A Landmark Year for Women in Poker
The 2025 season is fast becoming a watershed for women in poker. Weeks before Shiina Okamoto captured a second consecutive WSOP Ladies Event and before Leo Margets became the first woman in poker’s modern era to reach the Main Event final table, a breakthrough moment arrived in May: longtime pro Xuan Liu became the first woman to win a Triton Poker title.
That victory — the $25,000 WPT Global Slam at Triton Montenegro — delivered a career-best $860,000 and set the tone for the year. Months later, Liu is back in action at the inaugural Triton ONE festival on South Korea’s Jeju Island, chasing another trophy and reflecting on a career that has continually evolved.
Breaking Barriers at Triton Montenegro
Liu’s historic win in Montenegro came in the $25K WPT Global Slam, where she closed it out heads-up against fellow Canadian Daniel Dvoress. The final table featured a formidable cast, with David Peters taking third and Kristen Foxen finishing fourth. For Liu, the moment resonated well beyond the numbers.
She 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.”
From EPT and PCA Podiums to WPT Success
With approximately $3.3 million in Hendon Mob earnings, Liu has long been a force on the international circuit, even if she now picks her spots more selectively than a decade ago. Her résumé includes a third-place finish at the 2011 EPT Sanremo Main Event for $524,705 and a fourth-place result at the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $600,000 — the first woman ever to make that prestigious final table. She also claimed 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).”
Xuan Liu: Major Live Results
| Year | Tour/Event | Finish | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | EPT Sanremo Main Event | 3rd | $524,705 |
| 2012 | PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event | 4th | $600,000 |
| 2017 | WPT Fallsview Poker Classic (Niagara Falls) | 1st | $232,114 |
| 2025 | Triton Montenegro $25K WPT Global Slam | 1st | $860,000 |
Reinventing the Pro: Cash Games, Media, and Analytics
Today, the tournament grind is no longer Liu’s full-time identity. She plays primarily cash games — including appearances on televised staples like High Stakes Poker — while “trying to expand my own career and just see what’s possible.” That includes telling her story on podcasts and speaking at the 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.”
It’s a throughline that has defined her career — always looking to “reinvent myself.”
Jeju Debut and a Live Look at Triton ONE
Born in China, Liu has logged plenty of hands across Asia. This trip marks her first time playing in Jeju, and she’s relishing the experience.
“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 publication, Liu was preparing for Day 1C of the $3,000 Triton ONE Genesis, sitting 66th in chips among the 236 players still in contention.
Triton ONE Genesis: Liu’s Current Standing
| Event | Buy-in | Day | Current Rank | Players Remaining | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triton ONE Genesis | $3,000 | 1C | 66th | 236 | Jeju, South Korea |
What’s Next on the Triton Trail?
“I kind of just go where the buzz is, and right now it’s … Triton ONE,” Liu said. She called Jeju a fantastic stop and indicated she’ll continue showing up if the series remains accessible to players across the spectrum.
In a year already punctuated by headline-making achievements for women at the WSOP and beyond, Liu’s groundbreaking Triton title in May stands as a defining moment — and a powerful reminder of how far the game has come, and where it can still go.
