A bored astrophysics student graduate applies for a reality TV show after finishing university, only discovering after applying that the programmes aim is to train up a gang of poker virgins. En route to the grand prize on Ultimate Poker Showdown (she would fall at the final hurdle) Liv learned the ways of the game from luminaries such as Devilfish, Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, with whom she remains friends with today. Livs Journey from know-nothing to fully fledged poker pro, via the well populated Beginners games of Gutshot club (starting point for British institutions like Nick Persaud, James Akenhead and Roland de Wolfe). In a remarkably short time is one of the big stories of the 2000 poker boom. The girl from the country now boasts a healthy bank balance, sponsorship and support from the worlds biggest site, a major title to her name - the record breaking EPT San Remo she bagged in 2010 and a legion of fans.

You’ve had some online success this year. Is that where you see your future or do you still get a buzz out of live play?

In all honesty I’ve fallen for playing online more than live play this year. Online has been so good for me and live has been fairly rubbish so I can see what you’re getting at! Ultimately though there is no rush quite like making a huge final table and online poker can’t replace my love for the live action. Hopefully they can just compliment each other and make me a better player.

In the EPT San Remo coverage you were quite open about dissecting some of your hands, in Particular a big mistake you made en route to winning. Do you feel you’ve since ironed out a lot of bad plays from your game?

I’d like to think my game has improved significantly Since San Remo, and I’ve definitely gotten rid of some fundamental mistakes I was making. That said, I still make mistakes and I’m constantly trying to improve, so it’d be good to look back at my game in a years time and be able to say the same thing.

Do you feel tainted by your association with UB.com or do you just put it down to getting what you could? And in any case, should poker pros feel guilty about associating themselves with controversial sites?

It’s impossible to go through life without making tough decisions and yes, some sites have let down a lot of people over the last few years. That said – I do not feel tainted in any way I wouldn’t necessarily be at this point and who I am now. There’s no cut and dry answer to your second question, but I believe if a pro is promoting a site that they genuinely believe is operating honestly and correctly then they aren’t doing anything wrong, even if it turns out later on that it’s not the case.

What are the weirdest requests you’ve had from the media?

The best was when guy said he was an interviewer and asked for a chat about the EPT. We sit down at an empty table and he gets his I phone out and starts recording – and has absolutely no questions prepared. That would’ve been fine if a) he could have thought of some decent ones on the spit and b) he’d actually been a real interviewer and not just some random guy clearly doing it for a laugh.

What’s the weirdest requests you’ve had from fans?

The usual chatbox marriage proposals and then the obscene ones I cant repeat but usually make me giggle. The weirdest ones are on Twitter.

You were coached early on by Phil Hellmuth, Devilfish and Annie Duke. Were you mindful that your table image wasn’t influenced by the pros who coached you when you started to make it in Poker?

They all have quite different table images but I’d like to think I have my own personality and style of play by now! It’s impossible to play poker regularly on TV and not show some form of emotion, be it elation, frustration or anger, so it’s odd when members of the poker community express shock when someone shows emotion at the table! Anyway, aren’t strong personalities and reactions what make the game so interesting, especially to the casual viewers. Bland, emotionless players make it very dull viewing and would quickly kill off the public’s interest for the game, damaging our industry.

 

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