Diary of a Poker Diva - Liz Lieu

A couple days ago, I headed off to France for the Chilipoker Deep Stack Open. I was very excited not only to get to the tables but to spend some time with my Chili friends. It was sad to leave London because I knew I would miss my cats - Moyo and Byni - terribly, but I knew they would be well taken care of in my absence. And I had been looking forward to this France/Italy/Monaco tournament excursion for some time. I headed to the airport with so much energy, feeling amazingly positive mentally and physically. I haven’t felt this great in years!

(Moyo & Byni)

The airplane ride was followed by a car ride to the Pasino d’Aix-en-Provence, and my team and I were very excited to walk in to the warm welcome by casino staff and players. Everyone was excited about the event, and I simply couldn’t wait to get on the felt.

I had a very solid start to the tournament. My positive energy was flowing, and I grabbed 20K in chips on the first hand I played! I thought it was a sign of things to come, but in fact it was a very up-and-down day. I lost 5,500 chips on the second hand I played, and then I lost a big one. It started with my pocket aces. I raised to 300 preflop and got four callers to see the 4(h)2(h)10(c) flop. I bet out 2,000, and Seat 3 was the only caller. The turn produced the Q(c) and I bet 5,000. Seat 3 check-raised to 13,700, and I called. The river brought the K(c) and Seat 3 pushed out 19,000 with only approximately 6,000 behind. With the clubs on the board, I decided to muck but the player turned over a little pocket pair of threes. Doh!

(photos courtesy of Jules Pochy)

But I didn’t let it get me down. I was ready to play, ready to gamble, and I kept my positive attitude going. By the end of Level 2, I rebuilt my stack to 38K. And by the end of Level 4, I was up to 57K, simply by executing a couple of key check-raises and winning some pots. Then I woke up to pocket kings. There was a lot of action going to the 5(c)6(s)8(c) flop, at which point Seat 1 bet 8,500 and I moved all-in. Seat 1 called, and I had him covered. He showed pocket queens, and the rest of the board blanked. I busted the player for 32K, and I was up over 85K.

(photos courtesy of Jules Pochy)

Not long after that, I got into a bit pot with another player. I had 10(s)7(s) and put in 5,000 preflop. We both checked the A-10-2 flop, and when the 7 hit on the turn, I bet 8,000. The player called, and the 3 came on the river. I bet 20,000 with my two pair, and the player called with pocket kings. My two pair were good, and I was up to about 110,000. My exact word on Twitter was BoYakKaSha!

(photo courtesy of Jules Pochy)

A little later, I lost a 55K pot when my A-J flopped a jack, and I got involved with another player all the way through the river on a J-7-9-5-7 board to find out he had pocket queens. Oh well, I accumulated a few more chips and still had 83K when the average was around 60K. But then, the big pot went down. I started with 9-8 and hit two pair on the 3(h)8(h)9(c) flop. I got all my chips in against A(h)3(h) and the flush draw. That flush didn’t make it, but the K(c) and A(c) cards gave him the higher two pair. That 220K pot hurt. Bad.

My last 45K went all-in four hands later when I looked down at pocket fives. The Seat 3 player called with K(h)10(h) and flopped a ten. My fives never improved, and I was out of the tournament after thirteen hours of play on Day1.

Overall, I was happy with my performance in the tournament with the exception of the last key hand. Could I have made a better read on the pocket fives? Sure. But I have to remember that it is poker, and one bad play can destroy an entire day of good plays. For most of the day, my reads were right on, and I felt that I was in the groove.

What to do now? Heading back to the casino today to play a couple side events. Explore the beautiful region of Provence and do some shopping! I’m going to enjoy the rest of my stay here until I leave on Tuesday for San Remo, Italy. I can’t wait to play in the European Poker Tour event there, and I’m really looking to make a solid run there before heading to Monte Carlo for the EPT Grand Final.

I wish the best of luck to everyone still playing the Chilipoker Deepstack Open! It would be fun to see an internet qualifier take it down for only a few Euros invested. It should be an exciting finish to the tournament. And I’ll see some of you in San Remo next week!

Cheers!

I just wanted to take a moment today to wish everyone a happy day! Whether you celebrate Easter in a religious way or enjoy a day with a family get-together or simply organize an Easter egg hunt and eat up the goodies that the Easter Bunny brought this morning, it can be a fun holiday to celebrate. And no matter what, it’s a good opportunity to take a moment to contact those of importance in your life and tell them that you love them.

