Liv Boeree Lights up the World Poker Stage

Replying to an advert in 2005 requiring applicants to ‘use powers of skill and deception’, university physics graduate Olivia ‘Liv’ Boeree had no idea the following experience would propel her to riches and international media coverage.

Boeree had unwittingly submitted an application to participate in a television poker tournament – once she passed a series of auditions she was offered the opportunity to receive coaching from professional Phil Hellmuth.

Five years later and she sits beside me assuredly in her natural habitat, the poker table, keenly alternating between our conversation and her cards. Now a professional player herself, she greets each hand with an unchanging expression.

Concealed behind the notorious ‘Liv stare’ is a university-educated astrophysicist - her studies at the University of Manchester culminated in a degree that she asserts is “about logic and processing large amounts of information in a very short period of time.

“The fact that I got my education and finished it I’m so grateful for, because it’s trained my mind. The thing about poker is that it’s all about analysis. It’s a high-pressure situation so you’ve got to think fast and make the right decision.

“I was surprised with how well I dealt with the nerves”, she concedes. “I was nervous, but you just learn to detach yourself in the end. It trains the mind as it’s all maths. The maths in poker is actually relatively simple, anyone with a basic understanding of maths can understand poker.”

Such humility understates Liv’s achievements in her brief five-year foray into the sport. Entering the industry as a TV contestant on ‘Ultimatepoker.com Showdown’, her rise to prominence has been a self-professed “whirlwind”.

After learning the ropes before a U.K audience, assistance from several poker pros and the incentive to “turn �5 into �700” persuaded the upstart to turn poker into a career.

“I had a little bit of success at the local club once I started playing there, and actually won my first tournament. Now, it’s not that easy, of course. I got very lucky, I can’t even remember how I played, but it was enough to give me the bug.”

This growing intrigue for poker corresponded with an increasing commitment to time at the table, finding herself “playing ten hours a day, six days in a row”.

“It’s exhausting,” she reflects. “It’s so draining both mentally and physically, you really have to take care of yourself. I approach major tournaments like a sportsperson would so I eat well, get some exercise and sleep well.”

She possesses unquestionable talent, concealing a ruggedly merciless interior within unblemished looks and disarming charisma. Failure to appreciate the intensity of her game extends beyond external onlookers, spilling onto the table where her rivals underestimation “can be the difference between 90 000 euros and 1.25 million”.

“People often underestimate you. They don’t necessarily give you the respect at the table you deserve. Not in the way they speak to you, but respect for your game and there are so many ways you can capitalise on that.

“People generally think that women are tighter, weaker players that bluff more”, she continues. “You can identify who at the table thinks what.

“If I watch them play for half an hour and see how they interact with me, then I can tell. Some of my opponents are scared of me, some want to date me. You can take advantage of that.”

It is difficult to determine which measures we should employ when judging the skill of any poker player. Consistency? Flair? Career earnings? Under the microscope of any such criteria she excels. Amassing tournament winnings in excess of $1,900,000 as of 2010, the statistics require no elaboration. Her success has been no coincidence.

“Yes, there is a slight element of luck, but a good poker player will eventually phase that out over a sample size of hands.”

Immersed within the confines of a male-dominated environment, she thrives on the challenge of competing with the men. Victory at the European Poker Tour in San Remo this year made Liv only the third woman to win an EPT Main Event.

The importance of the victory extended beyond the €1,250,000 prize money, though Liv concedes she “would be lying by saying the money wasn’t great”. Crucially, the triumph propelled her onto the world poker stage, also striking a blow against those questioning the credentials of female players.

“It’s one of those rare sports where men and women can sit down and play as equals. That’s what I love about it. Anyone can sit down and test their mettle. It definitely drives me, I’m so competitive so anything where I can beat the boys is great.

“At the same time I’ve played ladies tournaments and when you are around the table there is the same competitive edge. They are all just opponents. I don’t just want to beat a man or a woman, I want to beat everyone.”

�

Liv Boeree is playing the the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour - London leg. For more information visit www.pokerstars.com/ept