Name: Katja Thater
Nickname: Miss Slick, Lady Horror
PokerStars ID: KatjaThater
Birth date: 1966
Birth place: Hamburg, Germany
Current Residence: Wedemark, Germany
WSOP Bracelets: 1
WPT Championships: 0
Best Game: cash games
Biggest Cash Out: June 2007 WSOP $1,500 Seven Card Razz for $132,653
First WSOP Bracelet: June 2007 WSOP $1,500 Seven Card Razz for $132,653
Biggest WSOP Cash out: June 2007 WSOP $1,500 Seven Card Razz for $132,653
All Time Money List: N/A
Hobbies: commentator and presenter on German TV, online poker school teacher for PokerStars, horses, spending time with family
Katja Thater began her professional career very differently than most people do. Katja is married to poker pro Jan von Halle and learned the game by watching him play at casinos. On one occasion in 1999 Katja had to sit in for her husband and she had never played the game before. But no fear, before her husband returned to the table Katja had won a pot and from then on she began her own career in poker.
Before stepping into a career as a poker player, Katja bred horses and competed in dressage tournaments. Katja was also a director of a marketing company. She only went to the casinos in her spare time to spend time with her husband. But once she took down her first pot she was hooked.
In 2000 Katja began playing as a professional poker player in cash games. She would go to casinos with her husband to play not in the tournament itself but in the side events. But soon Katja would venture into the tournaments themselves.
By 2006 Katja was a recognizable face at live tournaments and she cashed out in two World Series of Poker events. Katja also played on the Germany national team at the 2006 Poker Nations Cup in Cardiff as well as the Women’s Poker Open in London. She was added to Team PokerStars that same year as well.
But it wasn’t until 2007 that Katja would really leave her mark in the poker world. Early in the year Katja made the final table at the PokerStars European Poker Tour Warsaw event and finished in 5th place.
Katja then moved on to the World Series of Poker making the final table of the Ladies event, placing 5th. Just a few days later Katja won her first WSOP bracelet in the Razz event. That same year Katja was awarded the “Europe’s Leading Lady” award at the European Poker Awards at a ceremony in Paris.
Katja also is a fixture in other aspects of the poker industry. She is a commentator and presenter on German television and also works online at the IntelliPoker website. Katja also helped write the poker strategy book ‘Poker Matrix’ with other German poker players. When not supporting the poker industry or at the felt Katja enjoys riding her horses and spending time with her family.
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