Here in Europe we are quite used to seeing some of our best players pack up and leave for a new life in Las Vegas or California where, let’s face it, the Streets of Poker have been more likely to be paved with gold than empty crisp packets and discarded chewing gum. Take Spain’s Carlos Mortensen or Patrik Antonius from Finland as two examples; both now ply their trade from the States and return rarely to Europe unless the prize package on offer, like that in the European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo or the World Series of Poker Europe, makes it worthwhile.    

Now, with the continuing legislative headlock in the States, things could swing into reverse, particularly as many of the commercial opportunities relating to poker have switched to Europe, ready to push further east towards the untapped market that is Asia.     

As it happens, the first of America’s poker stars has already arrived for a new life, with Liz Lieu, the “Poker Diva”, moving this summer from Los Angeles to London.    

 “This is where the business opportunities are now,” she told me. “Here we can make things happen.”      

Of course, she is positioned rather nicely to take advantage of the shift in poker’s marketplace towards Asia, having originally come from Vietnam. Being a thing of beauty helps, too. A new sponsorship deal with Chili Poker has been secured already, and that deal will ensure Liz plays in many of our biggest events, including most of the EPT series, and she promises to play again in Singapore and elsewhere in Asia.  Leaving Family Behind The move from the U.S will not be without its problems, however. Liz remains extremely close to her family, and leaving them behind is a particular wrench.    

 “It is a huge move and I am already homesick,” she said as we sat in a plush London hotel for coffee. “But I’m sure that with so much going on here that feeling will soon go. I really love London – the only problem is the weather, but having taken on all the big boys in the big cash games I am not going to let something like the weather worry me.”     

Lieu has already discovered another drawback of living in the UK’s capital city – the property prices. On her website, she writes: “I knew the cost of living over here is more than the U.S., but wow! To rent a flat in areas where I prefer to live, it will cost about 800-1,000 pounds per week, which is equal to about $1,600-$2,000. Per week? Eek! So, I’m still looking for one that I will really like!”      

Yet there will be plenty to compensate for these minor problems – the shopping, for one. Liz is a true fashion plate and always seems decked out in the latest styles, with new and constantly changing hairdos and perfect nails and makeup.     

Liz is a clever woman but is the first to admit she did not make the most of her education back in Colorado (where she lived and grew up before moving to California).    

 “I did not really do the education thing,” she smiles. “I was never ‘into’ school.”      

Instead, the diminutive figure with a large personality stumbled into poker. She began by helping out a friend who was setting up games – and then worked as a dealer.      

“It was a great poker education. I was dealing thousands upon thousands of hands in a short space of time. Soon I was trying to guess what cards players were holding – and by the time I was correctly putting them on hands eight times out of ten I knew I was capable as a player myself.”      She turned pro soon after, and agrees that putting other players on hands is a skill that many beginners fail to adopt, but it is one that is so crucial for success.  High Stakes? No Problem And success there has been. Liz Lieu is best known as a high-stakes cash player – “I will play up to 1,000-2,000 limit or 100-200 no-limit” – and she is a successful tournament player, too, with more than $600,000 in winnings to her name, including two modest cashes at the World Series this summer. I suspect limit hold’em is her favourite form of poker, and she is certainly quick to defend it:    

 “A lot of people think limit is boring, but really the higher you go (in stakes), the more skill you need.”     It would be a little naive, however, to suggest the Poker Diva has only secured decent sponsorship deals because of her financial wins at the table. Of course, her good looks and Asian background are vital new marketing tools as poker sites look to exploit the potential goldmine that is the Asian market. Liz comes from Vietnam and admits that, so far at least, the game of poker as we now know it is not huge in Asia.      

“The economy is better than before and there is talk of a casino being built in Hanoi,” she said, “but many people will not have a clue about Texas hold’em. It will be easy for Asian players to pick it up, however, because they play a lot of 13-card Chinese Poker.”     

And it goes without saying: They love a gamble!  Poker With a Heart To suggest Lieu will be returning to her roots simply to help make a fast buck could not be further from the truth, however. As well as supporting her family through poker, she works tirelessly for charity. There are three causes she champions – Multiple Sclerosis research and the WIN (Women in Need) Foundation are two, but the one that strikes a chord so much to her personally is her work back in Vietnam. She makes regular trips back there to help out in poverty-stricken rural outreaches.   

 Lieu’s charity work is part of a growing trend within the game that is helping to put poker in a good light: It has a heart. She herself was “delighted” to see Jerry Yang go on to win the World Series Main Event after pledging 10 percent of whatever he won to charity. And she is also a great fan of Barry Greenstein, who famously gives his tournament winnings to good causes. Greenstein himself has been critical of Lieu in the past, suggesting she spends too much time marketing herself rather than concentrating on her game. He has a point, in that she has now appointed business managers to further her career, but her winnings don’t mount up by accident – and her charity work in Vietnam can only be a good thing for that country, and for poker itself.   

 With her move to Europe, expect to bump into Liz Lieu at a tournament near you soon. You’ll soon realise there is more to this 33-year-old than image – and just hope you do not end up on her table.