Hui Chen Kuo, popularly known as “Kitty Kuo,” is one of the females who ventured into poker despite all odds. Today, she is one of Asia’s best players and fourth on Taiwan’s All-Time Money List. Kuo is also a WSOP Circuit ring holder, Ambassador for Natural8-GGNetwork, Team Hot leader, and the 2019 Red Dragon Cup winner. Quite some resume!
In this casino news, we will highlight Kitty Kuo’s biography, career, and achievements, starting with her extraordinary journey from blackjack player to poker champion.
Kitty Kuo: From Taiwan to the World Stage of Poker
Kitty was born in Taipei, Taiwan. Her age is undisclosed, but reports suggest she is in her early 30s. Early enough, Kitty developed an interest in casino games of cards, which led her to travel to Las Vegas every weekend during her days at the University of Southern California to play Blackjack.
Later, she traveled to Korea in the summer, touring the casinos to play Blackjack. But Kitty lost all her money at the tables and had nothing left. At that moment, she could only play the casino games free version of blackjack variants. Kuo then shifted her attention to another table, which was that of poker, and decided to join them. There, she learned to play the game well, and the room for bluffing in the games caught her interest the most. That was how she left blackjack and transitioned to poker.
Kitty has a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, but poker increased her bank account. So, she decided to go all in as though she had mastered a push fold chart. Her parents resisted her decision to play poker, but she courageously moved to Las Vegas to pursue it full-time. This decision caused them to cut her off for over six months, but her passion, tenacity, and resilience kept her going.
Kitty Kuo played in her first live tournament in November 2007 at the Macau Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT). Among 75 players who entered the game without a poker calculator, she finished 10th in the HK$3,770 No Limit Hold ’em and won a HK$10,400 cash prize. This event gave her the first recognition in her career.
From Card-Counting to Bluffing: Major Tournament Wins and Awards
In the early stages of her career, Kuo honed her skills by playing alongside some of the most famous poker players like Daniel Negreanu and learning from seasoned professionals such as Darren Elias and Steffen Sontheimer. At one point, she spent $5,000 to play alongside Daniel Negreanu to learn from the elite.
Kitty Kuo’s first significant win came to the limelight in the 2009 Macau Poker Cup tournament, where she made incredible finishes. In October of that year, she competed in the HK$9,400 + 600 No Limit Hold ’em main event and finished 1st, winning a HK$557,230 ($71,899) cash prize. In 2010, Kitty competed at the WSOP Circuit tournament in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. She finished first in a $340 No Limit Hold ’em Ladies Event, earning her a WSOPC ring and a $7,357 prize among 79 entrants in the game.
Kuo had notable success in several prestigious tournaments in 2012. In March of that year, she competed at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) and finished first for KRW17,700,000 ($15,778) in the KRW1,000,000 + 300,000 No Limit Hold ’em High Roller event.
In 2013 and 2014, the Global Poker Index (GPI) and GPI Asia Player of the Year awards recognized her as Asia’s top female player. She was also Runner-up in the 2013 Women’s Player of the Year category, motivating thousands of online casino poker players to pursue their dream of making it big at the felt tables.
Kitty Kuo won $142,158 at the 2014 Hollywood Poker Open in Las Vegas after finishing 3rd in the $2,500 No Limit Hold ’em main event. This was her first six-figure win. In 2015, she won $82,890 in THE 46th WSOP for finishing first in the $1,500 No Limit Hold ’em Shootout 14th event.
Winnings Continued for Kitty Kuo
She won another six-figure win in 2016 at the Aussie Millions Poker Championship, winning A$270,000 ($189,018) for finishing 6th in the A$10,000 + 600 No Limit Hold ’em main event. The same year, Natural8 signed her to lead their Team Hot ambassadors.
At the EPT in Barcelona in August 2016, She won €101,500 ($114,071), finishing 6th in the €10,000 + 300 No Limit Hold ’em event. In 2018, she won $248,380 at the WPT Season-16 Tournament of Champions for finishing 2nd in the $ 9,600 + 400 No Limit Hold ’em event.
Kitty Kuo has made several six-figures in major tournaments so far. She won her biggest cash prize—$480,763—at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Hollywood, finishing fourth in the $5,300 No Limit Hold ’em Championship Event.
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Mastering Poker’s Mind Games
Kitty Kuo has had a remarkable journey from a casual poker player to a renowned professional. And, although you’d rather stay home to play online poker games like the Super Video Poker Game, she believes she still has a long way to go in winning the top scores in poker, including the WSOP bracelet.
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