Kristy Arnett was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A tomboy from the start, she played multiple sports and boasted a wardrobe filled with baggy athletic pants and oversized t-shirts with some no nonsense saying printed on it like, “Shut up and play.” After graduating high school, Kristy attended Indiana-Purdue University of Fort Wayne on a soccer and academic scholarship and majored in communications with a minor in journalism. During college, she discovered a passion for both poker and writing, which eventually developed into a career dream of working in the industry.
After her last soccer season, Kristy took the proverbial leap of faith via an old Chevy Lumina packed full of her belongings and headed to Las Vegas to finish school and hopefully find a job. Through the masterful use of social networking, Kristy landed an internship at Card Player Magazine, which quickly became a full-time job as a writer and on-camera hostess. After three years, she happily accepted a position at PokerNews.
A serious poker player at heart, Kristy continues to play often with the unique opportunity to learn from the best players in the world while providing PokerNews readers exclusive poker insight in weekly strategy articles. Though the swishy pants and big tees have been replaced by skirts and high heels, Kristy continues to believe in the simple yet poetic saying, “Shut up and play.”