Through consistent play, Kathy Chang has been making quite a name for herself in poker. And that consistency paid off recently as she captured the Arizona State Ladies Championship in September at Talking Stick Resort.
Chang, a wife and mother from Valencia, Calif., said she learned poker by playing video-game versions with her family.
Her first live tournament was a charity event at a golf course near her home, which she won.
Eventually, she met other players and started playing in a prize league at a local bowling alley, where prizes ranged from iPods to televisions. She earned her fair share of the prizes and won the league.
She then moved on to playing in home leagues, taking first place there as well. She believes that with anything you do, training and practice are key. She has attended various training boot camps and strives to learn new things to incorporate into her game and life.
“Every time I play, every hand, every table is a different challenge,” she said, admitting she enjoys the mental aspect of the game. “It’s about people; it’s not all about the cards.”
Her poker resumé is quite impressive in such a short period of time, having cashed in ladies events, open events and several World Series events. She even came in second in a $125 Omaha/8 event at the Commerce’s L.A. Poker Series and then took fifth in a $125 Omaha/8 event at the Big Poker Oktober series at the Bike.
She is a five-time Ladies International Poker Series champion, including the California State Ladies Championship in 2010. But what has landed her in Ante Up is her latest title, the ASLPC in Arizona, good for $13,410, the most in her career.
“(My goal is to) balance being a mom and pursuing my dreams of poker to be an example for my daughter to pursue her own dreams in life.”
— Email Kittie Aleman at anteupkittie@gmail.com.
