Kenny Tran
Encyclopedia
Phuong "Kenny" Tran is a Vietnamese American
professional poker
player from Arcadia, California
who won the 2008 World Series of Poker
$10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. Tran was born in Vietnam
and gives 10% of his winnings to his extended family there. He is married and has 3 children. He first began playing poker in 1992 at a bowling alley while working at McDonald's
.
cashes. Tran made the final table of the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. Event at the 2007 WSOP. He finished in 5th and won $444,000. In that same year he had his highest finish in the Main Event, finishing in 16th and earning $381,000. He also finished in 16th position in the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe
Main Event, earning $68,000. At the 2008 World Series of Poker
Tran won a bracelet
in the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship and his largest cash to date, earning $539,056.
games at the Commerce Casino
in Los Angeles
. He also plays online on Full Tilt Poker
where he is a sponsored pro. He has four World Poker Tour
(WPT) cashes including finishing in 10th place at the Sixth Annual Five Star World Poker Classic in the $25,000 No Limit Hold'em WPT World Championship, earning $158,290. As of 2009 his total winnings exceed $2,100,000. His 13 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,661,619 of those winnings.
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player from Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
who won the 2008 World Series of Poker
2008 World Series of Poker
The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold...
$10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. Tran was born in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and gives 10% of his winnings to his extended family there. He is married and has 3 children. He first began playing poker in 1992 at a bowling alley while working at McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
.
World Series of Poker
He began playing tournaments in 1999 and has thirteen career World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
cashes. Tran made the final table of the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. Event at the 2007 WSOP. He finished in 5th and won $444,000. In that same year he had his highest finish in the Main Event, finishing in 16th and earning $381,000. He also finished in 16th position in the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe
World Series of Poker Europe
The World Series of Poker Europe is the first expansion effort of World Series of Poker-branded poker tournaments outside the United States. Since 1970, participants had to travel to Las Vegas if they wanted to compete in the World Series of Poker...
Main Event, earning $68,000. At the 2008 World Series of Poker
2008 World Series of Poker
The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold...
Tran won a bracelet
World Series of Poker bracelet
The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". ...
in the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship and his largest cash to date, earning $539,056.
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 2008 World Series of Poker The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold... |
$10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship | $539,056 |
Other poker events
Tran is known as a cash game specialist who plays in high stakes No Limit Texas Hold 'emTexas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
games at the Commerce Casino
Commerce Casino
Commerce Casino is a cardroom located in the Los Angeles suburb of Commerce. With over 240 tables on site, Commerce Casino is the largest cardroom in the world...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He also plays online on Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
where he is a sponsored pro. He has four World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
(WPT) cashes including finishing in 10th place at the Sixth Annual Five Star World Poker Classic in the $25,000 No Limit Hold'em WPT World Championship, earning $158,290. As of 2009 his total winnings exceed $2,100,000. His 13 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,661,619 of those winnings.