Poker Player Joanne Liu

Rising to a final table finish at the WSOP in the same year as she learnt to play poker, Joanne Liu has made quite a name for herself in the world of poker.

Early Life of Joanne Liu

Joanne Liu is a professional female poker player who was born in April 1965 in Taipei, Taiwan. She obtained a degree from Ming Chuan College and a master's degree from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois in computer engineering. She took a job as a software engineer at Silicon Valley and there discovered that her keen mind was suited not only to computer engineering, but to poker as well. Liu only began to learn the game of poker after she moved from Taiwan to the United States. Nicknamed "JJ," Joanne Liu never fails to stand out in a crowd, both for her skill and the unique hats that she wears.

Liu's Early Poker Career

Joanne Liu only began playing poker in 1996 when she gave the game a go at the Bay 101 Casino in San Jose. She took to the game quickly and began playing tournaments the same year. Her poker worth was proven when in the very first year that she learned to play poker, she boasted a final table finish in the $3,000 limit hold'em event in the World Series of Poker. Most poker players have to spend years practicing and improving their game before they become pro and even then they can face many ups and downs before they start making big money. Not so with Joanne Liu who began to win large amounts of money in major tournaments in the very same year that she learnt to play the game. Since 1996 she has not looked back.

Poker Achievements for Joanne Liu

In the World Poker Tour season 4, Bellagio Five Diamond event, she placed fourth, winning $362,140. In 2007, Liu became the highest placed female player in a World Poker Tour Championship event when she won second place behind Ted Forrest. She won $600,000 at that season 5 Bay 101 Shooting Stars event. She had many other wins during 2007, including placing 35th at the pot limit hold'em teams event of the Crown Aussie Millions Championship. She finished 8th at the no limit hold'em event of the LA Poker Classic. She also placed 15th in the limit hold'em event of the World Series of Poker. Towards the end of 2007, she topped off her year with a first place win in the no limit hold'em event of the Gold Rush Poker Tournament.

Current Stats for Joanne Liu

As of 2008, Liu ranked 5th in total live tournament winnings among female players with more than $1.7 million. Liu currently divides her time between Palo Alto, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Joanne Liu has stated that she would love to be able to bring poker to China and that her personal goals are to win the World Series of Poker (WSOP) or the World Poker Tour (WPT). She would also like to see more female players at the poker tables. Joanne Liu is certainly helping to make a big name for women poker players with her quick rise to fame and continuous success.