The life and times of Britain’s ‘Iron Maiden’ poker ace Liv Boeree

Online poker is making a much-needed revival and much of that is down to the steadily increasing demographic of female poker pros who are taking the tables by storm. One woman in particular that’s becoming a pin-up for card fans to admire is British ace, Liv Boeree.

The 34-year-old Brit has the nickname ‘Iron Maiden’, given not only for her ice-cold stare at the tables but for her deep passion for hard rock and metal music. There’s no doubt that the camera loves Boeree. She’s a beautiful young woman, but alongside her beauty and brains, her own musical talents could easily see her carve out a career in the music business.

How Metal energizes Boeree at the tables

Boeree has admitted in previous interviews that she “lives and breathes” metal. In fact, she lives and breathes it so much that Boeree believes metal music has “defined” who she is as a person, confirming that she listens to metal when she’s sat at the poker table, as it “energizes” her and makes her “aggressive.

At the tender age of 16, Boeree started picking up a guitar and learned to shred on a 12-string acoustic. However, her desire to start playing tunes from her favourite bands such as Metallica and Iron Maiden saw her quickly graduate to an electric guitar. Her very own YouTube channel is now jam-packed with videos of her guitar solos, such as this rendition of Black Widow by Children of Bodom:

Boeree discovered her passion for metal music when a school pal played Metallica’s entire “Black” album to her from start to finish, along with Rage Against the Machine. It was music that she had never known existed before, with the rest of her cohort at school more obsessed with r’n’b and electronic music.

Liv was first introduced to the guitar by her step mother’s family, eventually learning to play by ear without having to read music. She then picked up her first electric – an Epiphone Les Paul – and has never looked back since. Whilst living in Kent, she was part of the heavy metal music scene in south-east England with her band, Dissonance.

From poker to science: Liv’s TV ambition

Alongside her thirst for metal, Boeree also studied physics and astrophysics at the University of Manchester. Her innate competitive nature led her to the poker tables and her combination of drive and intelligence has led her to becoming one of the finest female poker players in recent memory.

A quick look at Boeree’s professional career profile reveals that the Kent-born pro has raked in more than $3.5 million in live tournament earnings. Her biggest success to date came in 2010 when she won the European Poker Tour (EPT)’s San Remo tournament, defeating a field of 1,240 entrants to bag a $1.69 million payday.

Although Boeree has cracked life at the poker tables, she is still driven to make the most of her education. She wants to become the female equivalent of Brian Cox, combining her passion for science and the environment with a career in television presenting. When you see the way that Liv has put her mind to music and poker, becoming a TV personality should be an absolute breeze.