RakeTheRake Caught up with Liv Boeree at the EPO2012 to talk Poker, Pranks, and Heavy Metal

RakeTheRake caught up with Liv at the English Poker Open 2012 last week to chat about pranks on her stepdad, guitars, heavy metal, awards, and of course poker.

RTR: You shared a pic on twitter of you and your poor sleeping stepfather with a precariously balanced table on his lap, topped with boots and a watering can – how did that one go down?

Liv: Haha, yes I like to mess with people, particularly when they’re sleeping. My Stepdad was taking a nap outsite and he’s a notoriously heavy sleeper - as such I set up that contraption that ensured he’d get soaked when he woke up. My Mum rescued him before it could happen though... RTR: Apparently you recently went to Toronto for the first time, and you travel a lot, but what are your favourite places in the world, and would you ever permanently uproot from good old Blighty?

Liv: My favourite places are anywhere with mountains. I’d happily live anywhere in California, I love it. RTR: Obviously you’re a lady of many talents – poker pro, 1st class degree in Astrophysics, competent metal guitarist. What would you most like to be doing if you weren’t a poker pro?

Liv: Probably being a rockstar somewhere! At least I’d like to think so... RTR: So – congratulations - you won Poker Personality of the Year’ at the 2012 British Poker Awards, but who would get your vote and why?

Liv: There are so many great folks in British poker it is hard to choose - I’d vote for Sam Trickett though, he’s unstoppable and an absolute sweetheart. RTR: You’re famously into your music – particularly rock and heavy metal. What was the last gig or festival you went too?

Hmm, the last gig I went to was Bloodstock Open Air Festival. A must for any true metal lover! RTR: You often cite bands like Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, and Children of Bodom as being amongst your favourites but what newer bands, if any, are you into at the moment?

Liv: Weirdly I’m getting into a lot of electronic music at the moment. I’m really into the band/DJ “infected mushroom”. They are technically Psy-trance but with a lot of rock/metal influences. I saw them at Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas last year and was blown away - it was melodic trance with unbelievable metal guitars laid over the top, so good. RTR: The last blog post (http://livboeree.com/liv-boeree/blog) on your website mentioned that you were determined to get back on form with your guitar playing – are you managing to find enough time away from the tables to play as much as you’d like, and pursue your other interests in general?

Liv: Sadly I’m still barely getting any time with my guitars , I’m just not at home enough to really practice. One day though, one day... RTR: You’ve rubbed shoulders with some major personalities and celebs both in and out of the poker world, but who out of the people you haven’t met would you most like to have a good chinwag with?

Liv: I’ve been reading this incredibly profound book called “the power of now” by Eckhart Tolle - it’s a fascinating read and has really helped me understand myself and the human psyche. I’d love to meet him and discuss his theories. As conventional celebrities go, someone who fascinates me (and I don’t even know why!) is Lady Gaga. She’s not really the sort of thing I usually like but after seeing her live TV show I can’t remember seeing someone so talented or eccentric in a long while. RTR: Rebekah Mercer recently wrote an article about the rise of women in poker, and specifically how well women have been doing this year. Do you think the more the female pros get the spotlight for their successes, the more we’ll see other women starting to play poker, or do you think it will remain a typically male dominated sport no matter what?

Liv: If you ask this question in 50 years time then I think the game will be close to equal. However in the near future it’s going to remain male dominated for some time . That said, girls are doing consistently better and in turn that will attract more of us, so the percentages are only going to become more balanced.