Kitty Kuo is a great follow on social media. Her humorous musings about all the pieces from her love life to the on a regular basis mundane, in addition to large wins, have lengthy been a favourite within the poker world.
But Kitty, whose given title is Hui Chen, says she doesn’t deliberately work so as to add comedy to her posts. She’s an open guide, for certain, however merely makes use of social media as a strategy to have a historic document of the occasions in her life. No subject is off limits, even when it considerations her pals, household, and relationships, together with the daddy of her little one, YouTube poker star Frankie C.
“I wanted to record what happened to me every day,” she stated. “So, if one day I lose my memory, I can read my tweets. I could see, ‘Oh, I was happy in 2018. I was doing this and that in 2020.’ I’m not trying to make people laugh. I don’t make up stories or lie. I just write everything. But my friends told me, ‘Kitty, we love your tweets, but we don’t want to be in the story.’ Sometimes I share too much.”
The new mom could also be a Kitty, however she can be an actual poker tiger and a severe individual past life on social media.
“People always think I’m a funny person, but actually I’m pretty serious. I don’t like to go to clubs, I don’t drink, I don’t do one-night stands. I have a master’s degree in electrical engineering. My whole life was work, studying, and being a good daughter in my family.”
While her background may not have urged a profession in poker was within the playing cards for Kuo, her work ethic positively helped on the tables. Kuo has collected $3.5 million in reside event winnings over time with a number of large finishes on main poker phases world wide.
The Taiwan native sits simply exterior the highest 10 on the ladies’s all-time cash checklist and has three World Poker Tour final-table appearances, a World Series of Poker Circuit championship ring, and several other six-figure cashes in a profession stretching again to 2007.
Kuo not too long ago spoke with Card Player about turning into a mother, her poker routine, and extra.
Adjusting To Life As A Poker Mom
Life as a brand new mom has been fairly a change for the jet-setting poker professional, however Kuo and her accomplice Frank Cucchiara are proud to be mother and father who make their distinctive way of life work. Cucchiara is a popular poker vlogger that additionally not too long ago turned a Card Player ambassador.
The poker-playing couple reside in Las Vegas, but in addition journey to Asia often to hit the tables and go to her household. Adding a child has introduced some adjustments to the routine nevertheless.
“Before the baby, poker was easier to fit into my life,” she admitted. “Because if I saw any poker (tournaments) in Paris or in Asia, I could just fly there instantly. I always try to go back to Asia each year. But I need to think about my baby. I can’t just go anywhere as I could before.”
Instead, Kuo picks tournaments that work higher for her new household, with lots of these within the U.S. She nonetheless cashed loads of instances over the past 12 months taking part in a way more restricted schedule. That included a pleasant begin to 2025 with an eighth-place end within the $3,500 Borgata Poker Open Championship in January for $51,919. In November, she additionally went deep within the PokerStars North American Poker Tour $5,300 fundamental occasion in Las Vegas for $14,900.
More kids are in her future, Kuo says, however she might go for a surrogate the following time round.
“Everyone told me that after you have a baby, you have less focus,” she stated. “It took me a while to recover, to stay focused and study with my coach and practice GTO. It was a big comeback. So, I would prefer to just get someone else to carry the baby.”
More Selective, And Hunting Big Scores
Kuo notched the largest money of her profession in August 2023, ending fourth within the $5,300 Hard Rock Poker Open Championship for $480,763. Other profession highlights embody ending sixth in a WPT Venetian occasion in 2021 for $192,855. The identical 12 months she got here out on high in an Asian Poker Tour occasion in Taiwan for $26,011.
In 2019, Kuo took runner-up in a $5,200 occasion on the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $117,031 at Bellagio. That was preceded by one other runner-up within the WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic in 2018 for $248,380. Also in 2018, Kuo scored a fourth-place end in a $25,000 Aussie Millions excessive curler for $198,731.
No matter the stage, Kuo has stayed constant and retains racking up money. Her enjoyable persona has additionally made her a preferred participant in live-streamed money video games like Live on the Bike, Poker Night in America, WPT Cash Game, Poker At The Lodge, and others.
But life as a brand new mother has meant dialing a few of her play again and focusing extra on Las Vegas occasions.
“I play poker tournaments now that only have a very good guarantee,” she defined. “I’m not playing tournaments every day. Before I played 250 days a year. Now I only play if they have a $4 million or $5 million guarantee. PokerGO has a PGT tournament almost every day now right next to my building, but I can’t go play because I want to make sure I spend certain time with my kid. But I do play cash games every day for four hours at Wynn and also some live streams.”
Winning A Date At The Poker Table
Poker truly introduced Cucchiara and Kuo collectively. In December 2022, Kuo performed within the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. While she didn’t money, she did discover love. After simply flying again from Asia, she was requested to play on a reside stream that had one seat obtainable. Still affected by jet lag, she wasn’t too and thought of declining the invite, Kuo ultimately got here round and confirmed up.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be there, but that’s how I met Frankie,” she stated. “I lived in Asia at the time and flew in for the tournament and cash game and they didn’t invite me until the last minute.”
“Nice to meet you, you’re cute,” Kuo stated in the identical breath, shortly breaking the ice.
An extended-distance relationship started. Cucchiara, initially from Dallas, would take turns flying backwards and forwards from Texas earlier than ultimately settling in Vegas. Cucchiara’s movies on their assembly, titled ‘If I Lose This Hand, I Owe My Opponent A Date’ have more than 5.5 million combined views. The comply with up video, ‘If I Lose This Hand, I Owe My Opponent A Baby’ is his most popular longform video, with 3.5 million views.
