Chess star Qiyu “Nemo” Zhou has revealed she made a deal with Fedor Holz to exchange chess tuition for some poker lessons.
The 24-year-old Canadian has carved out a successful career as a Twitch streamer in recent years but now she is making her way up in the poker world, too. Her tutor's own record is covered in our Fedor Holz player profile.
So, can you imagine how happy she was when none other than German poker superstar Fedor Holz suggested a skill swap.
Nemo told German newspaper Bild that she began her poker journey in 2021 when Holz dropped by during a live stream to offer some help in return for chess lessons.
Not long after, fellow chess and poker streamer Alexandra Botez and the World Poker Tour offered Nemo a slot in a live cash game, which went well.
And then it was time for the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the summer where Nemo found herself a sponsor to take part in the Ladies Event.
It’s fair to say that by now, Nemo has fully arrived in the poker community. The question is: how good can she become?
Will Nemo Crossover into a Professional Poker Career?
Nemo made it quite clear that there is not much in the way of prize money in the world of chess.
In fact, outside of the world’s top 100 players, very few make what can be considered a good living.
So for that reason, having already reached a level close to her potential, why not see what she can do in our great game.
You see, not only has she got Fedor Holz in her corner, but she has also been dating high-stakes player Alex “Thallo” Epstein. That’s a serious coaching team!
Chess and poker have very similar learning requirements. The strategic thinking patterns mandate a “little but often” approach to improvement.
But one pattern we hope we don’t see again is Nemo’s slip up when she gifted a $12,000 WPT tournament ticket to Alex Epstein who she was dating.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if she said right out that’s what she wanted to do, but instead she went through a pantomime that lured unaware players into thinking they had a chance of winning the ticket.
Players looking for structured coaching from Holz can access his complete curriculum on Pokercode. There, he teaches an extensive MTT Masterclass alongside other top-tier coaches.
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