I spent my Easter in the company of two very loving, sweet cats - Moyo and Byni, who have brought so much joy to me in London. There is no love like that of a furry companion.

London is treating me well but I’m anxious to head to France in a few days for the Chilipoker Deepstack Open. I feel like I’m in top-notch shape physically and mentally, as the diet and exercise plan has been tough but beneficial. But day after day of rain can be a little depressing, so I’m hoping for some real spring sunshine and warmth in France!

As a side note, I just heard about the earthquake in Baja, California. It was a 6.9, which is pretty major! I’ve been checking the internet for updates, and I can’t find any reports of damage, though people seem to have felt the quake and its aftershocks all the way from Los Angeles to Phoenix. Sending good thoughts to my friends in that area today!

Happy Easter to everyone!

Cheers!

I was running quite well there for awhile, posting blog entries every few days… And then I got to Europe! Yes, we do have internet access over here - LOL - but I’ve been so busy soaking up the atmosphere that I haven’t posted for two weeks. Now that I’ve confessed, let’s move on, shall we. hehe

So, when I left Vegas two weeks ago, I headed straight for London, but that stay was short-lived, as all I had time to do was drop off my luggage and get back to the airport. I took a short flight to Malta for one day. Why such a short time? To surprise a friend!

Feliciana is the finance director for Chilipoker and a good friend. She has been nothing but loyal, honest, kind, and sincere since I first met her, and she is the type of person who will do anything for her friends. Since I’ve been with Chilipoker, she has been a person that I not only respect but look forward to talking to every time I call or visit. She invited me to her birthday party numerous times but I kept telling her that I didn’t think I could make it, though I knew the whole time that I would be surprising her. And I did! It was a blast!

There were about 40 people at the party, mostly Chilipoker staff, which was great because it was an opportunity for the Chilipoker family to bond. The reason I signed with Chilipoker back in 2007 was because I enjoy working with a close-knit group of people, and it had been awhile since we all bonded like we did on the night of Feliciana’s birthday. The entire team was there, catching up on our lives and enjoying the night, which felt wonderful and made me very happy. It was definitely one of the best parties I’ve been to in a very long time, and it was awesome to chill with my Chili teammates in Malta!

As for Feliciana, she had a fabulous time, which was the biggest goal of the night. She wrote some notes on her facebook the next day, thanking several people for their efforts and their friendship. Part of what she wrote, which means so much to me: “A VERY special thanks to LIZ, for having come all the way down to Malta just for me. Thank you LIZ for your presence, thank you for the Moet I used to toast with for my birthday, thank you for just being YOU, the party girl who was chatting and dancing with everybody…” And because I’ll do anything for my friends, I also put my Blackberry in my purse and kept it there for the entire evening when Feliciana asked me to. She wrote that it was the “best present ever.” I love that! Anything I did was the least I could do for such an amazing person and friend.

The next morning, I flew back to London. The weather has been horrible here - cold and rainy every day! - but I’ve been taking care of business, doing a lot of shopping and relaxing, and seeing parts of the city I’ve never seen before. Some of my days just involve chilling at home with my cats, too, which has been a refreshing change from the first few busy months of 2010. And I take some time every other day to play online poker on Chilipoker, and I’m using this as a good warm-up for live events on the horizon. What I’ve been doing feels a little like a normal, calm life. Wow! It’s strange but I love it.

I also started my nutrition and workout program, including a healthy eating plan and workout sessions with my personal trainer. The warm-up consisted of three days a week, but we’ll soon be doing five days each week. That is some tough training! But I can already see and feel the difference, so I have to admit that my trainer is frickin’ awesome!

Speaking of poker, I’m looking forward to getting back on the felt to compete in some live events soon. And the big Chilipoker Deepstack Open (DSO) is coming up very quickly! (Is it really almost April already? OMG.) The DSO starts on the 9th of April in Aix-en-Provence at the Partouche Pasino there, and I can’t wait! Not only is it going to be a great mix of amateurs, online qualifiers, and pros, but it will be a sold-out event. How great is that? The event was capped at 500 players and sold out weeks before the tournament is even set to begin. Fantastic!

