Celina Lin (26) popped into Queenstown for the New Zealand Poker Tour event at Skycity Casino this week.
She is reportedly Sydney's first poker millionairess and is one of three females to compete in Queenstown out of a field of 134. She qualified for the second round yesterday but was knocked out of the tournament soon after.
Ms Lin was born in Shanghai, China, and moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she became one of top-ranked online female poker players. She has been a professional player for two years.
"I see a lot more women becoming interested after they hear about my success," she said.
However, being in a room full of men does not worry her.
"Different players perceive me differently. Some 'soft play' me because I'm a woman, others are super aggressive when they think I am weak. It's a fine line," she said.
Despite poker being dominated by men, Ms Lin remains single. She said she had been in a relationship with an American poker player for three years.
"He taught me a lot about the game. We broke up about a year ago, we are still friends, but because I travel a lot it became impossible."
She has made Macau her second home, dominating the premiere Macau Poker Cup series. Earlier this month, she was champion of the record-breaking Red Dragon event, winning nearly $HK400,000.
She also holds the all-time record for final tables at Macau Poker Cup with nine appearances in the final 10.
She told The Otago Daily Times Queenstown took her breath away as she flew in.
"I had no idea it would be so beautiful," she said.
And her goal?: "I want to play my best poker. I don't have any regrets, I don't look back but I always learn from my mistakes to improve next time."
• Yesterday, 91 players who qualified from the first round played for a chance to be in today's top 18 final table.
Queenstown player Matthew Yates entered the second round with $67,050 in chips. He is second in the chip count with Australian Julius Colman leading the chip stack into the second round with $114,425 in chips.
