Well, I've slipped into my old ways and have been posting in forums again instead of blogging! I recently really enjoyed doing a question and answer session for a forum partly run by fellow pro Barry Greenstein.

I've picked out some random question and answers here which I thought might interest some of you guys. Anyone who has heard me interviewed before may not find anything here truly groundbreaking but new readers may find some of it interesting.

Do you feel being a woman and a young one at that, that the play at your table still seems pretty aggressive towards you? I hear many women say that they feel uncomfortable at times at the poker table because they feel all the men are trying to take them out.

I definitely relate here. I remember when I played my first big live tournament, which was the Aruba Poker Classic in 2007, I didn't know what to expect when I sat down. I soon realized that most players tag you as the weak link when you sit down and they'll raise your blinds a lot expecting you to not be a good player, and just in general trying to take advantage of it.

Obviously the only way to make them stop is to step up and show them what you're made off by re-raising and playing back aggressively until they stop.

I'm at the point now where I feel like I'm respected, and people see me as a pro, not a female poker player anymore, which is great, and I'm happy I've managed to convince people that girls have it in them as well and that they shouldn't underestimate us (although I wish I had the image I did early on when I could just bluff bluff bluff and always get away with it... good ole days :P)

Your story has been told in many forms, about you starting from freerolls and working your way up the levels to winning a complete tournament without looking at your hole cards (well you admitted you did once). How long did it take you to move up the levels and what approach did you use as you did so (bankroll management etc)?

Got chips?

I've always been very nitty when it comes to money. I've stuck to the 100 buy in rule all the time when it comes to MTT's except when I won the $ in my first freeroll. I think bankroll management is the most important thing you can do that doesn't relate to the game itself to help you move up.

I was wondering what type of live tournament you prefer more, turbo tournaments or deep stacked? Also, as a girl, a lot of times in live tournaments I end up getting called 100% of the time...lol.

While this is usually great it can lead to a lot of variance also, do you have any recommendations for playing against guys who will call with anything. Do you play tighter or just ship it when you're ahead and hope it holds up?

I like all kind of tournaments because I know how to adjust for the most part, but I definitely prefer deep stacked ones simply because they offer more room to play, and there's more interesting dynamics than there is in turbos where all you have to know is good shortstack strategies.

If you are playing against people who call a lot, you need to tighten up your ranges a lot, don't bluff them, and value bet them to death when you have big hands. If they suck out, they do... and there's nothing you can do about it.

Right now, you are best known (and self-described) as being a tournament specialist. Do you have any interest in the bigger cash games? Or does tournament poker provide a greater appeal to you?

PLOMG!

I've started playing quite a bit of PLO cash, and I'm able to already do good in some pretty tough games. I don't see myself starting to play holdem cash though. I just find it really boring, and with all the available information these days, the level of play is so high that I can't see myself making too much money even if I put in a lot of hours.

What times in tournaments are you most likely to fold when it's only slightly plus chip EV to move in, call etc?

I know for sure that I don't call as light as I should sb vs bb when sb shoves. People have started open shoving 20x in spots like that with such a wide range that u probably should be calling with hands as weak as KJ and A4.

I just can't get myself to do it because most of the time it's a flip, and it's really going to cripple your stack if you are wrong. 20x deep in an online tournament is a lot of chips, and most people don't realize.

I try not to take more gambles than possible and I'll much rather get my chips in first than having to call off when I'm just guessing. I also fold in spots where people think you are shoving any-two-cards a lot, for example if you have 8x in the CO and it's folded to you, and there's two huge stacks in the blinds.

Then I'll fold really bad hands because they will be calling looser than they should if I tighten up my range, and then they are the ones making a mistake

Editor's note: Keep an eye on our blog page for part 2 of Annette's question and answer highlights!

Annette

Catch up with Annette at her home site, Betfair Poker, and test your skill against one of the greatest players in online poker in the Annette_15 $20k Guaranteed every Friday.

More Annette Obrestad Blog Entries:

• Premier Poker League 2008
• Becoming a Better Player
• I Love Poker - Always Have, Always Will!
• Set Mining Is Cool but Don't Overdo It!