They plan to formally tie the knot sooner or later, with Kuo providing a blunt response for these nosey Twitter/X followers inquiring about her marital standing.
“You look puffy after you have a baby, so I need to make sure I look sexy before we get married.”
Blackjack To Poker
Life on the poker desk required an attention-grabbing route for Kuo. In the 2000s, she was working as an engineer at Samsung in South Korea. Back then, blackjack was her vice, and she or he would spend her weekends on the on line casino. Looking for a strategy to make her cash last more, she got here throughout one other recreation that mixed her love of socializing on the desk together with her must gamble.
“I saw a lot of people having a beer, having conversations, and everyone having fun,” she recalled. “I said, ‘What are you guys doing?’ They told me this is Texas hold’em. I asked how much the buy-in was and it was like $400. So, I used my ATM card and sat down to learn how to play. After that night, I never went back to the blackjack table.”
In 2009, she jumped headfirst into the event scene by flying to Macau for a PokerStars reside event collection. There she grabbed her first profession win for $71,899 together with two runner-up finishes to earn the Player of the Series title.
She’s most pleased with her fourth-place end on the Hard Rock two years in the past which was price practically half 1,000,000. The occasion featured 1,070 entries with Farid Jattin, Shannon Shorr, and Omer Rotman among the many closing 4 gamers.
“We did a four-way chop,” she stated. “It was great to go so deep in such a big tournament, even if we didn’t end up playing it out for the win.”
As a young person, she loved taking part in mahjong with pals for cash. The tile-based recreation was developed within the nineteenth century in China and has a few of the identical facets of poker – talent, technique, and luck.
She additionally loved different card video games, understanding, and stood out at school academically, ending second in her class. But there was all the time a draw in the direction of playing.
Kuo’s mom often despatched her jewellery as a present. After some downswings, that bling could be bought to fund extra time on the tables. When making the journey again dwelling, her mom may ask why she wasn’t sporting one of many items she despatched.
Not eager to disappoint her, Kuo would merely reply, “Oh, I left it in Vegas,” which was technically true.
“When I was young, I did whatever my parents wanted,” stated Kuo. “But I finally went to the casino and learned how to play poker, and it’s the first time I realized that this was the thing I really wanted to do with my life. I know this is the only thing I really like. I wanted to see if I could survive as a poker player. And if not, I could always go back to an engineering job. I’m smart. I always knew I could go back to a normal life. But I needed to take that shot.”
Coaching Kitty
Training is a giant a part of Kuo’s routine when she is in poker mode, and she or he’s by no means been afraid to ask for assist. Along with utilizing solvers to check recreation concept optimum technique, she additionally employs just a few coaches to enhance her recreation. High-stakes crusher Steffen Sontheimer serves as her money recreation coach, whereas two-time WSOP bracelet winner and WPT champion Nick Petrangelo helps with tournaments.
Other pals within the recreation will provide recommendation, together with WSOP bracelet winners Toby Lewis and Ankush Mandavia. Kuo even sought out some teaching from four-time WPT champion Darren Elias after ending runner-up to him within the WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic.
“I liked his style,” she stated. “I thought, if this guy can win four WPTs, then he must be good against decent (sized) fields, because the WPT is not a GTO (tournament). It’s a lot of beginning players and players out for fun. All my coaches are really good at GTO, but I also really wanted to learn how to play against the fish. I worked with Darren for two years.”
This is my morning view !
My son performs at his playground
And I examine with my tournaments spot
Everyone in household has their life objective ~ pic.twitter.com/Ijwfcunxz5— kitty kuo (@kittykuopoker) March 29, 2025
Now that her child is cell, Kuo is decided to play extra in 2025 and plans to up her event schedule with just a few targets in thoughts. She desires to journey to play in a location she’s by no means been earlier than. Additionally, she desires to go again to Asia extra typically to play occasions whereas seeing household.
While she brings loads of talent to the desk, Kuo additionally has a bit of little bit of superstition in her recreation. She has a fossil as a card protector and wears a cat ring on the desk, each of which she considers to be good luck charms. (Ironically, Kitty doesn’t personal a cat. Frankie is allergic.)
Find Kuo on Twitter/X @kittykuopoker.
I can’t say my life is completely again to regular however I’m 85% there
Study with poker coach within the morning
Play GTO wizard within the afternoon
Cash recreation atWynnPoker</a> every night <br>1 day live stream <br>I am ready fighting upcoming <a href="https://twitter.com/WSOP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">WSOP & @AsianPokerTour two my favourite collection pic.twitter.com/qV6x8eFWC4— kitty kuo (@kittykuopoker) March 24, 2025
Before having a child & after having a child
What change?
Before having a child, I can exit have enjoyable
After having a child, all the time taking part in ( working )
Life change! 18 years extra then I’ll have freedom once more pic.twitter.com/dIBK7jzdVu— kitty kuo (@kittykuopoker) March 5, 2025
In the connection, don’t be egocentric!
assist ur accomplice reside provider develop up large.
ultimately they are going to be success with or with out ur assist! Make certain be the individual to see they r rising
No one can cease “ exhausting work & good ppls “ in actuality world pic.twitter.com/pKpUZdIMO1— kitty kuo (@kittykuopoker) February 24, 2025
*Photos by Card Player, World Poker Tour, and Kitty Kuo
