Usually when your introduction to certain games involves the words “Caribbean Stud”, chances are you are having a very good time at a place where the sun seldom sets (and when it does eventually go down, it does so in a uniquely sensual manner) and the drinks all have little umbrellas in them. This is not exactly the circumstances that let Xuyen Pham but she was introduced to the world of poker by playing Caribbean Stud. For those whose upbringing involved stiff collers, ties, and self-loathing, the game of Caribbean Stub could be considered the “gateway drug” to a life as a high roller.
Xuyen “Bad Girl” Pham started cashing in poker tournaments back in 2001. While she was born in Vietnam, her original poker stomping grounds were the United Kingdom. Considering how many people she stomped on the way to money finishes, there are a lot of players who now wish she had just stayed there. She made her first real noise in the sport by winning The Gaming Club World Poker Championship in Dublin in 2004. On her way to a victory lap, she ran over such pros as Peter Costa and John Cernuto. That triumph was sort of a poker coming out party, and since that time she has been a consistent final table threat for a number of European Poker Tour events and other high profile tournaments.
Xuyen has yet to participate in a Worlds Series of Poker tournament or any World Poker Tour competition. This may be because while she is a poker player, she is also the mother of three children, and the wife of poker player Steve Vladar, and may prefer staying close to home. This is probably good news for a lot of players who frequent those tournaments. Eventually we will probably see her matching her skill with the world’s best on those particular stages.
