Ema Zajmović Explained
Ema Zajmović |
Residence: | Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec, Canada |
Birth Date: | 7 April 1990 |
Birth Place: | Bosnia and Herzegovina (then part of SFR Yugoslavia) |
Wsop Bracelet Count: | 0 |
Wsop Final Tables: | 0 |
Wsop Money Finishes: | 9 |
Wsop Main Event Best Finish Rank: | 215th |
Wsop Main Event Best Finish Year: | 2018 |
Wpt Titles: | 1 |
Wpt Final Tables: | 4 |
Wpt Money Finishes: | 11 |
Ept Titles: | 0 |
Ept Final Tables: | 0 |
Ept Money Finishes: | 1 |
Updated: | 25 April 2023 |
Ema Zajmović (born 7 April 1990) is a Bosnian-Canadian professional poker player. In 2017, she became the first and only woman to win an open World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event.
Early life and education
Born to Bosnian parents in 1990, Zajmović grew up in war-torn Yugoslavia. Her family moved to Quebec City, Quebec, after the war in 1996.[1] An introvert and a good student when she was young, she originally wanted to become a lawyer, but at Université Laval in Quebec she studied public relations and earned a master's degree in political communication.[1] [2] She worked for Justin Trudeau's first election campaign in 2015 and, after moving to Montreal, worked part-time for a public relations company as her poker career progressed.[1] [3]
Career
Zajmović, who took up poker at age 19, has primarily played cash games instead of live tournaments.[4] She won her first tournament prize money in August 2011 at a European Poker Tour (EPT) side event in Barcelona.[5] In July 2016, she made her debut at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, finishing 929th for a cash prize of .[5] In November 2016, at WPT Montreal (held at the Playground Poker Club in Kahnawake), she reached her first WPT Main Tour final table, but bluffed away her chip lead to finish in fifth place for just over .[6] Tournament winner Mike Sexton spoke highly of Zajmović's aggressive play up to her exit, saying she "dominated that tournament like nobody I've ever seen".[7]
Returning to Kahnawake for WPT Playground two months later, Zajmović made her second straight final table and this time came out on top, placing first out of 380 entrants for and a wrestling-style belt.[8] [9] [10] She entered the final day as the chip leader; she retook the lead multiple times as she knocked out the last four players, clinching the tournament when her hit two pair.[8] [11] [12] This victory, on 15 February 2017, marked the first time in WPT's 15-year history that a woman had won a Main Tour open buy-in event, an achievement that was recognized with the Moment of the Year Award at the 2017 American Poker Awards.[13] [14]
Zajmović narrowly lost two WPT Main Tour events the next year. She made her third Main Event final table in April 2018 in Amsterdam, where she finished in second place for just over .[5] [15] In November 2018, she returned to WPT Montreal for her biggest payout to date: Though she got beat by a heads-up hero call, she received for second place.[5] [16] [17]
One of the most prominent female players on the professional poker tour, Zajmović has spoken of the difficulty early in her career of "being a girl in a man's world".[1] [18] She has appeared on shows such as Live at the Bike and Poker After Dark.[19] [20] With over in live tournament winnings, she is the 38th-most successful female poker player of all time.[21] Additionally, she is the second-most successful Bosnian poker player of all time (after Ali Imsirovic).[22]
See also
External links
Notes and References
- News: Chaffin . Sean . 17 March 2017 . First Female WPT Winner Ema Zajmovic Isn't Going Away Anytime Soon . . live . 26 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161519/https://www.pokernews.com/news/2017/03/first-female-wpt-winner-ema-zajmovic-interview-27386.htm . 26 April 2023.
- Web site: Équipe. fr. Our team. Observatoire des médias sociaux en relations publiques (Université Laval). 26 April 2023. 26 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161518/http://www.omsrp.com.ulaval.ca/omsrp/equipe/. live.
- News: Ko je Bosanka Ema Zajmović, prva žena koja je osvojila Glavni turnir Svjetske poker serije. bs. Who is Bosnian Ema Zajmović, the first woman to win a Main Event on the World Poker Tour?. 14 September 2018. Dnevni avaz. 25 April 2023. 26 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161518/https://avaz.ba/vijesti/bih/414267/ko-je-bosanka-ema-zajmovic-prva-zena-koja-je-osvojila-glavni-turnir-svjetske-poker-serije. live.
