Without question, Cyndy Violette is one of the most entertaining and watchable players - male or female - in the big-stakes world of poker. Few competitors wield such a combination of craft, tenacity, patience and even charm that seems to come so naturally to Cyndy in play. Many are the competitors who have been woefully misguided by Cyndy's easygoing charm. Indeed, despite her sweet-sounding nickname ("The Poker Flower") she is as deadly a player anyone is likely to meet and their lifetime and has proven her extraordinary level of poker knowledge and skill on multiple occasions.

Born in Queens, New York in 1959, Cindy was introduced to the game of poker at a young age. When she was just 12 years old her family relocated to Las Vegas, bringing her within close proximity to hundreds of competitive poker games going on at all hours of day or night. Before hitting the circuit, Cindy spent her formative years honing her poker skills in friendly family games.

Upon reaching the legal age for gambling, she walked into her first casino and it never looked back. Yet, either out of savvy foresight or simply the need for some spending money, Cindy spent a brief period of time working in a casino as a blackjack and poker dealer. In later years, she has credited this stint as being of value in building a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the game of poker. In fact, many players just starting out could benefit tremendously from seeing the cards from the dealer's perspective.

It was in 1984 that Cyndy officially announced her career as a professional poker player. Her first major victory was winning $74,000 in a 7-card stud tournament at the Golden Nugget. Quite an accomplishment, as no woman had ever won such a large sum in a poker tournament before. She went on from there to finish in the money no less than 15 times.

After taking a break to concentrate on family life, Cindy returned to the professional circuit in 1990 and made a big splash by winning a major tournament at Caesar's Palace. But that was only a warm-up to what she accomplished in 1993, when she won her first World Series of Poker bracelet in the 7-card high low split tourney. She still to this day remains a major force on the scene and can surely be expected to rack up some more bracelets and probably a lot more money finishes before she hangs up the game for good. She may just break a few more hearts along the way, while she's at it.