From pony club to poker star: Glamorous British 'Iron Maiden' wins £1m in card tournament

As a model, TV presenter, astrophysics graduate and former pony club member, there are many strings to Liv Boeree's bow.

But now she can add a new one - poker ace.

The 25-year-old brunette beat 1,240 contestants at a major tournament to win a cool £1.1million.

She paid only 500 euros to enter the PokerStars European Poker Tour and scooped the life-changing sum with just a pair of fives, seeing off a tough professional rival.

'Think only of the game': Briton Liv Boeree, who has just become the third woman ever to win the European Poker Tournament



Iron Maiden: Liv is known for her love of heavy metal and guitar-playing skills, as well as her talent at the poker table



Miss Boeree - nicknamed 'Iron Maiden' because of her love of heavy metal music - will now play for £2.2million at the grand final in Monte Carlo, which starts on Sunday.

She said: 'I have won in tournaments before but never as much as this. A million pounds is not bad for six days' work.

'Having a degree in astrophysics helps me with my game as it makes you more analytical and think logically. It's all numbers after all.

'I'm going to be smart with the money and invest in property. There is someone in my life but I'm not sure if I'll be sharing it with them just yet.'

Miss Boeree was privately educated at Ashford School for Girls in Kent, where she passed all her GCSEs and A-levels with ease. She then won a place at Manchester University and gained a first class degree in physics and astrophysics.



Liv's love of horse riding began at a young age. Here she is aged three with her mother Elaine at a pony club meeting

Poker champion Liv aged 14 with one of her favourite horses

It was at school that her competitive nature first began to surface.

She told The Sun: 'At school I was captain of sports - netball, hockey, running... anything where I could compete and win.

'That's why poker hit home. I thought, "I can play against the boys and beat them up. This is great!" '

While growing up, Liv's love of horseriding became apparent, and she often spent her free time riding.

After returning home from a five-month tour earlier this month, Liv wrote on her blog: 'So I landed and was greeted by my Mum which was wonderful, and taken back to my old room which is warm and smells of dogs, just the way I like it!

'There's something about my look': Liv is to use her millions to buy property in London and Las Vegas

'I even got greeted with a movie-like horse whinny from my old horse Bella, who has come back to live with my parents. We sold her over eight years ago and she’s just the same; still hairy, eats everything and bounces around everywhere when you ride her.'

After leaving university, she took part in, and won, a number of TV game shows. Following one appearance, she was approached by Channel 4 and invited to audition for Carol Vorderman's spot on Countdown.

She didn't get the job, but her big break came when she was asked to take part in a Channel 5 programme called Ultimate Poker Showdown - and was taught to play the game that has made her a millionaire.

Since then, she has worked as a TV presenter on poker channels, hosted an MTV heavy metal music awards programme and modelled for men's magazines Loaded and Maxim, as well as appearing on the covers of gambling magazines.

Over the past three years, she estimates she has won a total of £1.8million in tournaments across Europe, Australia and America, and is now ranked ninth in the league of top poker players.



Looking like a million dollars: Liv on the red carpet

Star Student: Liv on graduation day

She claims her best weapon against opponents is her trademark 'Liv Stare', which she uses to rattle their nerves.

Despite her success, she still lives at home in Milstead, a small village near Sittingbourne, Kent, with her mother Elaine Cross, 54, who runs a business selling suitcases and handbags, and stepfather Tony Cross, 53, a retired police constable.

Mrs Cross said: 'She's not really a gambler, that's the irony of it. She's very sensible and extremely careful with her money.'

She added that her daughter had a 'mathematical brain and an incredible poker face', saying: 'I don't play her at Scrabble any more. She's very competitive, she always has to win.'

Miss Boeree's father, publisher Chris Boeree, 60, said: 'She looks a million dollars and other players must be fazed by her.'



