A little fame can turn your life upside-down -- or at least it can make you think twice about what you wear before you head outside.
Such is the new reality for Phoenix medical malpractice defense attorney Kelly Minkin.
"I’ve obviously gotten a lot of recognition, from poker stops to my job to the airport," said the 28-year-old Minkin, the last woman standing at the 2015 World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas.
Minkin's WSOP run concluded in July, but ESPN doesn't air highlights of the annual tournament until September and October. It wasn't until then that her face became a fixture on TV, especially once she became the final female
Check out ABC15's interview with Minkin before she became famous!
Minkin placed 29th overall in the tournament -- the best finish for a female player in three years -- and won over $200,000 dollars. But she said her newfound fame is a "double-edged sword" that has required her to rethink certain aspects of her life, including something as simple as how she dresses in public.
"Usually I’d go stroll to the airport in my pajamas looking crazy, but I can’t really do that anymore because I get recognized and people want to take pictures with me," she said. "It adds another layer of thought to my daily routine."
Despite these new inconveniences, Minkin, a graduate of Chaparral High School in Scottsdale and The University of Arizona, is proud to carry the poker torch for women, which comprised less than 5 percent of the 2015 WSOP main event field.
"I’ve had women approach me and ask for pictures and say that I’ve inspired them to play poker," she said. "It’s just a great feeling to feel like I’m inspiring other people to either play poker or just root for women in poker."
Minkin began playing poker when she decided to join her brother at a casino one evening several years ago. It was a life-changing decision: In the last three years, she has racked up over $700,000 in winnings, including a third-place finish at a World Poker Tour event and second place at a major Arizona-based tourney.
"My friends are just kind of in shock," she said. "They’re like, ‘We didn’t know you played poker this seriously.’ I’m like, ‘I didn’t know I played poker this seriously.' It just fell into my lap, kind of."
During her tournament run, ESPN viewers got some insight into the calm, cool demeanor that has helped Minkin get ahead in the legal world.
In both worlds, she goes out of her way to let men know she's not afraid of them. She even threw a wink at a longtime pro after winning a big pot from him during her WSOP run.
But Minkin's recent fame has allowed her to flip the script on her male counterparts in the courtroom and at the poker table.
"Other attorneys in my firm have said they’ve had people ask them if they know who I am, so that’s kind of interesting and funny to me," she said.
"At the poker table, life has definitely changed because I would say over 50 percent of the people I play with recognize me ... and are intimidated and they don’t want to play against me, or they respect me a little more. So it’s definitely changed the dynamic of my game."
Many people are quick to abandon their full-time jobs after experiencing some success at the poker table. Not Minkin, who would choose her job over poker if she had to do so.
"My career as an attorney is very important to me, and poker’s important to me, too, but I see poker as more of a hobby and not a career," she said.
In fact, Minkin's boss has embraced her poker playing and encourages her to compete in tournaments across the country -- and wherever she goes, Minkin enjoys representing the Grand Canyon State.
"I’m definitely proud to represent Arizona. It feels really good to be a face in the poker community as someone from Arizona," she said.
Like her job as a lawyer, Minkin is drawn to poker due to her competitive nature and her ability to perform well under pressure.
In that regard, it's simply a matter of time before Minkin wins a major tournament, becomes an even more prominent standard bearer for women in the poker community and, whether she likes it or not, adds to her fame.
"I think more than anything, I’m happy with the result. It’s a great accomplishment that I didn’t really see realistically going into the tournament," she said. "But of course I wanted to go further. I want to win just like everyone does, or at least make the final table. I really wanted to do that.
"Honestly, I never really started playing poker to be famous or for the attention, and I never expected to be in this position. But now that I'm here, I'm just trying to embrace it and enjoy it."
