Getting to Know Deaf Poker World Champion Alisha Wormald
Twelve months ago, Alisha Wormald was railing the Aussie Millions, reporting for Deaf Poker Australia on some of the greatest poker players from around the world, who flock to Melbourne every January for the southern hemisphere’s most prestigious poker tournament.
This year, after a year that even she perhaps could not have predicted, Wormald has been sitting and playing among them as the new Deaf Poker World Champion.
After playing – and winning – her first poker tournament in 2012 at a ladies invitational tournament, Wormald continued to play in tournament home games with Sydney Deaf Poker and at local pub games in the Sydney area.
In October, the Australian Poker Championships were held in Melbourne, with the Main Event doubling as the 2018 International Deaf Poker Federation (IDPF) World Championship.
“I’d been analysing my own performance and adapting better strategies on and off the felt,” said Wormald when we asked her how she had prepared for the tournament. "I know there’s always the small matter of variance and certain things that will be out of your control, but I just wanted to play every hand right.
“On the morning of the tournament, after a solid big breakfast, I just felt this quiet fire within. I expected to crush it and surpass my personal best.”
Not only did Wormald surpass her personal best, but she also ended up winning the 114-player field for AU$5,930 and in doing so become the new Deaf Poker World Champion. She also earned a seat in the 2019 Aussie Millions Opening Event.
“It felt absolutely great,” Wormald told PokerNews. “I played my purest poker yet, I was absolutely in the zone for 14 hours straight and I had zero regrets about my plays. I felt pride in how I’ve really focused and honed my game.”
As well as playing, Wormald often blogs and reports for Deaf Poker Australia on major tournaments in Australia, including the Aussie Millions.
Wormald says that when it comes to the reporting side of things, there’s an element of glamorisation of famous poker players when they’re playing. She says that everyone at the poker table is human and has their own specific way of playing, something that reporters often are unable to pick up on.
“When you’re reporting, you don’t see the full story. You note down the players, positions, stacks and hands, but you’re never standing in one place for too long, you’re hopping from table to table like you’re playing online so you don’t get to notice a player’s hand history.
“When you’re playing, you get a deeper insight into the players’ psyche and strategies in the moment; observing, reading being able to develop a mental image of the players’ style and really getting a feel for the nuances of their game.”
So what are the similarities and differences between playing poker as a deaf person and as someone with their hearing?
“The rules and nature of the game are accessible and the same for all. There are basic gestures and visual cues used which are universally understood.
“A disadvantage would actually be for those who aren’t deaf; we definitely have a slight advantage when it comes to picking up tells - reading micro-expressions and body language – they come more naturally to us.”
Looking to the future, Wormald has high hopes of playing in even bigger tournaments.
“I look forward to developing my game further and playing more events both home and abroad. I would love to play the Aussie Millions Main Event, and eventually one day, of course, at the WSOP.