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.
Poker Stars is the biggest online poker room in the world. They offer more action for more games than anywhere else. The frequent-player points program is very flexible and the gaming software is fast and interactive, with lots of good options. Cash-outs couldn’t be easier; all the cash-out options are there and they will even FedEx any cash-out over $1000 to your door in a couple of days.
Poker Stars has built its massive player base all by themselves and are not connected to a playing network. The games offered are Limit and No-Limit Texas Hold’em, as well as both Hi and Hi-Lo versions of Omaha and Seven-Card Stud. The site also offers No-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo games, H.O.R.S.E., H.O.S.E., 2-7 Triple Draw, Five-Card Draw and Razz.
Stats for the site show 14,400 ring game players and as many as 120,000 tournament players at peak times. They also offer the best tournament action online.
Since 2004, Full Tilt Poker has worked tirelessly at becoming a leader in the industry of online poker. With aggressive marketing techniques, like sponsoring more than 40 of poker’s top professionals, Full Tilt has the second-highest traffic volumes in the industry. Peak hours will have 9,200 ring game players and as many as 60,000 tournament players. The points shop is one of the best online and the poker room software is unique and innovative.
Action is offered in Pot-Limit, No-Limit and Fixed Limit betting structures. Available games include Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo, Five Card Draw and Razz. You can also find action for mixed games like H.O.R.S.E and H.O.S.E. Heads-up and short-handed games are also in abundance. Tournament action is top-notch with $5 million in weekly guaranteed events. Full Tilt also offers the best bonuses online today, giving depositors a $600 bonus.
Texas Holdem has become the world’s most popular game because it’s possible for any thinking person to win a world championship at the game. That simply can’t be done in any other game that competes at this level.
It combines the thinking of chess with the luck of the draw. No matter how skilled one player may be against the other, there’s always a chance that luck could reward either player.
Texas Holdem has been the variation for all the main events in major poker tournaments. The game allows more players to play a hand at once, as each player only has two hole cards. Other games have four or more hole cards per player, limiting the amount that can play in a hand to seven players.
Holdem allows you to play with more friends at once, which certainly makes the home games a lot better than the old draw poker nights of the past.
When it comes to WSOP Bracelets there are five men at the top of the heap.
1. Phil Hellmuth has won 11 WSOP bracelets in only 18 years, all playing no-limit Texas hold’em. Phil claims that he gave away all of them besides the main event championship.
2. Doyle Brunson has 10 bracelets in seven different poker variations. His last was in 2005 and he’s a threat to win one every year.
3. Johnny Chan also has 10 bracelets to his credit. Like Doyle he has won bracelets in seven different variations of the game, and he won all of them in only 20 years.
4. Johnny Moss is right up there with nine bracelets of his own. He’s won them all playing either No limit Hold’em, Ace to Five Draw or Seven Card Stud.
5. Erik Seidel comes in fifth with eight. He has wins in six different poker variations.