After the DSO in France, I’ll be heading to San Remo in Northern Italy for the European Poker Tour stop there, and I’ll play in the San Remo Main Event. And then I’ll be traveling just a few miles west of there to Monaco for the EPT Grand Finale in Monte Carlo at the end of April. I’m super excited to play some live poker and start to see all of the positive things in my life come into focus. With the hopes I have for my poker year in 2010 and the work I’m putting into my physical health these days, I feel prepared and ready for the circuit. Let’s go!

Cheers!

Airline travel is not a fun thing, plain and simple. There are the security lines, limits on baggage weight, limits on the number of checked bags, and rules about what can be in your carry-on bags. Everything is so complicated!

Packing alone is a chore, especially when trying to pack for a few months. It’s hard to know what clothes and accessories to bring. How do I know how often I’ll be going out to nightclubs or nice dinners? I have to consider clothes for those occasions, for my new exercise routine, for casual days around the apartment, sleeping, casual lunches with friends… And speaking of exercise, I really wanted to bring my bike, , so I had to check with the airline about how much it would cost to check it on the plane and how to pack it, then I had to go to the cycling store to have them disassemble it, box it up, and help me get it back to my place before going to the airport.

Getting to the airport with all of my bags is another task, and once I get there, I had to deal with checking all of my bags, paying the fees for them, and only then could I go to the security line. Those lines are never fun, especially when you have to remove shoes, belt, jacket, and jewelry that might make the security alarm buzz. I take the computer from the carry-on bag, remove baggies full of liquids, throw away my bottle of water before going through the line, and remember to hold my boarding pass. After passing through security, it’s time to put everything back in their packed places, put my clothes and other accessories back on, and then trudge to the gate.

Oh, and once I arrived at the gate, they informed me that my flight was two hours late. Times like this is when first class tickets really comes in handy.

I guess I shouldn’t complain. I am going to be spending a few months in Europe in the springtime. It just used to be much easier to fly. And most people thought that by 2010, we’d be flying around in little space-mobiles like the Jetsons, right? LOL.

Anyway, I’m safe in Europe with my luggages, bike, and everything else that took me days to pack. Twelve hours later, I was back on the road headed to the airport again, hopping on the another flight to my second destination.

Cheers!

Everyone seems to be doing it these days, getting healthy I mean. People go on diets, start exercise plans, and try to remove some of the stress in their lives. And I may be joining them!

Not saying that I’m unhealthy. I’ve had personal trainers, exercised here and there, and tried to eat fairly balanced meals when my schedule allows. But being so busy with poker, business, and life, I let things get away from me. And the level of stress in my life sometimes gets so bad that I feel physically ill. That can’t be good! So, at the advice of a close friend, I’m going to make a more serious effort to get super healthy.

First, while in Europe over the coming months, I’ll be exercising more with the help of a top personal fitness trainer. If I make it more of a regular thing with a specific plan, it can be something that I continue when I’m back in the states and getting through the WSOP summer.

Second, I’ve been given a diet plan. This is the part I’m going to struggle with…I can tell! It’s a nutritional plan, where common sense prevails, so no starvation-type liquid-only type diets, just healthy well balanced meals containing the right amounts of carbohydrates, protein and good fat. For instance, the first day he has me eating porridge with berries and crushed almonds, fruit salad with sunflower seeds for a morning snack, tuna and veggies for lunch, boiled egg and avocado for an afternoon snack, and a thin slice of beef with veggies for dinner. It actually doesn’t sound so bad when I write it out, but I’m used to eating some pretty hearty meals! I might try this when I arrive in Europe and settle in, and it is only three days… We’ll see how that goes! :S

In the next few months I want to improve my total well-being; that means incorporating a lifestyle that is super healthy, enabling me to de-stress, and become stronger both physically and mentally. My persona is that of a workaholic perfectionist (if there is such a thing…or am I the first?!?) hehe , and through experience I have come to realize that I need to adopt a more balanced lifestyle to take care of ‘ME’!

Cheers!

It’s that time again, time for me to get on the road. Technically, in the air, but you know what I mean.

I have made my travel plans for the next few months, and all I can really say is that I’ll be in Europe. Why no specifics right now? Well, I’m not giving exact dates or exact locations because there are people who care a little too much about what I’m doing. Sorry stalkers! You’ll have to do some guessing on this one! LOL.