- News: Cross . Valerie . 26 August 2019 . Former WPT Champ Ema Zajmovic Talks Poker, Life, and a Bluff to Remember . . live . 26 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161519/https://www.pokernews.com/news/2019/08/ema-zajmovic-talks-poker-life-bluff-to-remember-35226.htm . 26 April 2023.
- Web site: Ema Zajmovic. Global Poker Index. 25 April 2023. 22 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211022064313/https://www.globalpokerindex.com/poker-players/ema-zajmovic-211606/. live.
- Web site: C$ 3,500 + 350 No Limit Hold'em - WPT Montreal Main Event. The Hendon Mob. Global Poker Index. 25 April 2023. 6 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230406201431/https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=402364. live.
- News: Step Back in Time: Mike Sexton Wins WPT Montreal!. Clark. Matt. 22 October 2019. World Poker Tour. 25 April 2023.
- Web site: Ema Zajmovic and Her History-Making WPT Playground Championship Belt. 14 February 2017. World Poker Tour. 26 April 2023.
- News: Charter . Anthony . 15 February 2017 . Ema Zajmovic Makes History, Wins WPT Playground . . live . 25 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161521/https://www.pokernews.com/news/2017/02/ema-zajmovic-makes-history-wins-wpt-playground-27131.htm . 26 April 2023.
- Web site: C$ 3,200 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - WPT Main Event (Event #10). The Hendon Mob. Global Poker Index. 25 April 2023. 7 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230407162228/https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=414590. live.
- News: Ema Zajmovic Becomes First Ever Female World Poker Tour Open Event Champion. Fast. Erik. 14 February 2017. Card Player. 25 April 2023. 26 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161516/https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/21345-ema-zajmovic-becomes-first-ever-female-world-poker-tour-open-event-champion. live.
- News: Glatzer . Jason . 21 February 2017 . PokerNews Performance of the Week: Ema Zajmovic Makes WPT History . . live . 26 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161520/https://www.pokernews.com/news/2017/02/pokernews-performance-of-the-week-ema-zajmovic-27169.htm . 26 April 2023.
- News: Zajmovic first woman to win WPT major. Shapiro. Michael. 8 March 2017. San Francisco Chronicle. 25 April 2023. subscription. 26 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161517/https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/Zajmovic-first-woman-to-win-WPT-major-10986569.php. live.
- Web site: 22 February 2018 . 4th Annual American Poker Awards Winners . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161521/http://www.americanpokerawards.com/winners-2017/ . 26 April 2023 . 25 April 2023 . PokerNews.
- Web site: € 3,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - WPT Amsterdam. The Hendon Mob. Global Poker Index. 25 April 2023. 6 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230406201428/https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=492471. live.
- Web site: C$ 5,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event #2. The Hendon Mob. Global Poker Index. 25 April 2023. 6 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230406201429/https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=516822. live.
- Sources referring to the final hand's "hero call":
- News: Ema Zajmovic: 'You Can't Just Compete With the Girls'. interview. 15 June 2021. pokerlistings.com. 26 April 2023. 26 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161520/https://www.pokerlistings.com/ema-zajmovic-you-cant-just-compete-with-the-girls-56959. live.
- Web site: Israeli Ron Destroys 4 Players with Queen Deuce!! ♠ Live at the Bike!. Live at the Bike. 21 March 2017. YouTube. 26 April 2023. 26 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161516/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRSeO9Nv0RM. live.
- News: Sofen . Jon . 29 September 2021 . Nick Wright Gets Trappy, Phil Hellmuth Folds Over Pair on Poker After Dark . . live . 26 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230426161517/https://www.pokernews.com/news/2021/09/nick-wright-phil-hellmuth-poker-39917.htm . 26 April 2023.
- Web site: Women's All Time Money List - Top 14,952. The Hendon Mob. Global Poker Index. 25 April 2023. 3 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230503082334/https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/ranking/137/. live.
- Web site: Bosnia & Herzegovina All Time Money List - Top 283. The Hendon Mob. Global Poker Index. 25 April 2023. 7 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230407063739/https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/ranking/254/. live.