Men "The Master" Nguyen (; born 1954 in

Phan Thiet Phan may refer to: * Phan (surname), a Vietnamese family name * Phan District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand * Phan River, Bình Thuận Province, Vietnam * Phan (tray) Phan (, ) is an artistically decorated tray with pedestal. It is common in T ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

) is a

Vietnamese-American Vietnamese Americans () are Americans of Vietnamese people, Vietnamese ancestry. They constitute a major part of all overseas Vietnamese. As of 2023, over 2.3 million people of Vietnamese descent live in the United States, making them the fourth ...

professional

poker Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...

player.

Personal life

In 1967, he dropped out of school at age 13 and became a bus driver to help support his family. In early 1978, a staunch

anti-Communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

, he escaped from the

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

regime of Vietnam by boat and sailed with 87 compatriots to Pulau Besar in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. In 1978, he received

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

from the United States and settled in

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California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. In 1986, he became an American citizen. In 1984 he went on a junket to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and played poker for the first time in his life. He continued to go every weekend and lose hundreds of dollars, earning him the nickname "Money Machine". However, he quickly mastered the game, winning his first tournament in 1987. With his poker earnings, he opened a dry cleaning business and furniture store, but sold them in 1990 because they took too much of his time and didn't make enough money. Through these businesses he would, however, meet and work with many Vietnamese people who would fall under his tutelage. Nguyen met his future wife, Van, in Vietnam. He eventually brought her to the United States, where they settled in Bell Gardens, California. Men and Van have three children. Van Nguyen learned poker from her husband. She won the

World Poker Tour The World Poker Tour (WPT) is an internationally televised gaming and entertainment brand. Since 2002, the World Poker Tour has operated a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting playdown and the ...

Celebrity Invitational in March 2008, becoming the first woman to ever win a WPT mixed event.

Professional poker career

Nguyen has over 475 finishes

in the money ''In the Money'' is a 1958 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on February 16, 1958, by Monogram Pictures, Allied Artists Pictures and is the 48th and final film in the series. It ...

, and has won more than 95 tournaments. Nguyen is known for tutoring players, many of whom go on to be successful in their own right, including his cousins

David Pham David Pham (born February 10, 1967, in South Vietnam), is a Vietnamese-American professional poker player from Bell Gardens, California, with three World Series of Poker bracelets who has made seven final tables at the World Poker Tour. Early ...

, Minh Nguyen, and his wife Van Nguyen. Men receives a portion of some of his students' winnings. In 1991 one of his students gave him the nickname "The Master," and now he is widely known as "Men the Master." He donates a portion of the money he earns through tournaments and tutoring to charities in Vietnam, and in 1996, with the earnings from his final-table finish in the

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada, and since 2004, sponsored by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best ...

, built a kindergarten in Vietnam. Nguyen won the

Card Player Magazine Card players are those participating in a card game. Various names are given to card players based on their role or position. Position Games of Anglo-American origin In games of Anglo-American origin played in English-speaking countries, ...

Player of the Year award in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005 and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished tournament players in the world. While allegations have been made regarding Nguyen's possible involvement with tournament cheating, nothing has been proven and Nguyen has consistently denied any such actions. As of 2022, his total live tournament earnings exceed $11,000,000. His cashes at WSOP events account for over $4,100,000 of those winnings. Nguyen has won seven WSOP bracelets over three decades.

References

External links

Card Player profileHendon Mob profileWPT profileWSOP profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Men 1954 births World Series of Poker bracelet winners World Series of Poker Circuit event winners American poker players Vietnamese poker players Vietnamese emigrants to the United States Living people People from Bell Gardens, California People from Bình Thuận province