celebrity judge on Bank of Hollywood where she helped award some of her own money to contestants.

Vanessa Rousso was a contestant on season 17 of the reality television show Big Brother in 2015, finishing in third place.

Vanessa Rousso has become a music producer and DJ and has formed a DJ Duo called N1TEL1TE with her wife Melissa Ouellet.

Vanessa Rousso's nickname was given to her by a relative when she sold shares of herself to enter a $25,000 buy-in event in a manner reminiscent of the eponymous hero of the 1994 Western movie Maverick.

Vanessa Rousso was married to Chad Brown, another professional poker player.

In 2015, at the wrap party for Big Brother, Vanessa Rousso announced her engagement to her long-term girlfriend Melissa Ouellet.