Poker News

Susie Isaacs

In the last two issues of Poker Player we followed the career of poker superstar Kathy Liebert from Dun and Bradstreet to the green felt. We left off just as she had met 1990 World Poker Champion Mansour Matloubi.

Susie Isaacs: I feel as if we just started a new chapter. Please continue.

Kathy Liebert: He came up to me and asked if he could buy a piece of my action. He had been watching my play. I knew he was a world champion and I was surprised and flattered. I had been doing so great and he seemed a little surprised at my success. He asked me if I was from a wealthy family because if I kept playing the way I was playing, I would need some crown jewels to sell. He tried to help me but it didn’t work out that way. I was trying to play his style and it wasn’t natural for me. It actually hurt my game. He had a more ABC game and I had been playing more the people than the cards. During the next couple of years I made some final tables and of course money finishes but overall my results weren’t that special.

SI: Well you have certainly turned everything around. How did you do it?

KL: I went to visit my father in New York over the holidays. I told him that I used to win so much and now … My Dad, who knows very little about poker said, “If you won the way you used to play and you don’t win as much now, why don’t you go back to how you played when you won the most.” Now why didn’t I think of that? In other words, forget about all this waiting-on-a-hand stuff. I knew all the solid play had cost me a lot of the action I had been getting. In 1997 I decided to go back tomy aggressive style and right away I made three seconds at the Four Queens and went on to have a great year.

SI: You have been quite successful from the beginning of your career. What do you most attribute that to?

KL: I do play solid and I do play good cards, but I also know when to bluff. You cannot just play the cards and be a great poker player.

SI: We haven’t even talked about your bracelet or your Party Poker Million win. You will always have the distinction of being the first female to win a-million dollar first prize, that is a huge achievement. Was there a point during that competition that you knew you were going to win?

KL: I had done well the entire tournament. At fourhanded I picked up two kings and took a good chip lead. I felt confident then. From that comfort, I got very low, almost down to the felt. I was going to be so frustrated if I came in second. I became so determined and focused and I turned it around. After about two hours, it was all over and I had a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.

SI: Tell us about winning your first bracelet.

KL: Up until just a few years ago, coming in either first or second in a World Series event meant big money. That was okay with me and I had several seconds. But now, winning a bracelet has become so important. So when I won my bracelet it was more than a little thrill!

SI: Kathy, you’re one of the top three rated female players in the world today. What are your goals?

KL: To be one of the top poker players in the world.

SI: Well put.

KL: You can watch me on “Battle of the Sexes”. Battle of the Sexes was filmed in December and the participants, six male and six female poker players were instructed not to tell the outcome. However, I could tell by Kathy’s sly grin that the girls probably won. The final aired the week of March 7 and not only did the girls win, but Kathy took first place after playing heads-up against Layne Flack!

Since then Kathy’s television appearances are too numerous to list. My educated guess is that Kathy Liebert is the most recognized female poker player on the circuit today.

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