Liz “Poker Diva” Lieu is a professional poker player from Vietnam. She began playing in Texas holdem limit cash games. She played for years before trying out the tournament scene in 2005, when she played in a $1500 no-limit holdem WSOP event and placed fifth ($168,000). She went on to cash two more times that year and never looked back.
Her first win came in 2006 when she won the 2006 L.A. Poker Classic $1000 limit holdem event. Then she came back and won the same event again in 2007. She has recently done very well on the Asian Poker Tour with two final tables in Macau last November. To date, Lieu has won over $666,000 in tournament cashes on tour, and continues to play high-stakes limit cash games. In 2006, she was honored by the WSOP and ESPN as a “Final Table Grand Marshall” with Johnny Chan.
Most top pros have a good poker face. You don’t reach the upper levels of poker by giving away your hand to your opponents. But there is one player who is more disciplined than any other when it comes to giving out information.
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson has a routine that he goes through every time it’s his turn to act. He will pause for an equal amount of time whenever it’s his turn, and he announces his actions with the same tone and speed each time.
With the addition of the big cowboy hat and sunglasses, it’s pretty much impossible to get a physical tell on him. After his turn, he sits still like a statue until it’s his turn to play again. The only way you’ll ever pick up a tell on Chris Ferguson would be through a betting pattern, and you would need to be lucky to discover it.
It’s now official. Josh Arieh, the two time WSOP bracelet winner who has long been associated with Bodog has now finished his deal with them.
“Bodog and Josh have mutually decided to part ways at the end of April. Josh had a great run as a member of Team Bodog over the past four years that included finishing third at the 2004 WSOP Main Event, winning his second WSOP bracelet in 2005 and a number of final-table appearances at high profile tournaments. We sincerely enjoyed our association with Josh and appreciate all that he brought to Team Bodog. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors, both at and away from the poker table.” Said a spokesperson for Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, the Bodog brand licensee in North America.
As for Josh this is what he had to say: “It was a great three-year run with Bodog. Angela (Josh’s wife) and I have met a few of our closest friends through Bodog and it probably wouldn’t have been possible if I weren’t with them. I won the Calvin Ayre Wildcard Poker event because of my affiliation with them. I’ve got nothing but kind words to say about them… they were a stepping stone in my life and now I’m ready to move on to bigger and better things that I know will present themselves to me.”
Is Team Bodog’s Justin Bonomo any good? Well let’s see, how does 13 final tables in the last three years sound? Or having won $1.6M in tournament cash over that same period? Let’s not forget his success online as “ZeeJustin”, despite the cheating he recklessly committed when he was younger.
This kid is very good, and he’s lighting it up on the pro tours. He has three final tables in 2008, and he’s poised to take a run at the WSOP next month. He cashed three times there last year, and Bodog is banking he gets deep into some events this year.
His success has helped erase his rocky beginnings. After being banned online, some tried to ban him from the game altogether. But he has shown that he belongs with the best in the world, and after his public apology we all should forgive him for his youthful mistakes.
David Chiu just won $3.3M at the Five Star World Classic Poker Classic / WPT World Championship Season 6. He’s no stranger to the winner’s circle, having seven first-place finishes in his career, including four WSOP bracelets. He already had $2.6M in tournament earnings before the WPT Championship, and is considered one of the best limit holdem players in the world.
Chiu is also considered to be one of the best pros at reading opponents. He attributes this to a swimming accident that left him partially deaf. He had to start to watch people more closely for their reactions, and brought this skill to the poker table.
He had seven cashes last year, for over $100,000 in winnings in many different poker variations including no-limit holdem, pot limit Omaha, 7 Card Stud and H.O.R.S.E. He’s made numerous televised appearances, but the WPT win will put him with the elite in the game.
