Liv Boeree poker success story and biggest victories

Renowned as one of the best female poker players in the world, Liv Boeree is instantly recognizable by many poker fans and gamblers alike. Having a background in science, Boeree transitioned to poker, winning millions of dollars from live tournaments and becoming the only female player in the history of poker to be crowned European Poker Tour (EPT) and World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion.

Who is Liv Boeree

Olivia Boeree, who is also known as Liv Boeree, was born on July 18, 1984, in Hollingbourne, Kent, England.Before she studied Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, Boeree attended Ashford School. The academic path she pursued and her degree in astrophysics enabled her to accumulate significant mathematical knowledge and a probabilistic perspective, skills that would later play a major role in her poker career.

While online searches often reference Liv Boeree plays piano, she is actually known for playing guitar. During her years at the University of Manchester, Liv Boeree was into heavy metal and in fact played lead guitar in a couple of bands, namely, Dissonance and Nemhaim.

The first time Liv Boeree came across poker was in 2005. At the time, she was among several contestants for a poker TV reality show called Ultimatepoker.com Showdown. The exciting reality show featured contestants who were coached by recognizable poker stars like Phil Hellmuth and Dave Ulliott. The show marked the start of the Liv Boeree poker that would span more than a decade, gaining her fame across the globe.

Early highlights of Liv Boeree's poker career include her win at the Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship $2,000 No Limit Hold'em event on May 7, 2008. Emerging as the winner of the poker event, Boeree won a sweet $42,000 prize.

While that event marked a major accomplishment, Liv Boeree would continue to demonstrate resilience and skills, participating in more than 100 poker tournaments throughout her career. Ultimately, she would win a WSOP bracelet and emerge as an EPT champion, competing against some of the best poker players in the world.

Liv Boeree biography at a glance

• Name: Olivia Boeree
• Nickname: Poker Queen, Iron Maiden
• Born: 18 July 1984
• Age: 42
• Birthplace: Hollingbourne, Kent, England
• Net worth: estimated between $3m and $6m
• Best live cash: $2,800,000
• Total live poker earnings: $6,699,290
• WSOP Bracelets: 1
• WSOP total earnings: $3,376,096
• WPT Cashes: 5
• WPT total earnings: $101,769
• Skill traits: analytic, disciplined, rational, managing risks, decision-making under pressure, probability assessment
• YouTube channel: @LivBoeree
• YouTube followers: 118K
• YouTube views: 5,281,613
• Instagram profile: liv_boeree
• Instagram followers: 146K
• X profile: @Liv_Boeree
• X followers: 267K

Liv Boeree husband and personal life

Discussions about Liv Boeree husband often focus on her relationship with Igor Kurganov, a fellow professional poker player. The interest in her relationship with Kurganov stems from their years-long relationship that culminated with their marriage.

On September 1, 2025, Boeree announced via her account on X that she married Igor Kurganov. The long-time couple posted pictures from their marriage ceremony which took place at Burning Man, a place Boeree described as their favorite. "WE FINALLY DID IT!!! We got married at our favorite place on earth: Burning Man. Will post the "official" pro pics in due course but in the meantime here are a few candids," Liv Boeree wrote at the time.

While some poker fans and gamblers alike are interested in who is Boeree's spouse, others look into how she first started playing poker. Searches online suggest that Liv Boeree learned poker from sibling. However, what's known is that Boeree's career in poker started with a reality TV show in the early 2000s and this was her first encounter with the game.

Regardless of how Liv Boeree first encountered poker, she was able to build a solid reputation as a professional player. Undoubtedly, learning strategies, leveraging probabilities knowledge and phycology skills helped her transform from into a world-class poker pro.

The Liv Boeree Elon Musk connection isn't based on direct business partnership. In 2022, before Boeree and Igor Kurganov married, she helped connect her then boyfriend to Musk. A Wall Street Journal podcast called The Journal described the connection between Musk and Kurganov, who both happened to love the Burning Man festival. What's more, the billionaire businessman and Kurganov coordinated charity work between 2021 and 2022.

Liv Boeree poker success

Liv Boeree poker career started around 2007 and according to data from The Hendon Mob, the world’s largest database, the first tournament she participated in was the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em Freeroll in London, UK. Entering the tournament, she emerged in 8th place, collecting a $400 prize.

However, the following year, in May, Liv Boeree won the $2,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament part of the Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship. This landmark 1st place win brought her a hefty $42,000 prize. Winning the Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship marked the start of Liv Boeree’s successful poker career.

After participating in more than 100 poker tournaments, Boeree has emerged as winner on several occasions. Notable finishes include the $5,000 + 300 No Limit Hold’em - Main Event during the European Poker Tour (EPT) Sanremo. As the winner of that event Liv Boeree collected the top prize of €1,250,000.

Interestingly, the largest payout from a single poker event came after Boeree’s retirement. While she confirmed her retirement from professional poker in 2019 Liv Boeree returned in 2024 and entered the WSOP $25,000 + 1,000 WSOP Paradise Main Event. Playing against other poker pros, she ranked fourth place. However, this marked Liv Boeree’s largest payout from a single tournament for a whopping $2.8m payday.

Liv Boeree net worth

According to data from The Hendon Mob, Liv Boeree poker winnings are close to $7m. In total, her earnings from poker tournaments are an estimated $6,699,290. An estimate of Liv Boeree net worth would consider her poker tournament earnings, as well as proceeds from initiatives such as podcast hosting and social media.

At the time of writing, her net worth is estimated between $3m and $6m. It Is worth noting that while Liv Boeree retired from professional poker late in 2019, her live tournament winnings significantly contributed to her net worth.

Outside of poker play, Boeree is renowned as an experienced poker broadcaster, public speaker and host. She has continuously supported a range of educational projects focusing on decision science and effective altruism.Presently,Liv Boeree hosts a YouTube series called Win-Win with Liv Boeree, where she and her guests discuss a range of interesting topics from poker to politics andAI.

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