Out of The Grinder's Shadow
The week of the World Poker Tour, Aidiliy Elviro and her husband traveled to Reno, Nevada in their new RV. "I was sad to leave my baby" (six-month-old Paul William) she confessed, "but we had to come." While her husband entered the WPT tournament, Aidiliy (she goes by Lily), paid a $540 buy-in and played at a single table satellite tournament. "I was just going to play until he got knocked out of the tournament." She later admitted.
Instead, she not only won the satellite competition and joined her husband as one of the 361 participants in the WPT, she became the last woman to get knocked out of the tourney and the only female to go home with prize money. Originally, Lily was going to give her victory seat to her husband, but WPT rules state that tournament spots are non-transferable. So, her husband paid his $5,000 buy-in and on day one, the couple sat down at their respective tables, each intent on winning the $638,000 prize. "As soon as I got to my table, I was thinking "I can win this, I'm as good as anyone here" she said.
As the various television cameras and print journalists interviewed and filmed the big name players like the Phil's (Ivey, Hellmuth, and Laak), Lily quietly stacked her chips and played her game.
Although the WPT in Reno was her first tournament, the 22-year-old is no stranger to the game of poker. "Growing up, my family was always playing. Cuban style poker was always in my life and I played a lot when I was younger."
One of only five women in the tournament (the others happened to be pros Jennifer Harman, Susie Isaacs, Alexandra Vuong, and actress Jennifer Tilly), she single handedly hobbled well-known pro T.J. Cloutier. Make no mistake, she may be new on the scene but she is in no way inexperienced. After calling Cloutier's pocket kings on a flop of J-4-3, Lily dropped a set of jacks, leaving the winner of over 51 major tournaments with only 2,000 in chips (he went out soon after by the eighth seat).
Oh, and that husband who was expected to play on, longer than she did? He's none other than Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi. Known in the poker community for his unyielding and steady playing style, he won a $1.8 million pot at the LA Poker Classic Tournament at Commerce Casino in February 2005. The stay-at-home mom became an instant millionaire, but it hasn't changed her perspective on life. "It just means I don't have to worry about my baby needing anything. It's all about him."