The only thing I can be specific about is the Chilipoker DeepStack Open, which I already mentioned in my blog. I wouldn’t miss it! It is scheduled for April 9-11 in France at the Pasino Aix-en-Provence, and the €550 Main Event looks to be a massive one. And there are two side events running as well, both freezeouts, one on April 10 with a €300 buy-in and the other on April 11 with a €150 buy-in. I probably won’t play the side events because I’ll be doing so well in the Main Event, of course! But there’s plenty of poker to be played at the Aix-en-Provence that weekend, so come join me!

Don’t forget that qualifiers are running now at Chilipoker for seats into the Main Event, and players are winning seats for as little as €1.1 through March 31. In order to help spice up the tournament, Chilipoker has launched two new concepts for all the Chilipoker qualified players and for those registering to the Main Event via their Chilipoker account:

·    Extra-Ball: You’ve kicked everybody out of the tournament and you are our final lucky winner? Chilipoker rewards you even more by adding 50% of your winnings to the prizepool: the first half is yours and the rest will be shared between all the Chilipoker qualified players of the Main Event! This is what we call the Chilipoker Spirit!

·    Knock-Out Insurance: You’ve busted out of the tournament, finished with no money but kicked at least 5 players out? Don’t be disappointed, Chilipoker wants to reward you for your action on the tables! We invite you to another Chilipoker DeepStack Open stage and will pay for your buy-in to the Main Event!

Chilipoker Deepstack Open (DSO) - Statut DSO VIP

There are other events going on over the next few months, and I plan to do some appearances for Chilipoker as well as take care of some business meetings. But I’m also really looking forward to the change of scenery! I’m so excited to get back and enjoy my next few months with coworkers and friends, and immerse myself in the culture before coming back to the States for the 2010 WSOP.

Cheers!

It was a quick day for me. I was out of the WPT L.A. Poker Classic in about two hours.

The first bad situation came on the second hand of the tournament. I was in the big blind with K(c)7(d), and I went to the flop with one caller who was in the cutoff position (Seat 9). The flop was 8(c)7(c)4(h), and when I bet 100, Seat 9 raised to 250, so I called. I checked the 3(c) on the turn, but when Seat 9 bet 850, I raised to 2K, and Seat 9 called. The river was K(d), and I bet 3K. Seat 9 called and showed 6(h)5(h) for the flopped straight, and my two pair were no good.

After ending Level 1 with 15K, I took the break and came back to a worse second level. The first big hand was when my pocket kings lost to A(h) 10(h) when my opponent flopped three hearts. Then the very next hand I tangled in another heads-up pot with Q(c)10(c). The Flop came 10(h) 3(s) 2(c) 2(s) ?. I checked, called $1100 on the flop, turn pairs the deuce, I pushed all-in for $5300, and got called with pocket jacks. River came a blank, so out I go!

I probably don’t have to say it, but I will. It was a frustrating day!

I left Commerce Casino not much in the mood for cash games or any more poker. I took some time to relax and plan a night out with friends. The next night, it came together when I headed out to West Hollywood for another girls night out with Shannon Elizabeth, Cheryl Burke, and some other friends. We did it right, with bottle service and the works, and simply hanging out with friends allowed me to forget about the LAPC and enjoy what’s more important - good friends and knowing that my life is good.

(at Voyeur Nightclub)

Cheers!

I started the weekend with such a positive attitude, as I took care of business during the day and headed to Commerce Casino in the evening for the WPT Celebrity Invitational. And it was a blast! There was an entire red carpet set-up for the celebrity players, with media there from poker companies to entertainment television shows. The celebrities were everywhere, but what I was most looking forward to was catching up with Alex (my sponsor) who had also flown to LA to attend this event and had some business meetings scheduled to attend as well. Everyone socialized for a couple hours at the welcome party before sitting down in the poker tournament. I was running late and barely made it just in time before the event started. One of the first poker pro I bumped into was my pal Joe Sebok. And thanks Matt for the photos!

(photo courtesy of Matt Waldon)

The tournament itself was wild! Play was kind of crazy, as some of the celebrities and invited guests weren’t very skilled at the game. There were tons of all-ins, but the rebuys were good because all of the money went to Chrysalis, a charity to help the homeless and hungry in Los Angeles. In tournaments such as this, majority of the bets will get called to the river so playing skilled poker and attempting clever moves wouldn’t be a smart thing to do. I played a total of about probably 8 hands, knocked out two players and doubling my chip stack twice before busting on my third all-in hand.

