Shundan Xiao was still an amateur poker player two years ago, enjoying games at home and the occasional visit to a casino.
Her wife suggested that she start playing in tournaments — and that has proven to be sensational advice.
Xiao has just landed a huge payout of $300,000 and made a name for herself with a lucrative run in the biggest World Series of Poker Main Event in history.
Over 10,100 players entered the No Limit Hold’em World Championship which offers a $10m windfall for the overall winner.
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Just 358 of those players were women, and Xiao was one of only two to make it into the final 59. She eventually finished 28th, and found herself the subject of considerable interest within the sport.
That also gave her the opportunity to talk about being LGBTQ.
The Chinese-born 36-year-old told PokerNews: “It’s been hard for me. Especially [coming] from a country where it’s not super accepted.
“But I feel very comfortable now after just telling everyone. I really want to express myself in a way that is true.”
Xiao also told PokerNews that she identifies as “95% lesbian.” She lives in San Jose, Cal. with her wife, Youngqun Yian. They reportedly met through work and have been married for about a year.
It was Yian who first brought Xiao to the WSOP last year in Las Vegas, where the latter won nearly $4,000 after finishing just outside the top 50 in the Ladies Championship.
Xiao said her superb run this year would be “a really good memory” to take away. She added: “I feel like this is a competition that more women should join. It’s a lot of fun and it shouldn’t matter about your gender.”
Last month, PokerNews ran a series of articles for Pride Month featuring LGBTQ players.
One gay player, Niclas Thumm, described being targeted with online hate speech after kissing his boyfriend during last year’s PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship in the Bahamas, where Thumm finished sixth.
The German had also been subjected to homophobic slurs during an online tournament earlier this year.
Thumm told PokerNews he felt it was “super important” to mark Pride in poker.
“Just to be seen is hugely important to the community; how great would it be to have an award for biggest ally in poker? Or a special Pride Month tournament series? We need to stay strong as a community.”
The series also featured two holders of highly coveted WSOP bracelets, both of whom are gay — Ryan Laplante from the U.S., and Switzerland’s Alexandre Vuilleumier.
