Men "the Master" Nguyen holds court when he sits at a final table.
The charming, gregarious Vietnamese-American has a poker resume that
most card players would kill to have. Men Nguyen has won the Poker
Player of the Year Award four of the last nine years. His win total
at tournament poker is so high that most people lose count. Men "the
Master" even has his own school of poker, where he trains other young
players in his secrets.
EARLY LIFE
Men Nguyen was born in the Phanthiel Province of South Vietnam, some
120 miles from Saigon, in 1954. He grew up in the tumultuous Vietnam
War era, like his father a committed anti-communist. Men's family was
large, consisting of 7 other siblings, whom all still live in Vietnam
to this day. Men's father advised the young man to get out of the
country, which is what he did.
Traveling with nearly a hundred other political exiles on a boat to
Malaysia, Men had to start over. He would eventually seek political
asylum in the United States, settling in Los Angeles. It would be
several months before Nguyen, who did not speak English, would get a
job as a furniture delivery man. Eventually, he would get a job as a
machinist, which he would hold for the next 8 years.
Men Nguyen eventually fell in love, but this relationship came to an
end in 1984. A friend suggested Men should stop moping around and
join him on a junket to Las Vegas. Junkets in those days involved a
small amount of money for a flight--on the condition the person would
then spend a minimum amount of time playing at the casino which
arranged the junket.
MEN THE MASTER
The trip to Vegas changed Men's life. He lost all of his money, but
went back home considering the best ways to win at poker. Men was
fascinated by the casino, and stayed well beyond his three hour
minimum. Men Nguyen became a fixture at the casinos in Las Vegas on
the weekends, maxing out his credit card so he could learn from
firsthand experience. He was termed the "Money Machine" in the early
days, because he would keep buying back in. With half of a year, Men
was winning that money back.
A couple of years later, Men Nguyen began entering tournaments. He
won $50,000 at a tournament in 1987, and used that money to purchase a
furniture store and a dry cleaning business. For three years, Men
would become a Los Angeles businessman, but he would continue to play
poker every chance he got. In 1990, he sold out of his business,
because they could not make him money like poker. Besides, they had
become a nuissance.
1990 also marks the year when Men Nguyen took on poker apprentices.
Men's circle became a poker workshop, where he and his students would
play poker, then discuss the theories behind the game. One of Men's
students began calling his mentor "the Master", and soon was telling
people on the street he was learning from Men "the Master". The name
stuck. Throughout the 1990's, Nguyen began to back up his illustrious
title. Terms like crafty and cunning were often used to describe Men.
RARIFIED AIR
Men Nguyen has 6 World Series of Poker bracelets to his name. He has
over 75 tournament wins in his career. In the last five years alone,
Men has finished in the the money 120 times. His tournament winnings
are reaching nearly $4.5 million. Meanwhile, Nguyen students are
winning tournaments, too. One of those students is David "the Dragon"
Phan, a respected player in his own right.
Yet Men hardly appears imposing. All 5'4" of him sits at the poker
table, with a big smile on his face, drinking from his bottle of
Corona. Men "the Master" is a treat for the audience to watch,
presiding over the event with a shared joke or a laughing taunt.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
♦ 1st place in a 1992 World Series of Poker $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event.
♦ 1st place in a 1995 World Series of Poker $2,500 Seven-Card Stud Split event.
♦ 1st place in a 1995 World Series of Poker $2,500 Limit Holdem event.
♦ 1st place in a 1996 World Series of Poker $2,500 Omaha 8 or Better event.
♦ 1st place in a 2003 World Series of Poker $5,000 Seven-Card Stud event.
♦ 1st place in a 2003 World Series of Poker $1,500 Ace to 5 Triple Draw
Lowball event.
♦ 1st place in an Omaha High Lo event at the World Poker Challenge.
♦ 1st place in an Pot Limit Holdem event at the World Poker Challenge.
♦ 1st place in a Mixed Games event at the Legends of Poker Bicycle Casino.
♦ 1st place in a Limit Holdem event at Foxwoods World Poker Championship.
♦ Poker Player of the Year Award winner in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005.
This page was last updated on June 5th, 2006.
