Maria Ho Looking To Capture Record Win at WPT Final Battle

In less than three weeks, Maria Ho will come face to face with five other players who made the final table of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Hard Rock Show Down $3,500 buy-in Main Event held in April.

The spacious, ultramodern HyperX Esports Arena in Las Vegas will play host to the final battle which takes place on May 30.

This year’s WPT final table experience takes a different route, with the final showdown happening more than a month after the tournament closed on April 16. Aside from that, surviving players also need to travel to a different location, over 2000 miles from Florida where the tournament started.

The final battle will be televised and watched by millions of poker fans around the world and can be intimidating to most players but Ho is no stranger to such a setting. What makes it different for her is the presence of her family and close friends who will be able to watch the game. That, to her, is added pressure.

So what keeps Ho going amid all the pressure and struggles of being a full-time poker player?

Ambition, Gratitude, Positivity

The Taiwanese-American poker pro takes everything positively. Though she admits she also has her share of negativity, Ho tries her best to focus on the brighter side of things. She believes dwelling on negative thoughts won’t change a situation. Likewise, in poker, Ho believes you should not let your negative emotions get in the way.

Ho believes staying grounded is also a key element in her achievements. While success in poker mostly boils down to skills, Ho thinks there’s still a small amount of luck involved. For this reason, it is essential that players realize the importance of showing gratitude and acknowledging that everything could be taken away from you in a blink of an eye.

Career-Defining Victory

Ho, who was named Broadcaster of the Year at the recent Global Poker Awards in Las Vegas, is a veteran in the live tournament scene. She has 5 WPT final tables, 9 WPT cashes, 4 World Series of Poker (WSOP) final tables and 54 WSOP cashes under her belt, bringing her live tournament earnings to around $3,000,000.

Aside from being a full-time poker professional, Ho also works as poker host and commentator, and is associated with the Heartland Poker Tour, CBS Sports, NBC Sports and ESPN. She will be looking to take down the WPT Main Event and inspire more female players to take up the game!