I first want to start off in saying I’m not a great blogger. I’m not disciplined enough to wake up every day and give people a story on what’s been happening or going on in my life or on the felt. When I was young, I used to try to keep these journals beside my bed and actually after the first few entries, I’d stop writing and the journal would collect dust. I’d then get a prettier more decorative journal and repeat the process. However, whenever I do write, I feel a release of mental energy and it gives me some time to collect my thoughts and analyze them. You all should try it! Writing your thoughts for the public or keeping them private is a good way to start or end the day. I’m generally a private person, but I want you all to get to know ME. The girl behind the virtual felt, the rumors, the gossip, the stories. I’m warning you if you’re reading this, the guards are down and you’re going to get an idea of who I really am.

I find it rather difficult writing about myself in an essay. If I’m ever asked to write a biography, I panic and automatically find a writer to furnish it. So, I’m going to do an interview with myself for all of you to get some of the juicy details of who I am, what I love, hate and feel. I have a lot to say and I can be a bit forgetful, so if there’s anything I miss that you want to know about me, feel free to comment and I’ll publish your questions in another blog!

Q: What was your life like before you entered the poker world?

A: My life was incredibly easy growing up. I was born on August 10th 1983 and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. I’m an only child and sometimes people get that read without even knowing me for an hour. My stubbornness and personality traits scream spoiled brat at times. However, I thank my parents fully for giving me a life that most children are not born into. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t brought up with trust funds or Bentleys in a garage, but my father worked hard as a business owner to provide for my mother and I. He is one of the most hard working, dedicated and the strongest willed men I know. I respect him and love him fully for what he is, stands for and what he’s accomplished. My mom on the other hand, is my best friend and mother at the same time. She has the most compassionate heart and cares for each and every person in her life. She’s a goof ball just like me that’s lighthearted and loves to laugh. Anytime I need a shoulder to cry on or have to confide in someone, she is there. My parents always wanted me to try new activities and sports. I did it all, except singing (I think I’m tone deaf!) However, I was never consistent enough to stick with anything. I was a quitter. In grade school and high school, I wasn’t the best student. I never applied myself like I should have but when I entered college, I had ambition and was completely focused to succeed. I attended the University of Delaware and wanted to become an attorney, specifically practicing corporate law because I could never see myself leaving Delaware and this state is one of the best to incorporate in. However, after being introduced to poker, I was placed on academic dismissal because my attention was now placed on this new found obsession. To explain “who” I was growing up, I’m a free spirit. I love to bend the rules and sometimes I got myself in trouble for being a rebel without true cause. I loved breaking curfew, cutting classes here and there, I didn’t take too much seriously. In a quiet setting sometimes I’d break out in a giggle or start talking just to break the silence. If I don’t, you should know that I really REALLY want to! I even got in trouble by doing some dumb things on the computer and phones. All in all, I had way too much time on my hands for my own good and if I could go back, I would definitely have chosen more productive activities. I’m sure if you’ve read any of my interviews or my bios, you’d know that I had an obsession with video games and computers. That is where “jennicide” was born. I created the alias jennicide when I was younger because the name sounded mysterious yet had a vicious ring to it. I love and hate that side to me, the warrior, the defender, jennicide…

Now that you know some of my history, we can go on to more present topics. The first question was the boring stuff…we can get right to the more entertaining details.

Q: You’re not as well known for your poker accomplishments as you are for your physical appearance, scandalous pictures and random gossip. How do you feel about that?

A: I’ll try to address all of the different issues but I may miss a few. Again, I’ll answer anything you ask if you want to know! With everything that has been said negatively about my lack of live poker accomplishments or my looks or gossip about my life, I try to just take it all with a grain of salt. I have come to realize that being in the poker industry, no matter how quiet I sit at a poker table, as a woman in the game, I stand out. That’s right! I am truly a woman and a minority in this industry. I love this game and I love being a woman, sometimes I think it’d be less distracting if I were a male, but truthfully, I wish more women would jump on the poker bandwagon because I want to see them dominate!

**** WARNING EXCEEDINGLY FEMALE RANTING BELOW****

There’s a lot been said about my physical appearance and I’m finding that even when I have insecure moments, overall I’m a confident girl, whether I’m in my best shape or worst shape. Working out is one of my weaknesses because I tend to be a bit lazy and poker isn’t a career in which I stay physically active. It has taken me a lot of time to come to terms with my physique. I hated the fact that I was never stick thin or have long lean limbs. Like some of the beautiful icons in history, I have natural curves and hips. Take Marilyn Monroe for example, she was actually a dress size 12 and a pant size 8. I’m currently a dress size 4 and pant size 4 but I definitely need to work on toning up. I don’t carry weight well. Okay, for all you guys, I truly apologize for having you agonize through reading this part. It’s kind of like when a girl acts you, “Does my butt look big in these jeans?” You just…don’t want to hear it! I don’t blame you!

So, onto the next sizzling piece of gossip. I had some revealing pictures on neverwinpoker posted of me and my best friend, Donna. When the news first hit me, I was completely outraged. That was a few years ago. I just felt violated because in all honesty the posting of those pictures was the first time the poker community saw pictures of me besides my icon on the poker site I played on and the photograph that was taken of me at my first live event during the WPT Bahamas. I used to wake up and wish the thread on that forum would just go away. Now, I can joke about it. I was a young girl having a good time with my friend trying on some new lingerie pieces and took some scandalous pictures. I liked my body, I didn’t love it but I definitely feel love the camera. That lead to me posing for FHM. I personally wasn’t happy about the editorial because it was my first time in front of a crew of people in nothing but lingerie. Imagine standing in public in nothing but a thong and more than 15 or so people in that room. Oh my god! It’s just terrifying, but once it was done, I walked out with extra confidence. I wasn’t in the best shape because I wasn’t working out at the time, but hey I still did it and I’d do it again but with more comfort!

Another big issue is the fact that I’ve dated a few of the younger male poker players. I can’t emphasize more on the fact that I’m a 24 year old girl that sometimes gets distracted by the opposite sex. I love men. I love their interactions, most of their interests (except sports) and I found that I was so consumed with poker that I had a hard time meeting men outside of my own industry. Even though every one of the relationships that were made public completely flopped, I’m realizing that during the times that I was serious about another person at the time, I didn’t focus on my own passions and dreams. Even though balance in life is key, as it is in the poker industry, it’s something that I’ve had a hard time dealing with in the past. I’m currently working towards balancing my life while staying grounded and I’m going to focus primarily on my own success and passion. Since coming to this new understanding, I like to go on dates and enjoy the company of the opposite sex, but I’m too driven, too focused to settle down with someone.

Given the fact that many people think that my poker accomplishments on the live felt aren’t substantial, in reality those events that I have played in and focused on, I’ve done well. It’s unfortunate that I’ve allowed numerous distractions to break that focus, but given time, my talent will speak for itself. I definitely plan on playing more tournaments on the professional circuit. I’m still young and I truly believe in myself.

Now you know just a little bit about who Jennifer Leigh or “jennicide” is. I could probably go on and write for hours because I’m a talker, but I’ll leave the rest up to you guys so you can relax your eyes from reading a bit. Don’t be shy! I’m taking this time to answer any questions you have about anything. Part of the reason I’m opening this up to the public is because I get numerous questions per day on MySpace and from my personal website about issues and just because I don’t respond to an individual question or person, this is the time for everything to be known! I’ll continue with part 2 another day as well as answering questions! Thanks for reading and I hope to be hearing from you all!

xo

Jennicide, poker, FHM