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When I first met Kelly Jo McGlothlin, it was just before the start of Day 2 at the World Series of Poker. She was just entering the Amazon Room, and I walked over to her and said I hoped she didn't mind that I had been taking so many pictures of her during play the day before. She laughed and said she didn't, but that she hoped they would turn out to be good pictures because she doesn't usually photograph well. This time I laughed and assured her that definately wasn't the case. We then discussed her doing an interview with me.

Kelly Jo is an independent spirit who has set goals for herself, and then went out and achieved them. From 1989 to 1991 she was a Tampa Bay Buccaneer cheerleader, and has since been a 911 dispatcher for the Pasadena, California police department. She isn't the only person in her family who's been in a World Series either. Her father, James M. McGlothlin, was a baseball player who at 21 started playing with the California Angels, and later pitched in the 1970 and 1972 World Series for the Cincinnati Reds.

Her father also enjoyed playing poker at home with her mother, and when Kelly Jo and her sister were old enough they also taught the girls to play. It was in the third grade that Kelly Jo learned to play poker, and it wasn't long before she was able to hold her own playing in the family home games. Now you would think a gal who's been playing poker that long would have been sneaking into the casinos at an early age to try her hand, but it wasn't until about three years ago that Kelly Jo decided that she wanted to play professionally.

Today Kelly Jo is a single woman who loves the companionship of her two beautiful dogs, Thunder, and Stormy who she adopted from the animal shelter. If she isn't out hiking with her dogs, she's either answering the calls of people in distress, or causing stress for the poor guys who she seems to beat with regularity in their home games. That's how she got to the WSOP, beating them in a tournament with the prize pool being a seat in this year's WSOP.

Before we get into the interview, I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank Kelly Jo for her willingness to share a part of her life with our readers. Thank you Kelly Jo.

PokerAllstar: I understand that your father began teaching you poker at an early age. At what point did you realize that poker was a sport you wanted to pursue professionally?

Kelly Jo: Actually, my mother and father started teaching me, mainly so I could try to "hold my own" in home games. I really didn’t think of actually pursuing poker professionally until a few years ago.

PokerAllstar: What memory really stands out in all the years you've been playing poker?

Kelly Jo: That would probably have to be the most recent, my having made it to finishing 95th in my first main event in the World Series.

PokerAllstar: You've played in local tournament events on a regular basis. What was it in particular that convinced you that you were ready for the World Series of Poker?

Kelly Jo: I mainly only get to play in local tournaments once a week, or maybe once every couple of weeks, and it's not that I thought I was "ready" to play in the WSOP, I just always wanted to give the main event a try. And then, I was only able to aquire the buy-in money through a year long tournament series with nine of my friends in our home games.

PokerAllstar: With 112 players remaining, you and Maria Ho were the only two women left remaining at the start of WSOP Day 5. Did you expect to see more women remaining at this stage of the event?

Kelly Jo: I did think that maybe there would be a couple more women still playing, but just the fact that the percentage of women in the main event is so low, I still think it was great that at least two of us were still in it.

PokerAllstar: Women like Annie Duke and Jennifer Harmon are pioneers who've earned a place for women in poker. Did you ever look at yourself as a role model in the sport, and do you feel pressure to do well so that other women may follow your lead?

Kelly Jo: I certainly don’t look at myself as a role model, but I do know that I would have to be consistent for at least a few more years to consider myself as one. Although, I do put pressure on myself to continue to improve and hope to establish my place in the poker world.

PokerAllstar: Of the players you were able to talk with during WSOP, was there anyone that had a positive influence, or impact upon you?

Kelly Jo: Yes, Senovio Ramirez, who ended up placing 44th. He voluntarily would try to help me by giving me advice for several days, and ironically he was the one who ended up eliminating me with my "trying to make a play" and him "making a very good call".

PokerAllstar: What most sticks out in your mind about your experience playing in your first WSOP?

Kelly Jo: How I was down to only $5000 in chips going into the last level of Day 1, and being able to work my way back up to $75,000 at the end of the day. I honestly thought I was going to be walking out the door before the end of the day.

PokerAllstar: What about your game? Did you find yourself playing tighter, or more aggressively than you normally do in tourneys you've played in?

Kelly Jo: I honestly think I did both? There were times in the tournament that I continued to play aggressively, which I think is my normal play, but still played tight during part of the tournament, just to make sure that other players weren't sure when I was doing which.

PokerAllstar: There were 6,358 players entered in WSOP this year, and most of the big name professionals were eliminated during Day 1. Were you disappointed that you wouldn't be competing against players like Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, or Annie Duke the rest of the way?

Kelly Jo: Not at all. I actually felt more comfortable playing on the outer tables with non-professionals. I feel that when you are at a table with a professional that a lot of the other players might play more wildly, to try to play back at a professional, and I preferred not to get in the middle of something like that.

PokerAllstar: How did you get started in playing in the home game where you won the money to enter into the WSOP?

Kelly Jo: I got started with my poker group because one of the guys that was already in the group works with me, and he and I had played in some tournaments together before. Then, when he asked if I wanted to join in the home game with them, I immediately said yes!

PokerAllstar: I saw that you were wearing a BoDog jacket. Are you now a member of Team BoDog and will you be competing in events for them from now on?

Kelly Jo: I was a Team BoDog member during the tournament only, and because I did not make the final table, the contract expired when I was eliminated. However, they have asked me to keep them updated of my results in any upcoming tournaments I do well in.

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Kelly Jo is going to be entering into upcoming tournaments in her area, and PokerAllstar is looking forward to doing follow-up articles about her because we know she's not going to be satisfied with having not won the World Series of Poker this year.

See more pictures of Kelly Jo McGlothlin in our WSOP Gallery.

Read about Kelly Jo's father, James M. McGlothlin, in Wikipedia.

On August 18th, 2007, Kelly Jo McGlothlin competed in one of the World Poker Tour Legends Tournaments, the $1000 buy-in Ladies event at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, and cashed at 15th out of 125 entrants.

Editors note: The author, Kurt Stine, is publisher of Poker Allstar, and other poker related websites in the ComKings network.

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