Eric Liu is one of the regular faces at the high-stakes cash tables and is regarded as one of the best players online
Many poker players compare their success at online poker to hitting the jackpot, but for 22-year-old college student Eric Liu that is literally the case. Liu began playing in high school aged 17 after being seduced by the idea of copying Chris Moneymaker’s WSOP success. But playing in $10 home games was never going to lead to great riches, and it was Liu’s discovery of the online game in his first year of university that set him on the path to the high-stakes cash games he now calls home.
Now better known by his online handle ‘p3achy_keen’, Liu is a regular at the high-stakes no-limit hold’em and pot- limit Omaha cash games, and he is regarded as one of the best online players (despite running extremely cold in recent weeks). But his road to the top is an unusual one, as he was helped along the way by a large slice of fortune and a bad beat on PartyPoker…
When did you first get into poker?
I started playing poker in my junior year of high school in 2003 – the year Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP main event. I was pretty terrible back then, and would often play $10 buy-in home games with $0.25/$0.50 blinds.
How did you rise up the ranks of the online cash games?
During my first year of university, I made about $2,000 being a massive nit at the $1/$2 tables on PokerStars. Afterwards, I toyed around with $0.10/$0.25 tables on PartyPoker, and during the winter of my second year I ran my bankroll up to $35,000 in a few months, eventually ending up playing $2/$4 and $3/$6. I cashed out most of that to pay for tuition and buy stuff.
I went back to playing $0.50/$1 and then I hit the PartyPoker bad beat jackpot for $110,000 after losing a hand with quad eights against quad Queens.
How did winning that jackpot affect your progress? Did you cash much of it out or use it as an bankroll to allow you to move up more quickly?
The bad beat jackpot was a very good boost to my bankroll, but I wasn’t going to jerk it all off on the $5/$10 tables if I couldn’t beat them, so my plan was to experiment a little with $5/$10 and if I couldn’t beat it, I was just going to continue grinding $2/$4 and invest the rest. I decided to experiment with the $5/$10 games a little, and surprisingly I became a winner. After the online gambling legislation got passed I moved $30k of my roll to Stars and the rest is history.
What is your day-to-day schedule like at the moment and what games do you play?
Since I’m taking a semester off from school, I’ve been doing a ton of travelling to live tournaments and vacation spots. Recently my sessions have been no longer than four hours at a time as I find it difficult to focus longer than that at $25/$50+ stakes. I play mostly on Full Tilt.
What do you do outside of poker?
I just like going out and doing stuff with friends, whether it be poker friends, high school friends or university friends. I also enjoy a nice massage when poker becomes too stressful. These days I don’t really have time for much else.
You also play a lot of pot-limit Omaha. Do you see it as the game of the future?
Quite honestly the more I learn about pot-limit Omaha the more I hate it. It’s a ridiculously swingy game with a lot of unavoidable high variance spots. It is certainly a game that has not been analysed as much as no-limit hold’em, and I feel the fish who currently play pot-limit Omaha have a lot more fundamental flaws and gaping holes in their game than the hold’em fish. I do feel that for the next three years, pot-limit Omaha will become much more popular. The fish love playing it because there is so much gambling involved.
What general tips would you give to no-limit hold’em players trying to move across to pot-limit Omaha?
First, I would suggest watching Brian Townsend’s videos on CardRunners. This will give you a very solid starting foundation. Then, I suggest moving down to stakes that are 25% as high as your usual stakes. Then, if you want to open up your game, I would suggest watching Gordo’s videos on CardRunners and working on aggression and bluffing. The rest is just experience.
What have you done with the money you’ve made from poker?
I haven’t really made too many ridiculous purchases. I have bought some real estate and invested in some good long-term spots, and I’m pretty content with the way my life is going. I think in about two or three years I’ll get a new car when my RX-8 gets old, most likely a Porsche 911.
You’re still in college – what are your plans for the future?
I’m planning on playing this game for five to ten years. Hopefully in my 30s I’ll be able to do volunteer work full-time. I’d really like to join the Peace Corps and maybe do a ton of travelling.
You’re a pro at CardRunners, so how do you feel about giving away your secrets?
I have mixed feelings about ‘educating fish’, but I do feel that since CardRunners helped me out a ton when I was moving up, I owe it to give something back. I also owe a ton to Liquidpoker.net, as the really good players on that site at the time (Nazgul, Thorladen, PoorUser) helped me a lot with my game.
Who would you say are the top five online no-limit hold’em players?
In terms of versatility I believe all the high- stakes regulars are among the top players in the world. This includes Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Di and Hac Dang, Phil Galfond, Cole South, Tom Dwan, David Benefield, Brian Townsend and Brian Hastings. Every one of these players plays differently, but the most important thing they all have is that they can be extremely tricky and can think at multiple levels. I’d like to think I’m up there, but I won’t pass judgement on myself.
Finally what’s the story behind the ‘p3achy_keen’ and ‘p_c4Libr4ted’ handles you’ve played under?
When I made the p3achy_keen account I just wanted a name that sounded fruity and would potentially send my opponents on tilt. To add to this I found the most tilt- inducing picture at the time and that was my llama. My old FTP handle of p_c4Libr4ted is actually short for perfectly_calibrated.
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