THE STRAITS TIMES MONDAY. When she plays .#‘e poker, it’s war BY MARCEL LEE PEREIRA SHE used to work on chips — the kind that power computers., She now cashes in chips —the kind that poker players wai4 to pile up. Taiwan-born Ms J.J. Liu, 41, is happy to have made the switch from computer engineer to poker player. She has amassed abouQjS$1 milflon (S$1.55 million) iif-pize money since she started playing 10 years ago. Ms Liu, now an American is one of the few women takipg part in Singapore’s first legal poker tournament. Reading Sun Tzu’s Art Of War has helped her master the game, she said. “When you play in a tournament, it’s like going to war.” Qualifying rounds for the tournament’s main event began yesterday at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel. The main event, which starts on Wednesday, carries a Us$2 million prize which will be shared among the top players. • Yesterday, more than• 100 spectators turned up to watch as the first card was drawn. Members of the public need to pay $20 each to watch the entire six-day event. This week’s tournament will also be screened in 32 countries some time next year. j Incidentally, it was a four of diamonds, dealt to Finnish poker player Antero Vartia, 25, taking part in his first major live • poker tournament. He was one of the 160 contestants who registered for the opening day of the Betfair • Asian Poker Tour, organised by United Kingdom-based online betting exchange Betfair and its local partner Capital Events. One non-player who turned up was housewife Monique Wee, 70, who was there out of “curiosity” because it was a first for Singapore.





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