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Name: Liz Lieu
Born: August 2, 1974
Birth Place: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Current Residence: Las Vegas
Liz Lieu is living proof that blackjack is not the monopoly of men. In fact, the mere mention of her name easily elicits both fear and respect, a clear indication that she is definitely one of the most influential and potent forces in the game of blackjack. Lieu is a methodical “killer” on the blackjack table, but she is also known for her adorable and generous disposition. Just about as smart as any player can get when it comes to blackjack, she still retains her soft character, and this makes her one of the most interesting and lovable personalities in the game of blackjack.
Liz Lieu was born on August 2nd, 1974 in Ho Chi Minh City. Her father was Japanese while her mother was Vietnamese. Together with her parents and her older sister, Liz migrated to the United States. The family initially settled in Colorado where Liz Lieu grew up in an environment that was predominantly Vietnamese. Putting their cultural heritage and tradition above all else, Liz and her family spoke their native tongue and used it as their exclusive means of communication in the Lieu household.
At the tender age of 13, Lieu got her baptism of fire when she was initially introduced to the game of Chinese poker by her friends. Having this innate trait of competitiveness, Lieu immediately felt a strong affinity to the card game. Her initial experience left an indelible mark on her and this has convinced her that she was destined to become an accomplished poker player. Five years after winning her first pot, she joined a friend in putting up a home game of Pai Gow and Hold’em.
Her initial foray at gambling was short lived, and she had to draw a bye after her father suffered a serious heart attack. It was during this time that she went full blast in her career as a professional poker player and supported her family solely from her winnings. Armed with her innate talent and a near-perfect poker face, Lieu entered the pro ranks with a blast. She started to stamp her winning signature in every poker event that she participated in L.A. and Vegas. She later on became one of the feared players at the poker table and went all the way to building a sizable bankroll. She eventually made Vegas her permanent base and became a regular fixture of Hold’em within the $80 and $160 limit, which were considered to be her strong suits.
It was in 2005 when Lieu was able to cash in on her first ever live tournament – the $1,500 NLHE event - where she took fifth place and earned $168,000. She made it into the money circle twice in that same series afterwards and subsequently clinched 3 cashes in Festa al Lago in Bellagio after a couple of months. Spurred by her string of successes, Lieu went on to join major poker events like the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, World Poker Finals, L.A. Poker Classic and the Gold Strike World Poker Open. Aside from these major events, she also became a standout in various standalone poker tournaments.
While she is considered as the feared femme fatale on the poker table, Lieu remains to be a warm and likable character outside of the poker games. Her seemingly harmless and innocent countenance is actually her main strength as beneath that soft appearance is a calculating and ruthless poker player that is ready to take on any challenge that comes along, definitely not the kind of player that you want to face off against on the poker table.
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