Cards came naturally for Erin Ness who says that poker has been a lifetime pursuit.  Growing up in New Jersey, she began learning the game when she was a young girl.  In an interview for the PokerSource she said, “I come from a card-playing family…When my brother and I used to get punished when we were growing up, usually for fighting, we’d get sent to our rooms. Then we’d open our doors and play poker between our doors.”  When she was at school in Washington, DC at Georgetown University she says she competed in home games at least three times a week. Presently, hearing a random person shout “Hey, your the Maxim poker girl!” is a regular occurrence.

Erin is a 29 year old Maxim Photo Editor.  Her poker career was launched when she won an office tournament at Maxim for a trip to the 2004 World Series of Poker(WSOP) Main Event. “I was at my desk in the photo department when an interoffice e-mail popped up with the subject headline ‘Chance of a lifetime!’ The message invited all employees to play in the company poker tournament, with the winner getting an all-expenses-paid trip—including the $10,000 buy-in—to the 2004 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.”

In winning the tournament, Erin was confident when she entered Vegas but was unknown to anyone else and out of nowhere she cashed, placing 207th, the third highest female finished in the field.  Then in the 2005 WSOP, she went on to place 46th in the $5000 No Limit event.  Ness attracted more attention when she competed in GSN’s “Poker Royale: Young Bloods” where she outlasted a field of poker stars to go heads-up with David Williams; although she did inevitably lose after having the chip lead for a considerable portion of the match.

After her 2004 World Series debut Maxim published a feature on Erin caller “The River Queen” detailing her time at the Main Event.  An unknown player then, she arose in stardom for a brief moment, and unknown to her at the time, to some extent she has stayed there.  She continues to play in GSN events and loves the game of poker. “See, I’m a poker fanatic. When I’m not playing it with friends or online, I’m watching it on television. For Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend even bought me Doyle Brunson’s Super System, known as the bible to poker aficionados. So while I am decidedly no professional, I am certainly a student of the game.”  Well, it’s ok that she has a boyfriend and she is a student of the game.  I bet we will see her in the poker limelight sometime soon, but for right now she is Poker Hottie of the Week.