Lovely Liliya “Liay5” Novikova Added to Team PokerStars Online

PokerStars added another star to their team of online pros, a young poker talent from Moscow who has achieved Supernova status and is eyeing the Supernova Elite level.

Liliya Novikova, a specialist in PokerStars 6-Max hyper-turbo Sit & Go’s, realized a dream by signing with the world's top site. Although the 22-year-old beauty claims that playing anonymously would have suited her just fine, she admits that representing PokerStars will provide greater opportunities to step up her game.

That game was first developed by playing video games professionally, particularly Defence of the Ancients (DotA). A gaming team member happened to invite Novikova to a poker tournament, which turned out to be the catalyst that propelled her into serious action on the virtual tables at PokerStars.

"I started off casually," Novikova told PokerStars blog. "I played turbo SNGs and heads-up, but over time hyper turbos became my game of choice. I fell in love with the speed and post-flop play. I even started to meet some of my opponents in real life. It was a great experience."

Novikova can likely expect even greater experiences in the future, including live tournaments wearing a PokerStars patch. She admits to having "dabbled" in the live poker arena, but will likely do more than dabble from here on out.

"When I'm not playing cards, I cook and play sports," Novikova stated. "I also love to spend time in the kitchen. I love cooking Asian cuisine. Once I eat a lot, I also try to keep in shape by running."

A previous student of engineering at university, Novikova also continues to play video games such as DayZ and Diablo, but only on a casual basis. A good deal of her time is spent aiming for Supernova Elite membership and she has "worked out a schedule" to achieve that goal.

Novikova plays under the screen name of 'Liay5' at PokerStars and has invited others to join her game. "Come find me," she says, and you can bet that many players will.

Photos: PokerStars blog