Liz Lieu biography

Liz Lieu, professional poker player and well-known diva, has been playing poker for over a decade and this Vietnamese beauty is not going anywhere, anytime soon. Liz was born August 2, 1974 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Shortly thereafter her parents headed for the U.S. with Liz and her sister, Tanya, in tow. She was only 13 when she started playing Chinese poker. She quickly fell in love with cards and that love is still with her today. Lieu and a friend started their own home game of Hold ‘em and Pai Gow when she was 18 but the lucrative entrepreneurial effort, though successful, ran a short course. Liz’s father suffered a heart attack so she bagged the home business and asked her parents to quit working so she could support them solely on her poker earnings. They obliged and there begins the story of her entrance to professional poker.

Lieu took her game and a nice bankroll to Vegas to begin her career. Just as she began to climb the ranks, some personal issues almost forced her to go broke and start over from scratch. However, thanks to the help of good friend, John Phan, she found enough courage and strength to move forward and keep focus on her career. She has since been moving up the poker ladder of success. She now plays regularly at the high limit tables, in addition to entering numerous tournaments around the world. She has been nicknamed the Poker Diva thanks to her creative sense of style. Don’t let this well-dressed hottie fool you, though. When she sits down at the felt in the latest of fashions, it’s all fun and games until those cards are dealt. Liz has a unique playing style which consists of aggressive play, a serious demeanor and killer instincts. As a result, you may hear some loud sighs when she sits down at the table with those that know her.

Lieu had much success at the Hold ‘em cash tables at the beginning of her career but it wasn’t until 2005 that she decided to give tournaments a try. One of her first tourneys was the 2005 WSOP $1500 No Limit Hold ‘em event, where she placed fifth and left with $168,000. She has gone on to play a considerable number of tournaments all over the world and her total winnings to date are somewhere near the $800,000 mark.

More notable than her cash earnings is her commitment to giving 20% of her tournament earnings to charity. She has done this since her first win in 2005. She has explained that in her Vietnamese culture, “the more good deeds a child does, the better the afterlife of the parent”. Since her father, who she was extremely close to, passed away in 2007, any good deed she does is in his memory.

In 2007, Liz signed an exclusive partnership with Chilipoker and acts as an Ambassador for the poker room.

Liz currently calls Los Angeles home and still supports her mother with her poker earnings. In her most recent journal entry at www.lizlieu.net, she stated, “I have a very good feeling about 2010, both professionally and personally. I have a premonition this [2010] is going to be a very big year for Liz Lieu.” Well, Liz, time will tell and, in the meantime, we’ll be rooting for you!