Taming Triton: Xuan Liu Becomes Tour’s First Woman Champ

With just a short time left on her contract as a WPT Global ambassador, Xuan Liu had some cash remaining in her account for tournament play just as her contract with the company was set to expire. She’d always wanted to give a Triton Poker event a shot and the online poker brand was sponsoring the $25,000 buy-in WPT Global Slam at the Triton stop in Montenegro.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity to use some of those tournament bucks, repping the brand for one of the last times and hopefully having a nice run in an event full of high rollers. Liu accomplished much more than that.

After three days of action, the 40-year-old Canadian poker pro came out on top to become the first woman ever to win a Triton event, collecting $860,000, the biggest cash of her career. Liu topped a field of 155 entries including a stacked final table that included Daniel Dvoress, David Peters, Mike Watson, Kristen Foxen, and other poker sharks.

“I’d been thinking about playing Triton, kind of just dabbling in it, but never really got the opportunity just because it didn’t quite fit into my schedule,” said Liu, who divides her time between Toronto and Las Vegas. “It just so happened to be the very last event where I could spend some money in my budget. And so, it’s very serendipitous that I had exactly 25 days to spend it. I was like, ‘Okay, I guess I have to go to this now or else the money’s just going to evaporate.’”

Liu spoke with Card Player about the big win, her unique life in poker, and how despite her success, her mother is still ready for her to get a more stable day job.

Conquering Triton

The last-minute decision to play in the Montenegro series couldn’t have turned out much better, despite the tough competition. A few big moments stand out for Liu. Early in the tournament, she won a three-way all-in that made coasting into the money relatively easy, she admitted. Liu had A-K and got all the chips in against two players who both held A-Q.

“Working with a big stack all the way to the money is kind of nice,” she said. When heads-up play began Dvoress held a 4:1 chip advantage, but she was able to cut into that and eventually wrangle the lead herself after a massive hand that saw her pocket fives hold up against his A-Q.

“It’s definitely the biggest win of my career,” Liu said. “At the final table, when I was short-stacked and just kind of hoping to ladder, I was like, ‘Okay, what place do I need to beat my other biggest score,’ and it worked out to be third place. So, once I beat that, there was very, very little pressure.”

That’s not to say that Liu shouldn’t feel comfortable at a table full of top players. She has been playing poker professionally since the early 2010s. Liu didn’t bring any particular strategy to deal with the tougher competition. Being a lone wolf in town with just a single mission also played to her advantage.

“I was just trying to play the best poker that I could play,” she recalled. “I definitely was able to play a bit more because I knew it was kind of a one-off thing. It’s not like they were going to get another chance to play with me really. So, they were feeling me out as much as anything. Whereas, I’ve seen a lot of these top guys play a bunch from following them and Triton over the years. I feel like my opponents were more on their toes in regard to me because there is so few stats and footage of me playing tournaments.”

Poker Free Agent

That single win has meant some big opportunities professionally for Liu. She certainly made the most of her final few weeks as a brand ambassador for WPT Global, and may now parlay that into even more. As the World Series of Poker got underway, Liu was busy taking meetings regarding business deals, sponsorships, possible collaborations, and other opportunities.

It has been a busy time since returning from Montenegro, but Liu says it feels good to be in the driver’s seat.

“I haven’t played a day of poker since I’ve been back, taking a bunch of meetings and strategizing in that department for the most part,” she said two weeks after the win. “There are other non-endemic agencies and PR situations that would like to work with me. As for poker companies, there are a few of them, and I would say a couple of top contenders, but still working out the [details]. And not needing a sponsorship is very nice, because I just have all these options and leverage. “

Along with WPT Global, Liu has been a hot commodity among online poker operators. Through the years she has represented Natural8 and 888poker and now may add another brand. But while life has changed a bit from a professional perspective after Triton, Liu says her outlook and the kind of person she is remains the same.

Along with playing, Liu is also a budding content creator with more than 60,000 YouTube subscribers. Her videos go beyond poker to include health and personal wellness, travel, and more. She’s hoping to expand more of that in the future.

One of her latest videos documented her trip to Boston to be part of a poker panel at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, where she joined fellow players Jen Shahade, Nate Silver, and Alexandra Botez. A video about her win in Montenegro included some insight on visiting Dubai along the way as well. Her interests beyond poker are on full display and that seems to resonate with viewers, but poker certainly remains a passion.

“I’m still going to play as much poker as before,” she said, “but I like really picking my spots and being more intentional with my goals and focus.”