(photo courtesy of BJ Nemeth)

My first double up was against Howard Lederer. All-in preflop with KK’s against Howard’s 88’s. Flops 8 A 3 Q K. My second double up was through actor Dave Annable when I rivered a set of 88’s against his A 6. Flops A 3 6 Q 8. (phew). And finally my bust out hand was 99’s against JJ’s. I called a re-raise from player with JJ’s preflop, then pushed all-in on the flop of A 7 4 and got called. Turn and river were blanks and out I go with about 15 minutes left on the clock before day1 ended.

(photo courtesy of Matt Waldron)

But it was late that night that I received word from my friend Quinn Do that his little sister had just passed away. It was absolutely shocking news… I was deeply saddened to hear of his loss.

My deepest condolences and heartfelt words to Quinn and his family.
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. Although no words can really help to ease the loss you bear, just know that you are very close in every thought and prayer. May the peace which comes from the memories of love shared, comfort you now and in the days ahead.

Now I’m back in Las Vegas to handle some business matters but will be returning to Los Angeles later on today to see if I can do anything for Quinn and his family. I do plan to play the WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event as well, so I will try to balance the ups and downs of the week as best I can.

Please say a prayer or send a kind thought toward the Do family.

Cheers!

I decided this week that I needed a serious night on the town in Los Angeles. I don’t often take the time anymore to go out with friends and leave my computer unattended, so I was overdue for a fun evening.

The night didn’t start the way I planned, though. I was on my way to Koi, a fabulous restaurant in L.A., for dinner with Shannon Elizabeth when I actually got into a minor car accident. It wasn’t too serious and no one was hurt, but it was startling anyway. Once the person in the other car and I exchanged information, we went on our ways, and even though I was a bit shaken by it, I tried to put it out of my mind and go on with my plans.

Dinner at Koi was amazing, but even better was the conversation over dinner with Shannon. We are so similar and have so much in common that we can talk for hours! It had been too long since we really had the chance to catch up with what’s going on in our lives, and it was very refreshing to be able to do it over dinner.

Then we headed over to Voyeur Nightclub, after we met up with Cheryl Burke (awesome dancer on Dancing with the Stars!) who is also a great person and a lot of fun to hang out with. The three of us danced, enjoyed the music, and laughed all night. Such a relaxing and fun evening on the town! What started out with a car accident turned into a great time with friends.

I really needed it and feel very energized and ready for the WPT Celebrity Invitational today! I’m off to have fun but play a good game. As you know, anything with charity involved gets me excited anyway, so being able to play a WPT event and know that rebuys are going to a great cause is a perfect combination. I’ll report on my progress through the weekend, so stay tuned and wish me luck!

Cheers!

My plan was to come to L.A. last week and play the Monday tournament, but when I got to town the week before, life had other plans.

It started with a weekend call from my cousin in Vietnam. She told me that my aunt was in the hospital again but for an unknown reason. Of course this worries me and there’s nothing I can do from the U.S. except stay updated and make sure my aunt is getting the best care possible. Besides many phone calls to Vietnam, my weekend (and most of my week) ended up being filled with work and meetings, though I did fit in a quick trip to Rodeo Drive in L.A. to do a little shopping.

But poker was set aside for a few days, which means I didn’t play the LAPC preliminaries. The good part of that is that I’m saving my great poker for the Invitational and Main Event!  I will be heading to Commerce Casino on Saturday for the red carpet welcome party and the tournament that starts in the evening, and I plan to play through the day on Sunday, too, on my way to the final table. Then I’ll take a few days off before the start of the WPT LAPC Main Event that starts next Friday. I’m still feeling great about my game these days, so I’m looking for great results at Commerce!

Speaking of poker, if you missed my last post, check out the information on the Chilipoker DeepStack Open coming up in April. Players are starting to sign up, and a lot of Chilipoker players are already winning their seats. This looks to be a great event!

In the meantime, I have to send out a BIG congratulations to my friend Quinn Do, who announced his engagement to Gale Mah earlier this week. I’m so happy for them! And it is refreshing to see love in the air - so positive and powerful. Wonderful to see Quinn has found his true soul mate!

(photo courtesy of Anh Van Nguyen)

A true soul mate is probably the most important person you will ever meet. They will come into your life to reveal another layer of yourself to you. Someone that will mirror you, show you everything that is holding you back … a person who will bring you to your own attention so you can change your life.

May your engagement be the beginning of a lifetime filled with special love & happiness!

Cheers!