Vanessa Rousso: Poker’s Queer Icon Who Played the Game Her Way
Vanessa Rousso brought brains, strategy, and queerness to the heart of the poker world.
From Valedictorian to Vegas Shark
Vanessa Rousso didn’t just crash the poker boys’ club—she rewrote the rules. Born in 1983 in White Plains, New York, and raised between Paris and Florida, Rousso was a child prodigy who graduated from Duke University in just two and a half years with a degree in economics. She then attended the University of Miami School of Law .
But law school couldn’t hold her. She was already deep into game theory and the psychology of risk—so when the poker boom hit, she went all in. By 2005, she was a full-time pro, and by 2009, she was a household name with a $700K+ win at the European Poker Tour High Roller in Monte Carlo .
Poker’s Femme Fatale
Known as "Lady Maverick," Rousso’s style was part Sun Tzu, part seductress. She wore oversized sunglasses, designer hoodies, and a smirk that said, “I already know your tell.” Her game was cerebral, aggressive, and unapologetically femme.
She made 17 World Series of Poker money finishes and famously took second place at the 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, defeating legends like Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu along the way.
Queer, Loud, and Unbothered
Rousso’s queerness wasn’t a subplot—it was center stage. She came out publicly and got engaged to her longtime girlfriend, Melissa Ouellet, in 2015. The two formed a DJ duo, N1TEL1TE, and released their first single, “Kiss Face,” in 2017 .
She also placed third on Big Brother 17, where she ran the house with the same cunning she brought to the felt. Her gameplay was polarizing, but undeniably brilliant—she masterminded 11 of 15 evictions that season .
Beyond the Felt
Rousso’s impact goes beyond poker. She’s been a vocal advocate for the legalization of online poker, lobbying Congress to overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2007 . She also founded a charity golf circuit in Florida and has volunteered with organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Make-A-Wish Foundation .
Why She Matters to Us
Vanessa Rousso is the blueprint. She’s proof that you can be brainy, brash, queer, and still dominate a space that wasn’t built for you. She didn’t just play the game—she changed it.
