Images courtesy of World Poker Tour
Fierce, fearless, and full of heart—Kasey Lyn Mills, aka “Poker Momma,” is quickly becoming a name to watch in the poker world.
In this edition of Inside the Poker Circles, drawn from Between the Blinds: Interviewing Poker Professionals by Sara O’Connor (coming this fall), we highlight a rising force whose blend of sharp instincts and deep passion is turning heads at the tables and inspiring a growing fanbase beyond them.
With a bold playing style and an authentic voice, Mills brings energy and determination to every session. She’s not just building a career—she’s building a community, showing others that it’s never too late to chase your passion and compete with confidence.
In this interview, Kasey shares her journey into the game, the highs and hurdles along the way, and the mindset that fuels her rise in poker. This is Inside the Poker Circles.
Can you tell me about your poker career? How long have you been playing and when did you feel ready to call yourself a professional?
It all started when I was a kid. My grandmother had a huge coin purse, and we’d play 5 Card Draw. As for when I started playing in a casino, that happened about 20 years ago when I was just 18. In Oklahoma, where I was from, I played in one of the largest poker rooms available.
When I started playing and until this day, I was actually more aggressive and intuitive, especially for a woman. The intuition came from trauma in the home, which gave me a skill advantage before solvers and math became a big thing in poker.
I could read emotions really well, because I had a strong survival mechanism. I had almost a sixth sense about micro-expressions and reading someone’s mood. I was incredibly good at that.
One event stands out to me when pros came to town to play against amateurs. There was a female player named Clonie Gowen, and when I heard she was playing, I rushed over and sat across from her ready to play.
The director of the event said there’s a list and pointed to the row of people waiting to play against Gowen, but Gowen said she wanted to play against me right then and now! So, in 2007, I sat down and played against her; it was a back and forth match that I ended up winning.
I have a picture of us shaking hands and she’s pouting intentionally and some of the male pros are gesturing their incredulity.
Being a new player, even though I won, I asked her if she had any tips for me. Unfortunately, she thought I was needling her. So, she exclaims she wants to play against me double or nothing; I think she was a little tilted.
For me, that was a lot of money, so I refused, which caused her to storm off with wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Honestly, I was really hooked after that. It was a big moment for me.
It would be another 10 years before I started calling myself a professional. That means it’s been about 10 years now that I’ve called myself one.
Tell me about being a two-time WSOP champion?
That was such an amazing experience in a field where it is very easy to invalidate someone and call them lucky. I like to think that results speak for themselves.
For me, my wins are so validating to me for the work I put in and to have something to show for it. That accomplishment means so much to me and my son.
For him to see me as a champion, to see that he comes from a family of champions, is priceless. He saw me make history with my back-to-back wins as a woman. Confidence in myself helps him build confidence in himself.
What’s something you wish you were told when you started playing?
You’re going to lose a lot of money. People come in and want to go pro and be profitable. But instead, you have to treat it as if you’re going to go to poker college and pay a big tuition for trying to become a poker pro.
Just like you paid for four years of schooling, no training software will train you for going and doing it yourself. People underestimate this.
Then, as time passes, when you lose, you’ll lose less money less often. Then you’ll break even more and still lose, and then eventually you’ll have a few more wins than losses.
You must be prepared for the losses. People have mystical ideas for how well they’ll play, but when you’re new, you’re going to have a time when you lose your butt.
Do you ever drink or smoke when playing? If so, how, if at all, does it affect your game?
I think it’s bad in general to do. I have done it before to take the edge off and I’ve always regretted it. It always ends up making me cloudier. I will slowly sip a glass of wine over two hours, maybe.
At the end of the night when we’re about to bag chips for the next day’s tournament to continue, I might have a drink at the “beer level.”
But for the most part, I don’t do that. I have ADD and that helps me hyper-focus, but I must stay mindful to not lose my focus and drag it onto other things.
How do you not let past success affect your current play?
Oh man, that’s just so important, because there’s an entitlement thing or pushing too hard thing. The reason why I can do well now is that I’ve made mistakes before, going too hard.
After my first ring, someone said, “Maybe you want to take some time off, because sometimes I play worse after I win,” but I was so locked in.
