Hearing stories about women breaking through the glass ceiling is always inspiring, and it is especially touching when it comes to the poker world, which mostly consists of male players (we're talking about 95% of all players, if statistics are to be believed).
That is why the poker community was so excited when Xuan Liu became the first woman to win a Triton poker title. Who is Liu? What was her poker career like so far? Find out more about this outstanding poker player in our Everygame Poker player profile!
Xuan Liu's Poker Career
Born in Tianjin, China, in 1985, Xuan Liu immigrated to Canada with her parents when she was 5 years old. According to her claims, Liu learned the basics of poker by the age of 7 by watching movies and TV shows, and she even set up poker games between herself and her stuffed animals.
Fast forward to her university years. As she studied social development studies and political science at the University of Waterloo, she kept playing poker and even hosted a few games herself, playing with renowned players like Glen Chorny, Steve Paul, and many more.
And while her first recorded game took place in 2007, she began participating in more live games only three years later. In her first year of playing poker more seriously, she won a handful of small events, but in 2011, she landed in 3rd place in an EPT (European Poker Tour) event, winning more than half a million dollars.
Liu's first major win signaled the beginning of a lucrative career, and over the years, this marvelous poker player made $3,289,814 in live earnings. In 2017, she even won 1st place in a World Poker Tour event, landing her in the top 20 Hendon Mob Women's All Time Money List.
The Big Triton Win
While Liu's career has been pretty successful so far, her latest achievement is the most noteworthy of all. On May 13, Liu participated in the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Budva, winning first place in the $25,000 No Limit Hold'em WPT Global Slam.
The Canadian poker pro entered a field of 155 entries, and she managed to outshine them all. Not only did she leave the table with a $860,000 profit, but Liu also became the first female poker player to win a Triton title.
In an interview, Liu said she joined the poker event intending to play only in the first event, and she made her only appearance at the tables count. After leaving the event victorious, Liu said: “Obviously this is beyond my wildest dreams… this is what the beauty of poker is all about… anybody can get lucky on any given day.”
Out of the 27 finishers at the event, only three women won a share of the $3,875,000 prize pool. Sosia Jiang finished in 20th place, winning $46,500 in the process, while Kristen Foxen came in 4th place with a $325,000 cash win.
What Does the Future Hold for Liu?
It is clear that Xuan Liu is on the right track to become one of the most influential and successful female poker players in the industry. At this moment in time, she is occupying 2nd place on the Hendon Mob 2025 Women Money List, with Kristen Foxen keeping a strong hold of 1st place.
Hopefully, we will see both these strong women winning more events and breaking new records, providing other women with the required inspiration to try their luck at poker themselves.