Diary of a Poker Diva – Liz Lieu

Clearing my head before the upcoming WSOP. Preparing myself physically, spiritually and mentally for the grueling month ahead. Sorry to report, not much going on here!! Just looking out at all the people and cars passing by and really enjoying this down time!! Mostly I am clearing my head and taking an opportunity to step back and really reflect on the past year.

Recently, I’ve been travelling between several countries in Europe. I flew to Monaco for the Monte Carlo tournament and just decided to stay in Europe. It’s a good opportunity to clear my head for the WSOP and unwind from all of the poker and work.

I must admit, it has been enjoyable reflecting on life and recent events. I can laugh about it now, but I have really had some interesting dealings with some very shady characters. Ha-Ha. I am not going to get into detail about it but it continues to surprise me how many selfish and deceptive people there are in this world.

I don’t know, maybe my perspective is skewed as a poker player and my work leads me into more than my fair share? But what I am really happy about is my continuing improvement in letting stuff go and forgiving people. I just honestly don’t have room in my life for negativity or people who want to drag you down to their level.

I’m surrounded by so much beauty and have so many great aspects about my life sometimes I reflect back and think to myself, how did I get distracted by people who don’t offer beauty into my life or bring substantial value as a human being?

Anyhow, I am letting go of all regrets. I really believe that every experience was meant to be and creates a stronger more emotionally healthy person. And I also know that I don’t have to bring justice to people who do me wrong. Life has an interesting way of handling that for you. Sometimes, it doesn’t handle it in the timeframe you desire, but eventually life makes all things good.

“It Is What It Is”

Learn to understand the characteristics and traits of people,
and do not be so critical of them. Just accept them as they are
and you will not have any surprises happen to you
nor will you feel let down.

When you are able to grasp this, you will be free from all disappointments.
There’s an old saying… “It is what it is”

I really do believe that all of the positivity I feel about my life at the moment and all of the negativity I am stripping away from me this month will have some really good benefits for me. I may or may not win a WSOP bracelet next month. I cannot predict what will happen in the future but I do know I will come in with a clear head and a lot of good karma working in my favor.

It may be this year or it may be next year or the year after, but I really feel strongly that I am going to have a break out WSOP in the near future. I have gone thru so much and continue to forge ahead and be stronger for it and I know there is a reward for doing the right thing and living a positive lifestyle.

I hope to write another blog or two before the WSOP. I plan to fly back to Las Vegas very soon and look forward to visiting with all of my poker friends and peers and get back into the mix again. But until then, I will enjoy this beautiful view and enjoy the opportunity to reflect and cleanse. There is no better happiness than a happy soul.

Cheers!

(photo credit unknown)

I wasn’t always the easiest child to deal with growing up. I always had a rebellious and independent side. I’m pretty sure I drove my mom crazy at times but deep down I have always loved my mom and really value her as a part of my life. I consider family one of the most important aspects of anyone’s life. Family always comes first. I hope people take a step back on this day and really remember how important their family is to them.

M-O-T-H-E-R
“M” is for the million things she gave me,
“O” means only that she’s growing old,
“T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
“H” is for her heart of purest gold;
“E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,”
A word that means the world to me.
–Howard Johnson

Mom, I hope you have the best day today. I cannot be with you physically but in spirit I am with you always. To all the other mothers and daughters, I hope you had a chance to share this special day. But more importantly, don’t forget every day is an important day to treat your mother well and to shower her with love.

Peace, Love, and Happiness! XOXO

As I am writing this blog it’s Cinco De Mayo. I hope everyone is celebrating with loved ones and friends. I am currently laying low in London and spending time with some friends in town. I will fly back to the states soon and get some rest and relaxation before this year’s WSOP.

I’m wrapping up a whirlwind schedule that ended with the Dream Team poker event at Caesar’s in late March. Quinn Do and Matt Stout were my Dream Team partners and we didn’t have much luck on our side. For my part, I went all in with pocket Kings vs. pocket 6’s and lost full house Kings full of 6’s to quad 6’s. Arrghhh.

In the last several weeks, I have participated in a fashion photo shoot, played cash games at the Commerce, travelled to London and Monaco and I’m currently in the process of revamping this website. The overall design of the website will be the same but some of the content will be updated and I’m switching out a ton of old photos with some new ones. I have also just added two wallpaper downloads which I hope you all will enjoy. 

