Babysitting wasn’t supposed to change Abby Merk’s life. But while watching the children of billionaire investor Jenny Just, the founder of Poker Power encouraged her to learn poker—a suggestion that initially seemed strange. It ultimately launched a career that would take Merk from finance to full-time poker pro and YouTube star.
“She kind of became a mentor to me in a way, because I was always a kid with really diverse interests,” Merk recalled. “It was kind of difficult for me to think about where I would end up in 10 years just because I was so spread across the board. She gave me the advice to start playing poker, which I thought was very weird at the time, obviously, because poker has a bit of a connotation to it.”
“Little did I know that it would really open up an entirely different world for me and teach me a bunch of skills that women my age just weren’t learning and it would give me a natural edge in those spots.”
That advice eventually reshaped her career. Today, Merk is a full-time player, one of poker’s fastest-growing content creators, and earlier this year became an ambassador for CoinPoker.
The 25-year Chicago native recently spoke with Card Player about her life in the game, content creation, and her thoughts on where poker is headed.
Trader To YouTuber
With degrees in mathematics and philosophy from Wake Forest, Merk initially pursued a career in finance before poker became impossible to ignore. However, Merk first worked as an options trader for a year and then in product management.
Trading came with plenty of risks like volatility, strategy, and emotional stress, and the job also seemed a natural fit for someone attracted to poker. Both require evaluating probabilities, managing risk, and making decisions with incomplete information.
“I was always in the finance world, which is funny enough – another male-dominated industry,” she said. “But it was very similar to poker, especially when you’re trading options rather than doing back-end product work. I loved it. But truthfully, poker just offers me so much more than trading.”
After a couple years in finance, Merk left to play full time and branched out into content creation. Poker vlogging has become all the rage over the last few years, with players sharing their adventures at the tables on YouTube and other platforms. On her channel, Merk hopes to bring something different and mixes in plenty of humor as part of the fun.
Award-Winning Content
Her audience responded. Merk won the 2025 Global Poker Award for Rising Star in Content Creation and now has more than 160,000 followers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. She mixes in realism for viewers in offering a look at what it’s actually like to try and scratch out a living playing poker full time.
“I’m a content creator first I would say,” she says. “But through my content, I try to focus on authenticity and transparency around wins, losses, and really just the roller coaster that is the poker-playing lifestyle.”
Merk also brings a positive outlook to the game and stands apart in the space as a young woman in a vlogger space mostly dominated by men.
Content Queen
Most viewers probably don’t realize just how much of a full-time job creating videos for YouTube can be. There is plenty of work involved, from shooting video while playing, to editing and social media promotion. The process is much more than simply taking some video from a phone and dropping it on the platform.
“It’s extremely difficult,” Merk revealed. “I think people really underestimate how long it takes and how much of a perfectionist people can be when it comes to art. Because at the end of the day, that’s what we’re doing… creating art.”
“I think one 15-minute vlog takes me 60-plus hours to actually put together. It’s so much fun though. Honestly, just reviewing that footage and getting to relive the experience is really fun. And tying it together to create a story, it’s difficult. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of drafts, lots of edits, lots of creative decisions that I’m making, but the end product is so worth it.”
Some of her vlogging adventures involve online poker, but she still prefers the live game.
“When I get the chance to play online, I’m definitely going to highlight it, because the games are really soft and the player pools are big and the prize money is massive,” she says. “But at the end of the day, live is where my heart is because I just love relating to people and like playing. I love the personal aspect of poker.”
Bringing More Women To The Table
Getting more women into poker has been a major focus for many in the poker industry over the last few years, with tournaments, boot camps, seminars, and other events aimed at female players. The average number of women in a major tournament is around 4% and Merk is doing her part to foster a love of the game among more women.
“I think that the barrier to entry when it comes to poker is high, and I’m looking to bring that down,” the vlogger said. “I think it’s definitely an intimidating thing to play a game, especially when you’re risking money.”
When working with BetMGM, one of her efforts involved getting the company’s partner casinos to gear more events toward female players and programs to reach out to female players.
“I think that the way that we make a difference is to see other men advocating for women in poker. Young women, which is really the people that would kind of like start getting into the game, are looking to expand their horizon, pick up a new hobby. Having men welcome them to the game and stand up if they hear something that’s a little bit taboo would improve environment that we set.”
Not Betting More Than You Can Afford To Lose
Some women may be a bit more averse to the risks of gambling, Merk says. She stresses responsible gambling. Merk also notes that women can learn the game online for much lower stakes than might be found in a casino. The value of a dollar is a focus in her vlogs, along with the need to stay within one’s means when hitting the tables. She hopes that message is resonating with players.
“When I first started playing poker, I was playing $20 tournaments and now I’m playing main events,” Merk said. “But I can’t forget the fact that I’ve saved up and I’ve really worked very hard. I’ve played a bunch of cash (games) to be able to afford that. So when I play (a larger buy-in tournament), I feel very privileged. I think sometimes when you’re playing poker, people can kind of forget that.”
Whether she’s producing videos, playing major tournaments, or encouraging newcomers to take their first seat at the table, Merk hopes to show that poker can be both intellectually rewarding and accessible — provided it’s approached with patience, discipline, and perspective.
- Photos by PokerGO – Antonio Abrego, APT – PokerStars
