GPInterview: Lynn Gilmartin | WPT’s New Leading Lady

Season XII of the World Poker Tour will premiere to viewers in the United States this Sunday night on the Fox Sports Networks. The Legends of Poker will feature a brand new anchor will guide the ship as Lynn Gilmartin takes over from Kimberly Lansing and a star is born:

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

Lynn, we are days away from your televised debut as the anchor for the World Poker Tour Tour. Now the episode was previously recorded obviously but are you still excited for the big debut?

I am beside myself with excitement. I cannot wait. It’s been a long time coming, for months I’ve been working with the WPT team now and it’s exciting to finally set it come together and share it with the world, I cannot wait for it to air.

I still find it so hard to believe that it’s me sitting there in that chair, it was Kimberly (Lansing) sitting there and now it’s me, it’s really hard to soak in, I think it’s going to take a while.

You mention Kimberly Lansing, you certainly have some big shoes to fill, not only taking over for Kimberly, but also sitting in the same seat that others like Shana Hiatt who, to this day, remains one of, if not THE most popular anchors in poker … no pressure, right ;)?

Gee thanks! I think the most important thing to do is to not compare yourself to other people, but to bring yourself and be yourself, that’s what I always try to do.

The girls prior to me were amazing so it’s such an honour to follow in their footsteps and to be given such a honourable role. It was very nerve racking to begin with, that’s for sure, but I’ve definitely settled in and I’m just comfortable about bringing me and hopefully, the audience will warm to that as much as they did with Shauna and Kimberly.

You must feel like you have a leg up on the other anchors given your years of work with PokerNews?

It definitely made me feel more comfortable in my role. I’ve had four years of experience in the poker industry, made great relationships with so many of the players, some of them are my best friends, I met my boyfriend, and I’ve learned how to play … I’ve been reporting on tournaments all across the world, it’s almost like I’ve had four years of practice before starting this amazing role.

I definitely that it’s a huge advantage for me, at least to make it feel easier to begin.

For those who don’t know, how did you get your start in the poker industry?

I actually was working at the Crown Casino in Melbourne (home of the Aussie Millions) in the marketing department. My career goal was to climb the corporate ladder. I was doing all the marketing for poker at the Crown Casino and I started doing some random YouTube videos for Crown, they would have random celebrities in the poker room or whenever we would run some events.

We saw what PokerNews was doing and when PokerNews wasn’t around we thought “let’s make our own videos!” and we started doing a few of those. PokerNews was looking for an Australian presenter, at the time they had two Americans and they needed someone in my region because there were so many events there. They saw what I was doing and I put my hand up, one thing led to another, I quit my corporate job and off to Vegas I went for the World Series of Poker in 2009 – that was terrifying!

COMING HOME

You just wrapped up Borgata over the weekend and with WPT Alpha8 Johannesburg coming up next week, you still found time to get back to Melbourne for the Aussie Millions?

I’m dying to see my family again, I haven’t been home since October, which isn’t too long, I’m lucky that I get to go home often, but this will be my Christmas with my family, in February. After that I’m off to Johannesburg for WPT Alpha8, I’m so excited!

You’ve been lucky enough to visit some of the most amazing cities and countries in the world through your work in poker media … If I forced you to pick one, where would you say is the most amazing place in the world you’ve have the chance to visit?

I can never answer these; it’s so hard because there are so many places that are amazing for their own individual qualities. One of my favorite places is Queenstown in New Zealand, it’s stunning, and it’s just this tiny little down that wedged in between two giant cliffs. It the winter it’s amazing because it’s ski season. It’s just this quiet little town, that’s one of my favorite places.

It’s very rare that I go somewhere and I don’t enjoy it to be honest. I had a lot of fun in St. Kitts (for WPT Alpha8) it was beautiful. It’s still very behind the times which is what I really like, it’s still beautiful and pristine and untouched, you know, you don’t see Starbucks and McDonald’s on every corner, so that’s really nice.

Can we talk about WPT Caribbean? What’s the feeling when jet planes are taking off and landing just a few feet away?

It was so cool! It’s just very strange. Where we were filming was at the resort which is right next to the airport so we basically felt like we were at the airport because these huge jets are coming and landing behind me.

The shot that we setup with the final table and the planes landing right behind them, it will look amazing, I can’t wait to see how that show turns out. It was hard work. When we’re filming, the stuff that I do isn’t always live, so we’re always juggling to make sure the lines are right, that my hair isn’t frizzy, the makeup, but then throwing in the planes landing? It was hard work but it was a lot of fun!

… and a member of the WPT family, Tony Dunst, took down his first WPT title?

Everyone was so proud of him and I’m pretty sure he was pretty proud of himself; it was so nice to see him take it down for the family. We all loved the winner’s shot; it was like a big family photo at the end of the day. Huge success for him and very well deserved.

LG: LIFE’S GOOD

Lynn it’s no secret that the live tournament circuit is filled with extremes when it comes to health and nutrition … some stick to health religiously while others prefer to indulge a little too much. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in an unhealthy way of life on tour, why do you think it’s so important to lead a healthy life?

I know our body is the most valuable asset that we’re ever going to own so it’s really something we should be taken care of the most. You know, some people cherish their vehicle so much and have it serviced every two weeks, polish it every weekend and make sure it’s pristine and imagine how amazing your body and your mind would perform if that energy was going into your actual body.

I just think so many people neglect it and take it for granted because of the way we grow up; we’re so influenced by marketing, by convenience “have this/take that” – all these packaged foods. We haven’t been taught through school how important it is to take care of our bodies.

It’s so important to everyone but especially poker players who really want to be performing at their best. It is a mental game but you need to take care of your body in order for your mind to be performing at its peek as well because if your body isn’t functioning right, you’re kind of blurry, you’re not processing right and you’re not sharp, you’re not going to perform at your full potential. Putting in the effort to take care of your body is just as important as learning strategy at the table and taking care of your car, if not more!

For more tips and tricks on health (including amazing green juice recipes) as well as logs from trips and so many other things LG, visit Lynn’s site at LynnGilmartin.com. 

You can also follow Lynn on Twitter: @LynnGilmartin

*All photos courtesy of Lynn Gilmartin / World Poker Tour