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Professional female poker player dies after suspected electrocution

A 26-year-old woman dubbed Russia’s “most beautiful poker player” has been found dead from a suspected massive electric shock in her bathroom.

Liliya Novikova had been alone at home and her body was discovered on the floor of her bathroom in Moscow.

A mathematics whizkid with a first-class degree in engineering from a top Russian university, she shunned offers to work at leading industrial companies and instead became a professional poker star with a lucrative career.

She was famous both as an online and real-life player, and featured in her own poker web channels.

Liliya Novikova's was found on the floor of her bathroom in her apartment in Moscow’s prestigious Kutuzovsky Prospekt precinct. She is pictured here.
Liliya Novikova was 26-years-old when she died from a suspected electric shock. Source: east2west news/Australscope

She is reported to have had a contract with PokerStars online card room, and ran her own web masterclasses and workshops for beginners.

Russia’s Channel 5 mourned the death of the country’s “sexiest poker player”.

Ms Novikova’s parents became worried when she did not answer her phone in her apartment in Moscow’s prestigious Kutuzovsky Prospekt precinct.

They asked a neighbour to check the apartment and her body was found on the bathroom floor.

The Russian Investigative Committee said signs of electric shock were found on her body.

Novikova is believed to have been charging a phone or other device in the bathroom when an accident occurred.

Some reports say the device was "faulty".

Others say she banged her head as a result of the electrical incident.

Russian poker player Liliya Novikova, who died of a suspected electric shock, is seen here sitting in front of computer screen playing online poker.
Ms Novikova was a mathematics whizkid who had a lucrative career as a professional poker player. Source: east2west news/Australscope

A post-mortem is to be held.

Videos showed her teaching poker and congratulating Russian military men on the Day of the Motherland Defender in February.

Novikova was also a keen cyclist, snowboarder, rower and boxer.

She ran her own online shop for poker-themed clothing.

The administrator of her official group on the Russian social media site, Vkontakte, shared the news of her death with much sadness.

“I do not know how to present such news, I have been thinking for a while and it
is very hard for me to write this,” the post read.

“(Liliya) is dead. Yesterday, an accident. She is not here anymore. She has left us.”

– Australscope

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