Poker Superstar Profile: Kathy Liebert
December 29, 2010 12:31 pmA quick glance at the ‘Women’s All Time Money List’ will confirm than Kathy Liebert is still way ahead of the competition and on $5,722,371 in live tournament winnings remains around $1.5 million ahead of second place Annie Duke.
The WSOP bracelet winner would also make 43rd position on the ‘All Time Money List’ close to such players as Doyle Brunson, Ted Forrest and Hoyt Corkins, which Liebert may consider a more apt comparison of her poker achievements. After all, as Kathy Liebert explains:
“It’s not a game of strength; it’s a game of intelligence. And a lot of it has to do with patience and discipline, as well as memory, and so I would say that women have all of the skills and in some cases even more of the skills than men in terms of being successful poker players.”
The 43 year-old originally from Nashville achieved a degree in business and finance and after a stint as a business analyst, became financially secure after investing in the stock market.
However, Kathy was left unfulfilled by the work and after quitting to tour the USA, she settled in Colorado, where gambling was legalized in parts of the state.
After improving her poker game at the local casino, Kathy was then recruited by management to be an action pro player for the establishment. However, it was in 1994 that Kathy got a real taste of success in her new chosen profession after travelling to Las Vegas and placing 2nd in two tournaments over the space of one week. Kathy earned $23,137 for her outlay of $300 and her success continued as she consistently managed to reach final table after final table.
Grinding out a good living from cash and tournament poker, Kathy Liebert then hit her first six-figure score after finishing 2nd at the 1997 WSOP $3k NL event for $123,690. Liebert then became the first woman in history to win $1 million after triumphing at the 2002 PokerParty Million and achieved further poker celebrity when she took down the $1,500 limit Shootout event at the 2004 WSOP for $110,180.
Over her long illustrious career spanning 16 years, Liebert has now made $5,722,371 from live tournaments, and still continues to improve on that figure each year.
“In the future, I’ll continue to play the big tournaments, but maybe not so many of the small ones. I expect to win a few no-limit championships, hopefully this year and beyond,” commented the much respected Kathy Liebert.