Drea Karlsen: “Be Kind and Crush Them” – Poker Ambassador Talks SiGMA, Motherhood, and Mental Health

Interview with Drea Karlsen 

Drea, we are here at the  Sigma Poker Tour. You’re already breaking records, right?
Yes, I have a new personal record, personal best of busting the Main Event. I actually busted twice already before the dinner break. It’s insane!

Despite this horrible experience (regarding busting bullets in the Main Event), why did you become an ambassador of Sigma Poker Tour? Because obviously you’re attractive, successful, you could have picked anybody in the world.
Of course, I could. (Smile) Well, Sigma stands for so much good. They help people. They do a lot of charity. Sigma Foundation is a good foundation, and Yvonne is a great woman I respect so much. So yeah, that’s why.

You were at the first stop (Brazil). Comparing that to now, tournament loss aside, is there any big difference that you see, or has the atmosphere carried over from Sao Paolo?
I feel, well, in Sao Paolo we had the samba before the tournaments and everything. We lack that here, but it’s still the same. Still a lot of smiles, a lot of happiness, a lot of nice people at the tables. Same good vibe.

Okay, now let’s switch gears. Your superhero name is The Streamer Mom. Where did it come from? (ChatGPT thinks so, so it must be true.)
I never heard of that before haha! Yes, I am a streamer and I am a mom. A single mom of two small ones and one big one. Streaming and playing poker with kids is not that easy. Not that easy to do.

For me, it’s obviously very tough to imagine. I think the vast majority of poker players being single and taking care of the kids. How do you manage that balance? Because it must be insane.
I don’t sleep. No sleep for me.

Any other tips, basically, how you do this besides no sleep?
Superpowers, you know, superpowers. No—seriously, kindergarten is a great place to put the kids. Then you can sleep. That’s how I do it. Basically like that.

I know you’re a big proponent of ladies’ events. My question is, is it because you beat all the ladies all the time? You have 3 wins in quick succession.
I love winning the ladies’ events. But I really think it’s a good place to get women into poker. We need more women in poker. Look around. There are mostly males here, not a lot of women. We need more women, and ladies’ events are a good place to start. As a woman myself, I like to just embrace it and say “Welcome,” and be nice to new women at the table. Be a person that they want to meet again. I want to be the person who makes them want to play poker again. That’s why.

But Drea, it’s 2025. Everyone is saying, “Hey, feminism, equality.” Why do we need to segregate the pools? Why can’t they just play together and make it happen organically?
Of course, we can play together. But look around, there are still a lot more men than women in poker. To make it easier for women, we need a nice space to come into poker. It’s easier when you’re surrounded by nice women. So yes, ladies’ events are important.

What is your secret to crushing the ladies? Because your results have been among the best in recent days. What’s your secret?
Be kind and crush them. Crush them with kindness. Yes. There we go.

Now, a little bit more serious topic: neurodivergent people. Is poker a threat to them or an opportunity?
I think it could be both. It’s a lot of noise. It’s a lot of people. It’s a lot of things to think about when you’re playing live poker. I use Prosecco as a help, so that helps. I think it could be both.

Do you think poker is actually positive for mental health, or do the potential benefits outweigh the negatives?
Totally, it’s a benefit. I’ve struggled with mental health myself a lot. I wrote a book about it. Poker has always been a place for me to meet people, to come out of depression, come out of that black hole, meet people, get smiles, talk to people, play poker. It doesn’t matter how it goes, just meeting people and having fun really helps no matter how the results are.

Is it basically making it easier because when you socialise, you have to actively look at meetup groups and get out of your comfort zone?
Yes.

But at the poker table, you have the option of just being yourself, putting your headphones on but still socialising. Is that why a lot of people who are neurodivergent flock to the game?
I think so. You’re still in a group, but you can still be an individual and decide for yourself. There are options, right? So yes.

One last thing: Sigma Poker Tour. What’s in the bag for you? Can you tell us maybe some info behind the scenes? What can we look forward to at Sigma?
Well, I’m going to bust a lot of bullets in the High Roller. I’m going to bust a lot of bullets in the Mystery Bounty. Let’s go. Let’s go. Yes, let’s go Sigma, woo!

Coming Up

The Sigma Poker Tour is far from over; there is plenty to fight for here at the tables at Portomaso Casino in St. Julians, Malta. Drea Karlsen will most definitely fire away in tournaments, and hopefully, for her, she will manage well in these tournaments. The Main Event is in full swing, The Hendon Mob Championship is left on the schedule, and of course, the Mystery Bounty! It was a pleasure to have Drea Karlsen in the interview booth. Good Luck, Drea!