"It Would be Such an Achievement" Epidemiologist Yuan-Yuan Li Goes for Another WPT Cash

By Sean Chaffin

As play gets closer to the money on Day 2 at the WPT Rolling Thunder, Yuan-Yuan “Anita” Li was looking to make it two-for-two in WPT events. She finished 70th at Fallsview for $5,917 in her first WPT appearance and looking to improve on that.

Originally from China, Li now calls Ottawa, Canada, home and has more than $233,000 in lifetime tournament winnings. Since picking up the game in 2017 she has several nice bullet points on her tournament resumé.

“I came here to play with a friend,” says Li, who is married with two children. “I just recently started playing tournaments.”

In 2017, she finished 105th in the World Series of Poker Main Event for $53,274. Her biggest score then came in 2018 when she took third in the $1,100 WSOP International Circuit Main Event in Montreal for $106,115. She chalked up her first win in January at the Aussie Millions, winning a $1,150 NLHE event for $47,375.

Disease prevention has certainly been in the news lately. Back in Ottawa, Li works as an epidemiologist in disease prevention and control for the government. However, she’s been on a one-year sabbatical and should be back in her medical role this summer.

Li picked up poker after playing with friends. So far she’s enjoyed the experience at Thunder Valley and hoping her run of success continues.

One hand stands out from Day 2 in which she had pocket Aces in a three-way pot against two other players with Ace-King and Ace-Queen. The hand rocketed her to 260,000 in chips, but that dipped to about 105,000 near the bubble. Adding a deep run would mean a lot for this Canadian who thrives on the analytical aspects of poker.

‘It would be such an achievement,” she says. “I like the competition of tournaments. You make decisions based on various factors and it’s very dynamic because the stages of the tournament changes and the stack sizes. So it’s just a very fun game for me.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.