Joanne Liu – Joanne Liu – JJ – Poker Player
• Name: Joanne Liu
• Nickname: JJ
• Current Residence: Palo Alto, Calif., United States Las Vegas, Nev., United States
• Birth Date: April 10, 1965
• Birth Place: Taipei, Taiwan
2 reasons to watch poker experts in major poker competitions: first, because of their popular names and second, due to the inevitably, because of their exocentric well dressings. Joanne “J.J.” Liu is one of those performers who assigns for both reasons.
Liu is, actually, one of the mainly winning female poker contestants, wearing a distinctive hat which help her being seen among the crowd.
She begun playing poker after walking into the Bay 101 Casino in San Jose, Calif., in 1996. In that same year, she also begun cashing in competitions, including a final table finishing in the $3,000 Limit Hold’em incident of the WSOP (World Series of Poker).
Liu born in Taipei, Taiwan, grows up speaking Mandarin Chinese. Liu, her three brothers and one sister were fine-versed in Chinese betting competitions at the first age.
However, while in Taiwan, Liu wasn’t showed to Texas Hold’em Poker.
Liu moved to Peoria Ill, after being graduate from Ming Chuan College, where she worked on a master’s degree in computer science at Bradley University. From Peoria Ill, she went to work for Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, Calif.
Liu mind was suited for working with computer chips since she earns bright young software engineering abilities, however, it didn’t take long to discover that she was suited for poker chips as well.
She perfected her Limit Hold’em diversion for quite a few years while ongoing to work in Palo Alto.
At that time, Liu also begun to shift to No-Limit Hold’em as it expand more and more esteem.
By 2004, “J.J.” , so nicknamed by her friends, had to stand up for a bright list of poker tournaments cashes, including two more final table finishes in World Series of Poker trials.
Money and delight of winning competitions encouraged Liu to release her initial job and stays a full-time poker pro.
With nearly $1 million in cashes over the years, it’s easy to say Liu made the right decision.
Since departing pro, Liu has cashed in a few more WORLD SERIES OF POKER (WSOP) trials in addition of making the final table of the 2005 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas.
Liu obtain the fourth-place finish in that game in addition of various other poker achievements in 2006 caught the attention of WPT planners, who invited her to play in the WPT Season 5 Ladies Night Out.
There, she stands in front of Vanessa Rousso, Erica Schoenberg, Anahit Galajian, Kelli Griggs, and defending champion Jennifer Tilly.
Ladies Night Out was Liu’s time to shine, gain fame and excel. With her new nickname “Mac Truck” by the WPT’s Linda Johnson, Liu played an extraordinarily calm competition while the host favorite, Kelli Griggs, worked over most of the other antagonists.
When the heads-up between the two ladies, Liu’s, with full of patience and practice, paid off for her first WPT Championship win.
She mentionned later on, that she isn’t constantly an aggressive competitor, however likes to estimate her antagonists first to show out what approach will work better.
Liu was not only lucky in poker, but lucky in love too. In 2006, she get married fellow pro poker performer Dan Alspach in a true ceremony to their completely matched showy behaviors.
(Liu adores amazing hats and zany outfits and she wears custom-made matching shirts and visors during play-offs.)
Trivia
• Famed for her fun hat collection
• Starts playing poker in 1996
• Highest nominating woman in a WPT championship incident
• Won WPT Ladies Night IV