Each day is a new day; past successes don’t matter for current battles. I do mindset stuff, and I said, “When I get that starting stack, I have proven nothing today.”
You cannot go in with entitlement on the mind. If you go in with that attitude, you’ve already lost. You must go in thinking, “What am I proving today?” Go in with a fresh mindset.
What’s your most favorite thing about playing the game?
The challenge! I was very smart but often misunderstood. Poker was a way for me to be a champion. My older sister is a doctor with a PhD. When my teachers had her, they fell in love. When they got me a year later, they just wanted to have her back.
I was very attention deficit. I was flighty, super social, and couldn’t stay focused. I just struggled to finish a lot of things I started, but poker gives me everything I need.
With ADD, people are good at focusing on what they like. With things they don’t like or enjoy, their brain says, “No, you cannot do this!”
Poker has allowed me to step into who I am in a society that tells me that the way my brain works is wrong and that I need to sit at a desk and do work. The world wants me to be successful and make money and conform.
Poker just lets me and my brain do what it wants to do. That’s the greatest thing about poker. You don’t have to conform; you can be who you are and find your way to empowerment and to be a champion!
Any least favorite moments when playing? Any favorite moments when playing?
One that comes to mind is I was playing on a big stream. One of the commentators was heckler-ish and called my hand a claw (like an actual bird’s claw), among other outrageous things.
Afterwards, my loved ones called me asking about how hard that commentator was on me. That was really hard for me.
Afterwards, I decided people could think I stunk and was the worst, but I went home and put in the work and worked on my mindset. It was that next month I won both rings. So, ha!
Anyone who wanted to heckle me, I let the results speak for themselves. I focused for those two tournaments, and I won back-to-back. It was the worst moment followed by literally the best a month later.
What’s it like broadcasting?
Commentating is super fascinating. Early on in my career, I tried to be entertaining, but now I’m different and more thoughtful. I enjoy playing more, though.
With poker, you’re not playing every single hand so you can take a little break. With commentating you never take a hand off and it can be exhausting.
Circling back to being diversified, commentating allows me to do something different in my field. Streaming is also very fun. I do Twitch and that’s fun to build a community there.
What advice would you give to players about table etiquette and interacting with dealers and players?
There’s one thing people don’t like that I’m for and that’s celebrating. There are a lot of people who are not for celebrating or think that when you win you should be stoic.
I’m never going to get offended as long as they’re not being offensive. This is a game; we’re playing a game. For a lot of people, that’s a big no-no and I wish it wasn’t. Let people celebrate with class. Let’s keep it fun. It should never be too serious.
Do you have any pre- or post-game rituals you practice while preparing to play your best or in winding down after a session?
I have a routine with specific affirmations about positive brain stuff about my ideas about wealth. For example, “Money and chips come to me in expected and unexpected ways. I have everything I need to do to succeed.”
I have a lot of affirmations I repeat to myself; it’s maybe 10 minutes of affirmations and meditation.
I really like this ADHD series for calming. I use that one on breaks when I’m on a deep run to re-center myself. During the late stages, you get stressed; your brain can tend to make mistakes.
I don’t want to shut down, and meditation helps with that. To go in the cardroom with a mindset that you can win matters.
Is poker in Texas as wild as they say it is?
It’s not as wild as it was; the word is out! One of the best places in the world is still Texas, but the environment has changed.
Pot Limit Omaha is really great if you want to make a lot of money and don’t mind studying. Become a PLO expert because that’s where the fun action players are located. Poker is fantastic and everyone who isn’t from Texas should stay away.
What’s it like competing in a male-dominated environment?
Freaking amazing. I love bringing the soul-crushing pain. I love it so much. I am competitive, I like to do well, and I like using my skills to show up, compete, and crush the competition.
Men have had a lot more power for a lot longer, and the ways in which women have had power isn’t necessarily how we would have chosen it for ourselves.
Here, I get to use my brain and skill set to provide for my son and myself at a high level. It excites me. I love it. I love showing up like a warrior like anyone else. Today, I choose me.
How do you balance motherhood with playing poker?
I feel so blessed to play poker and be a mom. I’m empowered to be in his life fully and I get to have my profession. He sees me studying. He sees me working hard. For me, it’s provided a lot of freedom and choice while he sees me doing what I love.
