Danielle Ford, an independent candidate for Nevada governor, has a poker background that stretches back more than a decade and continues to shape her public life, according to PokerNews. Ford currently serves on the Nevada State Board of Education.
Ford told PokerNews she began playing poker in 2011, spending roughly a year studying the game while simultaneously teaching herself marketing through YouTube. That period of self-directed learning eventually led to connections within the poker world that would extend well beyond the felt. She said she met Daniel Makowsky at the World Series of Poker and went on to write for PokerAti. Through those circles, she also said she encountered Sillybandz founder Robert Croak and produced videos for one of his business ventures.
Ford’s path into elected office began with a 2018 victory for a seat on the Clark County School District Board of Trustees. She built on that record in 2024, winning election to the Nevada State Board of Education. Poker remained part of the picture even as her political profile grew — Ford said she met members of her current campaign staff at a Charity Series of Poker event and later reached a final table at one of those events herself.
Her campaign message, she said, centers on fixing Nevada’s public systems. On education specifically, Ford has advocated for incorporating poker into school curricula — stripped of any gambling component — as a tool for building critical thinking and math skills. She said she used the game to teach her own children math. Ford said the Nevada governor election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
Originally reported by PokerNews.
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