| Maria Ho | |
|---|---|
Professional Poker Player, Maria Ho photographed by Mather Photography (March 2011) |
|
| Nickname(s) | None |
| Hometown | Arcadia, California |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | 2 |
| Money finish(es) | 11 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish |
38th, 2007 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 3 |
| Information accurate as of 2011-11-01. | |
Maria Ho is a professional poker player, born in Taipei, Taiwan.[1] She is currently ranked 12th in the world among female poker pros in overall earnings.[2]
Maria finished 38th in the 2007 World Series of Poker and was the last woman remaining in the event, earning $237,865.[3] In 2009, she was seen on the CBS Emmy Award winning television show The Amazing Race 15 with fellow poker pro and 2008 Last Woman Standing, Tiffany Michelle.[4] 2011 was a record breaking year for Maria; she went heads-up for a World Series of Poker bracelet in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Event #4 and took 2nd place for $540,020 - the largest cash a woman has ever had at the WSOP to date.[5] A few months later, at the 2011 World Series of Poker Europe she took 27th place and became the first and only player to have been the Last Woman Standing in both the WSOP and WSOPE Main Events.[6]
Fluent in Mandarin and born into a traditional Chinese family, Maria's family moved from Taiwan to the United States when she was four-years-old eventually settling just outside of Los Angeles in Arcadia, California. It was in college that Maria was introduced to playing poker. She was drawn to the psychology and competitive spirit of the game and soon went from playing games with college friends, to playing Limit cash games at nearby Indian casinos.[7] When Maria graduated from UCSD in 2005 with a major in Communications and a minor in Law she had gone from playing low limits to high stakes cash games and had grown her poker bankroll to the point that she felt confident to embark on a career as a professional poker player.[8]
In addition to her 38th place finish at the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, Maria has found other success at the World Series of Poker: with two cashes in 2007, two cashes in 2009 and three cashes in 2010. Maria’s most recent feats include a final table and 10th place finish at the World Poker Tour’s Bellagio Cup, a final table and 6th place finish at the World Series of Poker Circuit Event: South Africa, and a 2nd place finish in the Aussie Millions $10,000 buy-in 8-Game tournament.[9]
A skilled and respected player, Maria has received invitations to play in various types of games all over the world. In 2008, she traveled to Hong Kong to play in the World Mahjong Tour, going head to head with various Chinese and Taiwanese celebrities and professional Mahjong players. [10] In 2010, she played as a member of Team China in the Inaugural World Team Poker Invitational and helped her team secure a 1st place victory. [11]
Beyond the poker tables, Maria has shared her knowledge of the game as an on-camera host for WSOP.com, a commentator for the live WSOP final-table broadcasts on ESPN 360, and as writer for several poker publications - including her recent chapter contribution in the book Winning Women of Poker: Secret Strategies Revealed.[12] She has also been seen on the third season of American Idol where she made it to "Hollywood Week" and as a panelist on Anderson Cooper 360.[13]
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