A Landmark Year for Women in Poker
The year 2025 may go down as one of the best stretches in history for women in poker, and it started weeks before Shiina Okamoto won her second straight World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ladies Event or Leo Margets became the first woman in poker’s modern era to make the final table of the Main Event.
That surge began in May, when longtime pro Xuan Liu made history as the first woman to win a Triton Poker title. Months later, Liu is back in action and chasing another trophy at the inaugural Triton One festival on South Korea’s Jeju Island.
Triton Montenegro Breakthrough
Liu’s breakthrough came in the $25,000 WPT Global Slam at Triton Montenegro, where she secured a career-best $860,000 by defeating fellow Canadian Daniel Dvoress heads-up. The final table was loaded with elite talent, including David Peters (3rd) and Kristen Foxen (4th). Reflecting on the moment, Liu said the victory “meant a lot because Triton is the most esteemed series.”
“At one point, I felt like it was me up against some of the best players in the world,” she said. “And I honestly ran really good to win. But it gave me a lot of confidence. It’s been a few years since I’ve won a tournament. Not that I play a lot of tournaments anymore, but it felt nice to earn it at a Triton.”
She later added, “I felt like I was on top of the world for just a minute there.”
Career Resume and Major Scores
Liu’s résumé reflects a distinguished tournament career, even as her volume has tapered in recent years. She has $3.3 million in live tournament earnings, with highlights that include a third-place finish at the 2011 European Poker Tour (EPT) Sanremo Main Event for $524,705, a fourth-place result at the 2012 Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event for $600,000 as the first woman to final table the prestigious event, and a 2017 WPT Fallsview Poker Classic title in Niagara Falls for $232,114.
“Those scores came at a time when I was playing a lot of poker,” she said. “And even though poker is my primary bread and butter these days, I don’t actually play that often anymore. I feel like I have the luxury to pick and choose my spots a lot more wisely now. So it actually means even more that I could close out (in Montenegro).”
Selected Career Highlights
| Year | Tour/Series | Event | Result | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | EPT | Sanremo Main Event | 3rd | $524,705 |
| 2012 | PCA | Main Event | 4th | $600,000 |
| 2017 | WPT | Fallsview Poker Classic | Winner | $232,114 |
| 2025 | Triton/WPT | $25K WPT Global Slam (Montenegro) | Winner | $860,000 |
Reinventing Her Game
Liu’s life as a full-time tournament grinder is largely in the rearview. She now focuses primarily on cash games — including televised appearances on High Stakes Poker — while “trying to expand my own career and just see what’s possible.” That expansion includes sharing her story on podcasts and speaking at an MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference alongside Nate Silver, Jen Shahade and Alexandra Botez.
“I’m trying to put myself out there even more,” Liu said. “I feel like I have a very unique story, and to be honest, I wish that when I was coming up in the poker world, I had more people like me to look up to and aspire to.”
“I have poker to thank for where I am now. My trajectory has been really unique and I feel like I’ve had to sort of forge my own path and continue to reinvent myself.”
First Triton One Outing in Jeju
Born in China, Liu has played extensively across Asia, but this trip marked her first time competing in Jeju. “I always love playing poker here (in Asia),” she said. “Quite honestly, usually the casinos aren’t quite as freezing and the food is much more to my taste.”
As of the time of publishing, she was preparing to play Day 1C of the $3,000 Triton One Genesis and sat 66th in chips among the 236 remaining players.
“I kind of just go where the buzz is, and right now it’s … Triton One,” she said. “And I think it’s a fantastic stop.” She added that if the series continues to broaden access for players across the spectrum, she plans to keep showing up.
