Candace Collins, The Yogurt Queen Turned Poker Pro
May 19, 2016 11:12 amThe poker world is full of all sorts of colorful characters from different backgrounds, such as Candace Collins, an entrepreneur who in 2013 sold her stake in 6 frozen yogurt restaurants located in Northern California in order to become a full-time poker professional.
Collins said that she learned to play poker from family and friends more than a decade ago, and after plying her skills online pre-Black Friday later progressed to playing live games. Describing her love of the game, Collins says she caught the poker bug after getting hooked on the competition and the friends she made whilst playing at various live events around the country.
In addition to the money she has made online, or from live cash games, Candace Collins has amassed a further $109,610 from live tournaments since 2011, with her breakout year coming in 2014 after racking up $77,294 in winnings. That is also the year that she hit her biggest score to date after finishing the $7,500 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars in San Jose in 14th placet for a $39,800 payday.
While Candace Collins says that she’d enjoy being offered a corporate sponsorship deal, she also says that in the meantime she has no problems gaining sponsorship from members of the poker community willing to back her action, either after personal discussions, or via online platforms such as YouStake. Furthermore, Collins says that being a woman in a male dominated game has never been a problem for her as she has found the “majority of players to be both welcoming and respectful”. Commenting on her aspirations for the 2016/2017 poker season, Collins subsequently explained in an interview with the huffingtonpost:
“To play more European poker events. I played my first France Poker series in Monaco, which was incredible. That series was a preliminary event for the PokerStars, European Poker Tour (EPT.) I will also continue to follow the major U.S. tours in constant pursuit to win a trophy and title.”