The young Texan who can hold 'em with the best of 'em: Meet the eight-year-old poker prodigy who prefers Vegas to Disneyland
Alexa Fisher started playing poker aged three and now takes on card sharks seven times her age
She can play over 50 varieties of the game, including No-Limit Texas Hold'em
Her father taught her the game to improve her maths skills
By JESSICA SATHERLEY
24th November 2011
dailymail
She can deal, she can shuffle, she even knows how to bluff, but what makes Alexa Fisher’s talent unique is that she is only eight-years-old.
Having learnt to play poker at the age of just three, she is now taking on experienced card sharks more than seven times her age and is thought to be the youngest poker player in the world.
A poker magazine has dubbed her a 'child prodigy' and she can play over 50 varieties of the game, making her a veritable threat on the poker scene in her home town in Texas.
The Texan that can hold'em: Alexa Fisher might only be eight-years-old but she can deal, shuffle and knows how to bluff
She even snubbed Disneyland last year, instead begging her parents to take her to Las Vegas to hunt autographs at the World Series of Poker tournaments.
There she got an autograph from professional Greg Raymer on her hat that reads, 'See you in 2024!', which is when she will finally be of legal age to enter the WSOP herself.
At home in Cibolo, near San Antonio, she takes on grown men at the game they have been playing for decades, frequently pummelling the competition in weekly charity contests.
And her father Justin, 35, a house husband and fellow poker enthusiast, thinks his daughter could be the next big thing in professional poker.
In the game: Alexa Fisher pictured competing in a charity tournament
He said: ‘I know Alexa could play poker with the best players in the world and definitely hold her own.
‘I also know she would be more than comfortable playing the professionals at the large buy-in events that many top name players are known for.
‘When Alexa was three, I would have ESPN and poker shows on in the background and she was attracted to the clapping and the sounds of people being happy on the television.
‘I used playing cards to help her count and to help with her maths skills when she was young and before she attended school.
‘As she began to learn which cards were higher, such as the aces, kings, queens and jacks in relation to the numbers, plus recognising what a pair, a flush, a three of a kind were, it was time to get poker chips.’
Next came plastic playing cards, chips with values on them and a dealer button.
By the age of four, she was shuffling, dealing, learning about basic tell signs and bluffing strategies.
By age five, she knew No-Limit Texas Hold'em solidly.
From there, Justin introduced her to other games, such as Limit and Pot Limit, and by the age of six, she knew all of the WSOP games, along with Badugi, Double Flop Hold'em, Crazy Pineapple, and ace-to-five and triple-draw Lowball.
Alexa has since played in several charity poker tournaments where players pay to enter or donate to local charities in order to circumvent local gambling laws.
She played her first ever live poker tournament charity event at the age of seven.
She set an age record at her first live tournament in 2009, outlasting well over half the field - including her father - and becoming an instant local celebrity.
During a tournament poker charity event last year she ended up making the final table that evening and finishing in 6th place.
She said: ‘The neat thing about poker is there are a lot of games to choose from and they are easy to learn and play.
Idols: Alexa snubbed meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Disneyland, to instead meet her poker idol Greg Raymer (right) at the World Series of Poker tournament in Vegas
World series: She begged her parents to take her to Las Vegas to hunt autographs at the World Series of Poker tournaments (library image)
‘I know how to shuffle and deal the cards, raise, check, fold, and bluff. I also know how to play deuce-to-seven Lowball, H.O.R.S.E., and Badugi.
‘I can now play any poker game with the best poker players in the world.
‘With me being a girl, when I am a professional poker player I hope I can inspire other girls and women to play poker too.’
As far as her parents know, Alexa does not play poker with her schoolmates, but she is allowed to play for money - her cash allowance for doing chores around the house - because it teaches her money management.
They gave her some money to start with, and now she has a bank account. Her first win from a major cash game was $42, and her first loss was $25, while in Vegas.
Ultimately Alexa's ambition is to be a professional poker player, and her parents are more than happy to encourage the youngster to follow her dreams.
In addition, Alexa juggles poker with rock climbing, Zumba classes, football and weekly volleyball practices.
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