Liv Boeree: “Recreational Players are as Important as Pros”

Liv Boeree grew up in Kent, England and received a first-class degree in Astrophysics from the University of Manchester before she played poker.

She made her first appearance in the Ultimatepoker.com Showdown in 2005 where she was coached by Phil Hellmuth and Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott.

In 2010 Boeree won the EPT San Remo Main Event which at the time was the largest poker tournament ever played in Europe. She was then signed to Team PokerStars Pro and has been a banner member ever since.

Liv Boeree, Most Inspiring Poker Player

Her accomplishments on and off the felt are plentiful (European Poker Award for best female player three years in a row, first WSOP bracelet this summer, etc) but reached a new apex in 2017 when she was voted the Most Inspiring Player in our annual Spirit of Poker Awards.

She’s easily one of the most popular players the game of poker has ever seen and the fact our voters selected her as MIP in a landslide only reinforces that notion. 

PokerListings met up with Liv at the PSC in Prague this week to give her the award and get her feelings on things.

PokerListings: Congratulations on winning the PokerListings Spirit of Poker Award in the main category “Most Inspiring Player of the Year”!

Liv Boeree: Thank you! It really means a lot to me.

PL: You’ve become very much a role model in the industry. Does this lift you up or put pressure on you?

LB: It’s definitely an honor and I hope my role-model-ness also includes all my screw-ups. Also, it’s nice to feel some pressure. It keeps you motivated.

PL: Contrary to many other awards, this one is not determined by a panel of professionals but by the “average Joe” and readers of PokerListings. Does that make a difference?

LB: Absolutely. First of all, the recreational players are the majority and they are as important as the professionals.

Their opinions matter and they’re often a little bit more broad-minded people. So, it’s a big compliment.

PL: A large part of your popularity comes from what you do off the poker tables. What are your current projects with REG?

LB: There’s a project right now that involves Dan Smith and the Crowley brothers (ed. note: Martin and Tom, who are highly successful players in Fantasy Sports).

They’re donating over a million dollars and REG is supporting them. I’m not directly involved in it but I’m happy to promote the initiative.

As for myself and 2018, I’m looking at a couple of book projects. I can’t say too much about them now but one of them is poker-related and the other one is very un-poker-related.

Both projects have their merits and I haven’t decided which one to go for yet.

PL: Do you have someone to ghost you?

LB: No. I’ll do it myself, unless I really struggle.

PL: There are quite a few awards in the poker industry. Do you feel the Hall of Fame is the most important one?

LB: Quite frankly, it means nothing to me. Maybe it should but it was never something on my mind that one day I want to be in the Poker Hall of Fame.

In my mind it’s pretty much an expression of that you were around in poker in the late 1990s or early 2000s. If you were, you’ll be in it. If not, you know…

PL: But you would be the first female player from Europe to be inducted.

LB: So? It feels like the Hall of Fame is a very American thing. It would be a cool idea in some ways but it’s just nothing that’s ever been on my radar.

I do think that there should be just one Hall of Fame but there should be a bit more of an international touch to it.

PL: Would you like to come to the Battle of Malta next year?

LB: There’s always a chance but I can’t say for sure now. All I can say is always invite me.

PL: Thank you, Liv Boeree!

Watch the video below for Liv’s response to winning the PokerListings Spirit of Poker Award for Most Inspiring Player of the Year.