College Poker To Six-Figure Wins

Like many pro players, poker became part of life for Liu at an early age. Born in Tianjin, China, her family immigrated to Toronto, Canada, when she was five years old. Her parents separated when she arrived in Canada and her grandmother raised her for many years. She remembers playing poker with family members as a kid.

Liu attended eight different universities before settling on Waterloo University, and she believes that background helped make her more of an independent person.

As a child, she quickly transitioned from English as a second language classes to gifted programs, including becoming valedictorian in grade school. She also became interested in sports, competing in volleyball, basketball, soccer, and baseball – earning athlete of the year in junior high.

She was a bit rebellious in high school, with missed deadlines and “an issue with authority,” a history that might resonate with some other poker pros. Despite that, Liu earned a full scholarship to the University of Waterloo, which had also been the training ground for several other successful Canadian poker players, including Mike Watson, Will Ma, Nenad Medic, Glen Chorny, Steve Paul-Ambrose, and Mike McDonald. She studied political science and graduated in 2008, but credited that time in Waterloo, Ontario, helped hone her poker skills.

Always a games player, Liu said she simply loves challenges and that carries over to the poker felt.

“My dad’s side of the family enjoys card games and Mah Jong regularly, so part of me was predestined to play this game,” she explained. “The main thing I enjoy about poker is the fact that it generally doesn’t feel like work to me. Even when my game stagnates or I feel outmatched, I feel like I have all the qualities necessary to succeed. I enjoy making correct decisions when there are so many variables involved.”

Some nice results came almost immediately after leaving college behind. In 2011, she finished third in the European Poker Tour San Remo main event for $534,564. Another six-figure score came the next year when she took fourth in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure main event for $600,000.

She continued with more nice scores, including a runner-up in a side event at the Aussie Millions in 2015 for $56,485 and a fourth-place finish in a $2,500 event at the Hard Rock Poker Open for $70,900. Another major victory came her way in 2017 after finding the top spot in the WPT Fallsview Poker Classic for $228,042.

She now has almost $4 million in live tournament winnings, moving her inside the top 10 all-time money list for women. However, Liu doesn’t put too much stock in those kinds of rankings.

“It’s kind of a cool list, but it doesn’t matter that much because I just don’t play that many tournaments,” she said. “I know it’s all just a matter of time and if I really wanted to… if one day I wake up and I’m like, ‘I want to be top so and so,’ I don’t think it’s rather difficult. That list just shows you your winnings, and not necessarily your ROI (return on investment) profit. So as long as you’re playing and getting some cashes, you’re going to move up in that list.”

From a training perspective, studying becomes a bigger focus for Liu as a major event approaches. She tries to immerse herself and take a look at some of the most common scenarios she might see in a specific game or tournament. A few poker coaches offer some advice as well.  While Liu has many friends in the game, she doesn’t stick with just one group and seeks perspectives from a wide variety of players.

“I don’t like to be cliquey, because I think you can learn something from almost every school book poker thought.”

On And Off The Felt

Liu can often be found on live streamed cash games, and has been a regular through the years in streamed shows like Hustler Casino Live, High Stakes Poker, Poker At The Lodge, Bally Live Poker, and others. But most of the year, she plays simply when she feels like it and doesn’t keep to a fixed schedule. When not hitting the tables, Liu has a wide variety of interests.

“Too many to count,” Liu admitted. “I’m very ADHD with my interests. I like to try everything. Right now, I’m a beginner golfer, but I’m obsessed with it and I’m constantly looking for times I can sneak away to golf. Spending time at the range is very meditative for me. And it’s very humbling, starting from scratch at something you’re not very good at.”

Other pastimes include health and fitness, and even gaming. Liu is a regular League of Legends player and also enjoys traveling. “All the things that make life worthwhile,” she added. “Away from poker, honestly, if I were to somehow pass away tomorrow, I’d still be very fulfilled.”

As for her goals in poker, the Canadian pro would love to win a WSOP bracelet and add her name to the WPT Mike Sexton Champions Cup at some point.

When she first started playing, Liu’s mother had her doubts about poker as a career. Liu promised to give it a year and to see how things went. It was sink or swim – and if she couldn’t cut it Liu would find a “real” job. Those big wins meant that never happened.

After a decade and half of playing poker full time and millions of dollars in winnings, has her mother had a change of heart about her daughter’s career choice?

“I just saw her a couple of weeks ago, and she still asked me when I was going to settle down and do something more stable,” she says with a laugh. “I just told her I’m doing okay, and she doesn’t have to worry.”

• Photos by PokerGO, WPT, Triton Poker, Card Player