First, I am blonde like Elsa from "FROZEN". Second, I am very quiet like Elsa. She sees things develop first, then acts upon what she sees. I am the same way.
Elsa is very unemotional except when she gets fired up. My style at the table is virtually identical. My style at the table is best described in this statement from a poker buddy in California: "Michelle's style of play is best described like this - ice cold, near zero emotions and she has the cold heart of an absolute assassin. There are 3 things you NEVER want to see if Michelle is at your table. Michelle with ammo (chips). Michelle with momentum and the third is Michelle smiling. If she has 2 of the 3, she will make your life at the table miserable. If she has all 3, you had better bring a hard hat and lunch pail, you're in for a long day. She will outwork you, grind you up and spit you out. She rarely, if ever, shows emotions. When she does, it's usually in the form of an eardrum splitting yell of 'YES!!!' Michelle is a pain in the ass to play against but it's fun watching her play. She goes into a trance-like state and those blue eyes are like movie cameras. She rarely misses anything you say or do at the table."
Now, I will say this, I am not an emotionless automaton. If I see something wrong, I speak up. One thing I am very proud of is that I have read and nearly memorized the entire TDA rules of tournament poker. As proof of my ability to see and react to a situation at the table, I once called for a penalty clock on my own WIFE in a tournament. Yes, she was upset. I told her going in to not to expect me to do her any favors. I do not care if we are business partners, friends or my spouse. I am a cold blooded assassin.
My step daughter, Kristy, also played a part in my Ice Princess persona. Kristy is a huge fan of the movie "FROZEN" We were shopping in the craft store Michael's, and she sees a display of toys from the movie. She calls me over and says: "Look Michelle, Ice Princess like you." She was pointing to a miniature Elsa doll. That doll now goes with me to every tournament I play.
I firmly believe something that Dr. Tricia Cardner once told me. "A cardinal sin in poker is to invest emotional capital into a single hand of poker."
My grandmother and my mentor, the late Terry Ring, both told me versions of this - "I would rather you be silent and thought a fool, than open your mouth a3 remove all doubt."
Another example of my Ice Princess persona is from a tournament I played in 2016 at Dover Downs Casino in Dover, DE.
Kristy and Sue were with me. Kristy had never been in a casino in her life. Kristy is severely autistic. We were worried she would go into sensory overload. I gave them both $50 to play with while I went to play in the tournament. The tournament started at 10 AM. Around 4 PM, Sue and Kristy got tired and came up to watch me play. Over 9 HOURS later, I finally won the tournament and celebrated with my signature yell of YES!!! Two problems. Sue and Kristy were tired and hungry. The second problem was that I was so locked into what I was doing that I didn't even know they were there. Oops. Sue was pointing at her watch as if to say 'do you know what time it is?'
For the record, I was so locked into what I was doing that I lost all sense of time and space. I was extremely focused on the task at hand.
I have been called cold, calculating, a cold hearted bitch, a warrior in a dress and heels, and several other derogatory names. Am I those things? At times, yes I am.
The final window into my persona comes from the Miranda warning - ANYTHING YOU SAY OR DO AT THE TABLE, CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU.
Beyond that, I feel my job at the table is to destroy you and your dreams.
