Poker Pro Evelyn Ng: Living in Las Vegas

by Evelyn Ng | May 28 2008

I always find it kind of amusing how many people I meet for the first time have a very different impression of me after just a few minutes of get-to-know-you chatter than what they might find if they spent some real time with me and got to know me better. A lot of people that I've become friends with over the years have admitted to me that they also had "read me wrong" at first. I think that having these kinds of unintentionally deceptive characteristics has allowed me to benefit from other people's misconceptions, and it’s also part of what has helped me become a successful poker player. Some poker players that come to mind who are experts at exploiting these stereotypes are Tuna Lund, Barbara Enright and Dan Harrington.

Some of the first few factoids people learn about me are that I am a) a professional poker player and b) that I live in Las Vegas. I guess it's understandable and forgivable that one might assume that I am out every night in Sin City, drinking, gambling and dancing on table tops. The truth is that I do like getting dressed up, going to fancy restaurants and occasionally dancing until dawn, but when you've lived in Vegas for as long as I have, you start to learn that moderation is key! Even if you absolutely love it, if you had kobe and toro at every meal, it would eventually make your stomach turn. So I prefer to wait until I get a real craving. 

Just last week, I was having a craving. Not for sushi, dancing or boys but for some wonderfully decadent, rich, buttery French food!  David Benyamine's birthday was great timing because Erica Schoenberg, whom I absolutely love and never get to see enough of, had arranged a fabulous dinner at Bouchon at The Venetian. I usually strongly oppose dinners that take longer than an hour and a half, and I prefer to dine in groups no larger than a party of six, but wow, this was truly a magnificent four hour dinner. The plates just kept coming out, and every amuse bouche, appetizer, salad, entree and dessert was more delicious and tempting than the last. I didn't eat any bread or filler foods at all, so I got to try everything! We also had wonderful company and a very happy, yet slightly older, David at the end of the night.

A few weeks ago, I got together with some girlfriends for a night at Tao to celebrate the birthday of a friend, whom I had met in a roundabout way through the poker world. I didn't know her very well, but it seemed like it would be a fun party since she had promotional flyers advertising it and everything! There were lots of beautiful people there, and my friend, DJ Five, was spinning, so it promised to be a very fun night. When we arrived, we were surprised to find out that we had been quasi-stiffed by the birthday girl without any word of what had happened to her either! The doorman informed us that they never took their table after their dinner at Tao, so they sold it to someone else. It was no big deal though, because Katie, Kristy and I had a great time anyway dancing all night.

I never need to get wasted to have a good time out. I don't drink alcohol. Never have, never will. I am slightly allergic to it, as many Asians are (we lack a certain enzyme which helps metabolize alcohol properly), and frankly, the thought of drinking cognac, single-malt scotch or gin is as appealing as the idea of shot-gunning a can of gasoline. In my lifetime, I've probably consumed less than two bottles of liquor, which is usually at least the table minimum in these overcrowded Vegas clubs! I have been known to sip maybe a thimbleful of super sweet ice wine after a long flight coming back from the duty free shop in Toronto, Canada, but I never get carried away. One or two sips too many and I can instantly go from bright red and happy to snoring fast asleep, or feeling very ill for a very long time in the bathroom. I also can't stand it when people around me are really drunk. Like, sloppy drunk or combative drunk is really not a good look. However, I get a real kick out of my friends being slightly drunk and tipsy. It's so cute when Karina Jett is hugging everyone and telling them how much she loves them!

Aside from those two nights out on the town, I spent most of this month at home. I mean, I love it here. I live in a great high-rise condo right across the street from the Bellagio, and I have a killer view of the Strip! My best friend (David Williams, of course) also lives here, as do many of my friends; the whole building is lousy with poker players. My favorite day of the week is Thursday, when I go over to David's to watch Lost.

I'm also thoroughly addicted to Xbox 360. In fact, I just bought my second Xbox 360 Elite, and not only do I have practically every accessory and gadget made for it, I have two! I can play Guitar Hero or Rock Band all day and night and be happy as can be. I also love my apartment. It took me pretty much all of the last year to get everything just right. My entertainment system is fully pimped. I have my computers and network all set up just right, and I even did my spring cleaning not too long ago and got everything organized and put in their proper places (I bet you never would have guessed that I am a big electronics nerd and had a giant tangle of over 30 assorted USB cables lying around, huh?). So obviously, now that my apartment is just perfect and I couldn't love it more, I just came to the conclusion that I really have to move to a new apartment because I need more storage for all my stuff!

So the moral of this story whole is: Even though I live in Sin City, I'm definitely not out drinking, nor am I out gambling all the time. I do admit that I love to go out and have fun every once in a while, and I love to dance. But I don't need a table top to do that! A nice sturdy floor suits me just fine. I don't even need a man, woman or a pole to keep myself from falling over!

See the team that features David Williams, Evelyn Ng, Jean-Robert Bellande and Justin Bonomo!

Team Bodog poker players