Hui Chen Kuo, widely known as Kitty Kuo, is a Taiwanese poker player with over $3.4 million in lifetime earnings. She is one of the most influential female poker players to emerge from Asia. Kuo, who holds a degree in engineering, dedicates most of her time to poker. In this Women in Poker report, we’ll explore the trailblazer, Kitty Kuo, covering her early life, poker career, and personal life.
Kitty Kuo’s Early Life and Poker Introduction
Born in 1983 in Taiwan, Kitty Kuo was a book nerd and always focused on her studies. She eventually moved to California to pursue electrical engineering at the University of Southern California (USC).
While studying, Kuo started playing blackjack because it involved math. During a summer vacation in Korea, she lost a significant amount of money playing blackjack. To stop losing in blackjack, she decided to try poker.
From that moment on, Kuo never played blackjack again and instead devoted her attention to poker. Though she completed her degree at USC, she chose to pursue a poker career rather than follow a traditional engineering path. Her decision to focus on poker caused a strained relationship with her parents.
Kitty Kuo’s Poker Career and Winnings
Natural8 ambassador Kitty Kuo has amassed an impressive $3.4 million in live tournament earnings so far. In 2007, she scored her first live tournament cash, finishing 8th and earning $1,337 in a HK$3.7K No Limit Hold’em event at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT). She scored her first victory in Macau by winning the 2009 PokerStars Macau Poker Cup HK$10,000 NLH Main Event for $71,899.
In 2010, Kuo moved to the USA and participated in the DeepStack Extravaganza NAPT $5,000 NLH, finishing in the money and earning $9,643 for her 92nd-place finish. That same year, she won her first WSOP Circuit Ring by taking down the WSOPC Caesars Palace $340 Ladies Event for $7,357.
Her second title came in 2012 when she won the $350 NLH Event at the APT Manila for $8,550. That year, she also competed in the WPT Malta Main Event, finishing 4th and taking home $50,649.
In 2013, she won the Global Poker Index Asia Player of the Year and that same year she also finished the runner-up in the Women’s Player of the Year category
Kuo scored her first six-figure win in 2014, finishing 3rd in the Hollywood Poker Open $2.5K Main Event, earning an impressive $142,158. In 2015, she came close to securing her first WSOP bracelet in Event #14 but had to settle for 4th place, pocketing $82,890. That same year, she won HK$ 18,000 + 2,000 NLH Teams Championship at Asia Pacific Poker Tour, earning HK$ 82,600.
In 2016, Kuo finished 6th in the Aussie Millions Poker Championship Main Event, earning another six-figure payout of $189,018. Later that year, she finished 6th in the EPT Barcelona Event #7: €10,300 NLH, adding $114,071 to her winnings. In 2018, she finished 4th in the Aussie Millions $25K Challenge for $198,731.
Kuo’s next big moment came when she banked $248,380 for her runner-up finish in the 2018 WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic. Before the pandemic hit, she secured another big cash by finishing runner-up in the 2019 WPT Event #15: $5,200 NLH for $117,031.
At the start of 2021, Kuo claimed the APT Taiwan Main Event title, earning $26,011. She later finished 6th in the WPT Venetian Event #88: $5K NLH, collecting $192,855. The year 2022 saw her notch up a podium finish for $ 35,673 in the WPT Prime Taiwan High Roller (Event #19) at WPT Prime Taiwan, Taipei City
In August 2023, Kuo participated in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $5,300 Championship Event, where she finished 4th, securing $480,763, which remains her best score to date.
Most recently, she competed in the APT Taipei series and scored a cash in the record-breaking main event finishing 243rd for TWD 83,000.
Kitty Kuo’s Poker Earnings as of October 2024
While Kitty Kuo hasn’t secured any big score in 2024, she has competed in several events, adding nearly $50,000 to her earnings. As of October 2024, Kuo’s total live earnings stand at $3,491,797 from 162 tournament cashes.
Kuo currently ranks 4th on Taiwan’s all-time money list and 12th on the women’s all-time money list, just behind Vanessa Rousso.
Kitty Kuo’s Personal Life and Current Status
Kitty Kuo was previously married to fellow poker player Russell Thomas, but the couple divorced in 2022. She is now in a relationship with popular poker player and content creator Frankie Cucchiara, and together they have a son.
Although Kuo still participates in poker tournaments, she has reduced her tournament volume since becoming a mother. She frequently appears on Frankie’s YouTube channel and has been featured in his most viewed video.
She is also one of the female pros who recently accused HCL Co-Owner Nick Vetrucci of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour. She said on X/Twitter that Vetrucci showed her explicit images at the table during a cash game stream.
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