Unofficial site about Jennifer Harman

• Jennifer Harman was born in Reno, Nevada on Novemeber 29, 1964.
• Graduated from Reno University.
• Harman stands 5 feet 2 inches tall.
• She is married to former stylist (now poker pro) Marco Taniello.
• Mother of twin boys.
• Currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jennifer Harman was born and raised in Reno, Nevada, one of the poker capitals of the world. Poker was in her blood, as both her parents were enthusiastic amateur players. There are conflicting reports about which one of her parents first showed her to play, but there is no doubt that she learned well from both of them. From a very early age her father would pass his seat to her when he was losing in the family’s home games and she succeeded in winning his money back each and every time.

Harman turned pro at the tender age of 21, a decision that was not supported by her father. They were out of contact for many years, but the death of her mother and sister provided the impetus for them to contact each other and they have since reconciled.

From the early days of $10 and $20 bets, Harman has moved swiftly through the ranks and can now regularly be seen at tables of three to five thousand dollar bets.

Play Online Poker with Jennifer Harman at Full Tilt Poker. On sign-up get the $600 bonus with a Full Tilt Poker referral code.

Although she turned professional at 21, it wasn’t until 1996 that she made her World Series of Poker debut, placing 6th in a Limit Hold'Em event with a $2,500 buy-in. This was one of three events that year that she placed well in, coming 12th and 13th in two others.

Although she is well-known for being a cash game player (in keeping with her reputation as one of the most direct and intimidating players in the world today), she has made her mark on the tournament circuit, winning a number of bracelets and securing her place as one of the best poker players in the world, male or female.

The road has not always been smooth however. Harman’s bank roll took a few heavy hits in the early days. Some say it is because of her aggressive and sometimes reckless emotional style of play. During these years she held a variety of part-time jobs to support her career and was sometimes forced to drop down to lower tables. That very same intimidating style however, saw her recover quickly. She is a true gambler, always prepared to take the huge loss in her stride just as easily as the huge win.

Jennifer Harman once won a massive $1.7 million in a single pot, which at the time was the most ever won in a single hand. She has been likened to a bulldog at the table despite her tiny frame and sweet all-American looks, refusing to give up until she has annihilated either herself or her competition.

As well as being described by Daniel Negreanu as “one of the best all-round players in the world. Period,” she is also a sound business woman. She plays online poker exclusively at Full Tilt and can regularly be found there when she is not cleaning up at the off-line tables. During the time she took away from the circuit during her second kidney transplant, she wrote the entire second chapter of the monumentally successful ‘Super System 2.’ After reading her chapter on Limit Hold ‘Em it is easy to see why she is as successful as she is, with her no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners approach to the game.

She once played in a game alongside Todd Brunson, Phil Ivey and Ted Forrest against billionaire banker Andy Beal for stakes of between one hundred and two hundred thousand dollars. This fascinating game is documented in The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King and if you like good poker stories full of drama, then this one is definitely worth a look. She still actively participates in ‘The Corporation’, the team that played Beal. Harman is the only woman who is a regular player in the ‘Big Game,’ a high-stakes cash table at the Bellagio where many other tean Full Tilt Poker members such as Phil Ivey and Gus Hansen plays. The Bellagio is in fact her favorite place to play in Las Vegas, where she is often found ‘at work’ increasing her winnings and honing her skills.

Jennifer Harman in a full tilt poker commercial

Her interviews are few and far between. She is one of the more private players on the circuit and doesn’t spend much of her time involved in the glamorous side of the industry. Not one for the champagne lifestyle, she lives comfortably but relatively simply in Las Vegas with her husband Marco Traniello. Much of her time is spent with her affiliated ventures, Full Tilt Poker and the “Jen Harman Challenge” which is a charity poker tournament designed to raise awareness of organ donation and encourage people to be donors. The not-for-profit tournament is an event organised by CODA (Creating Organ Awareness Foundation) that Harman founded.

• She was taught to play poker by her parents when she was eight years old and often took her father’s seat when he was losing his home games. She never failed to win his money back.
• Harman has had a series of health problems (her mother and sister died from similar organ-related illnesses) and her niece donated the kidney that saved her life in 2004. This was her second kidney transplant.
• Jen Harman credits her husband Marco with much of her poker success.
• Because Jennifer is so light (she weighs a little over a hundred pounds), it might make her laugh to know that her cash winnings have weighed more than her since 2001.
• She once did 1200 sit ups on a dare.
• Jennifer Harman is the only woman in the world to hold two World Series of Poker bracelets in the open events.