Some of the photos that are going up are actually part of the photo shoot I did 4 weeks ago. The photo shoot took twelve hours with me going through six outfit changes and shot at two different locations. I was really pleased with how the photos came out. What do you think?

After the photo shoot, I drove to Los Angeles to visit my mom and friends and when I found the time, I went to the Commerce to play in some live cash games. It was up and down for me but overall, I managed to squeeze out a small profit.

The biggest downside of playing at the Commerce in April was it seemed to be extraordinarily slow. None of the big games were going. The games were much smaller and it was tougher to find a juicy game which sometimes the Commerce can be famous for. They always seem to have action games. Perhaps the economy is having a negative impact on poker?

Anyhow, I spent a couple of weeks in Los Angeles, before heading off to Monte Carlo, Monaco for the EPT Grand Finale. This is one of my favorite tournaments to play in all year long. Last year I missed this event because of food poisoning. I was determined not to miss this year’s event!!

In 2008, I ordered some room service from my 5 star Hotel and managed to catch food poisoning from a salmon salad. I couldn’t believe it when I woke up sicker than I’ve been in my life. I thought maybe I could post-pone my Day 1A start and play Day 1B but I wasn’t feeling any better. Alex, my Chilipoker sponsor, had to pull me out of the tournament.

This year, I managed to stay healthy and made it to the tournament. Perhaps it would have been better if I caught food poisoning again.. haha.. Jk!! The poker gods surely wasn’t too nice to me! I won a total of four hands, none of which are big pots during the nine hours of tournament play, but I did manage to make it to Day 2, despite being completely card dead on Day 1.

(photo courtesy of CardPlayer.com)

On Day 2, I had just enough chips to last 2 rounds of blinds. I was dealt pocket 6’s on my very first hand of the day, blinds were 500-1000 with 100 ante, a player in early position raised to $3000, I decided this was my spot to double up or go home so I moved all-in with $11,200. The early position player called and turned over pocket Q’s. Not what I wanted to see.

I didn’t really expect to see him fold because I was short stack but I was hoping to be in a coin flip situation. Unfortunately, I was far behind and didn’t hit a 6 on the flop, turn or river and my tournament was over.

Monte Carlo wasn’t a complete waste of time, however. Monaco is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is located near the Mediterranean Sea on the French Riviera. Squeezed in between France and Italy, it’s truly a sight to behold. I really enjoy coming back here every year. I cannot think of a better location for a poker tournament.

During my stay in Monaco, I was able to catch up with my sponsor Alexandre Dreyfus. Alex and I had a nice lunch and it was so pleasant to see his smile. Alex is one of the most positive and fun-going people and he was extremely exuberant during this trip.

It was good to hear that Chilipoker is doing very well and Alex is involved in some other business ventures that have him smiling. One of those business ventures is a partnership agreement with the WPT for the first ever World Poker Tour Marrakech on the continent of Africa.

Alexandre Dreyfus, Chief Executive Officer of Chilipoker, commented in a press release distributed by the WPT, “Chilipoker is delighted to be associated with a world-renowned brand like the World Poker Tour in the creation of this unique and attractive event. With the creation of WPT Marrakech, Chili Poker also intends to emphasize Marrakech’s attributes as a highly-desirable destination for European and African poker players.”

In Monaco, I was able to meet with some key members of the Chilipoker team and discuss the upcoming Marrakech event that will take place from the 12th-19th October. I cannot release names yet, but so far we have commitments from some very high profile poker players to participate in the event. Television coverage of the tournament is also expected. Stay tuned for more details.

I also won a “last longer” bet with Alex. We both played in the Main Event and had a friendly wager on who would last longer in the tournament. I made it to Day 2 and unfortunately for Alex, he was knocked out on Day 1.

I also had a chance to do some sight-seeing in Monte Carlo since my tournament was cut a little short. The island itself is pretty small. Somebody told me only 3,000 residents actually live here but it’s a destination for some of the richest people in the world including many celebrities. The country is spectacular and the views are gorgeous.

Sorry it’s been so long since my last update. I promise the next one will be within the week and we will not go a month without another update. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the update. Stay tuned for some interesting and entertaining journal entries. I want to write some really personal stuff over the next few weeks while I rest up for this year’s WSOP which is right around the corner. Until then, Ciao.