Scotty Nguyen
Encyclopedia
Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn (born October 28, 1962 in Nha Trang
, Vietnam
) is a Vietnamese American
professional poker
player who is a five time World Series of Poker
(WSOP) bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker
Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship. This win also made him the first and currently only player to win both the WSOP Main Event and $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. events. He also stated that the only type of World Series of Poker event he has yet to win is 2-7 lowball. Nguyen is one of the most active players in professional poker today, and from 2000 to 2004 he finished in the money in more than 100 events.
His luck changed in 1985 when he was invited to Lake Tahoe to deal in a no-limit Hold’em tournament. He dealt all day and played cash games all night with the meager bankroll he brought with him. He built his bankroll to $7,000 and felt he was invincible. He returned to Las Vegas
and gambled his bankroll up to $1,000,000. His name spread around Vegas and before he knew it he was playing poker with Johnny Chan
, Puggy Pearson
, and David Grey
. He purchased a Chevrolet Camaro
for $17,000, a Corvette
for $21,000 and a condominium for $60,000 all in cash. He lived in Caesars Palace
and was winning $50,000 to $100,000 a night.
Bad habits plagued Nguyen as recreational use of marijuana, cocaine
, and alcohol
developed into full-scale addictions. After a bad losing streak, he ended up going broke. Nguyen was spared a room and $5,000 in cash.
where he won the $2,000 Omaha 8 or Better, netting a profit of over $150,000. Unfortunately Nguyen blew this bankroll again and was completely broke shortly before the 1998 World Series of Poker
. Nguyen had to play in a small satellite tournament which he did not even have enough money to buy into. Mike Matusow
saw potential in Nguyen and decided to bankroll 1/3 of the buy in.
Nguyen is noted for playing with lots of emotion
. He went on to win the 1998 World Series of Poker and split 1/3 of the winnings ($333,333) with Mike Matusow. On the final hand of the 1998 World Series of Poker's Main Event, a full house was dealt on the table . Nguyen made the memorable quote to his opponent Kevin McBride: "You call, it's gonna be all over baby!" McBride called, saying "I call. I play the board." Nguyen beat McBride with a better full house by holding . Nguyen's Main Event triumph in 1998 was followed immediately by tragedy—the very next day, one of his brothers was hit by a car back home in Vietnam, and killed. For this reason, Scotty does not wear his 1998 WSOP championship bracelet.
After making several World Poker Tour
final tables, Nguyen eventually won a WPT event in January 2006, defeating Michael Mizrachi
heads-up in the fourth season
Gold Strike World Poker Open
when his made a flush against Mizrachi's on the very first hand of heads-up round. With this WPT victory, Scotty became one of only 5 people to win both the main event of the World Series of Poker and a World Poker Tour title. Nguyen earned a second place finish at the 2007 World Series of Poker
in the seven card stud high low split eight or better
event won by Eli Elezra
. Scotty stated after the event that he hadn't played cash games in over two years because he enjoys a friendly environment which is difficult in serious cash games. Scotty also nearly made the final table of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing in 11th place out of a field of 6,358 and earning $476,926.
At the 2008 $50,000 World Series of Poker H.O.R.S.E. event, Nguyen exhibited what many have considered objectionable, and even rule-breaking behavior. In the broadcast of the prestigious event, Nguyen was shown drinking numerous alcoholic beverages while swearing and scolding others (including waiters/waitresses) at the final table, drawing criticism from commentators. Following the event (which Nguyen won), Nguyen issued an apology to his fans and stated that the event's editing depicted him unfairly. He also cited issues like exhaustion, frustration with the perceived gloating of Michael DeMichele
, and pressure to succeed as reasons for his unconventional behavior. Nguyen later formally apologized to the fans in an interview, and said that he no longer blamed any other players for his behavior, and that there was no excuse for his behavior at the 2008 H.O.R.S.E. event.
In 2009, Nguyen won the inaugural LA Poker Classic $10,000 H.O.R.S.E World Championship at the Commerce Casino's annual LA Poker Classic Series. This 1st place finish earned him $339,743, and further cemented Nguyen's reputation as one of the greatest masters of all variations of fixed limit poker.
As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $11,250,000. Of those winnings, $4,727,717 have come at the WSOP. Nguyen has also made appearances on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour
playing Elimination Blackjack
. Nguyen also made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
in April 2004.
Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district...
, 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 –...
) is a Vietnamese American
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 who is a five time World Series of Poker
World 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...
(WSOP) bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker
1998 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship. This win also made him the first and currently only player to win both the WSOP Main Event and $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. events. He also stated that the only type of World Series of Poker event he has yet to win is 2-7 lowball. Nguyen is one of the most active players in professional poker today, and from 2000 to 2004 he finished in the money in more than 100 events.
Early life
Scotty Nguyen was born in Vietnam and came to America at the age of fourteen. He was expelled from school for spending too much time in underground poker games. Nguyen attended dealer school at the age of 21 and was employed at Harrah’s poker room. There he made about $150 a night and lost most of it playing $3–$6 stud. He described himself as a "fish" but wanted to gamble regardless.His luck changed in 1985 when he was invited to Lake Tahoe to deal in a no-limit Hold’em tournament. He dealt all day and played cash games all night with the meager bankroll he brought with him. He built his bankroll to $7,000 and felt he was invincible. He returned to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and gambled his bankroll up to $1,000,000. His name spread around Vegas and before he knew it he was playing poker with Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan (poker player)
Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
, Puggy Pearson
Puggy Pearson
Walter Clyde Pearson was an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1973 World Series of Poker World Champion.-Early years:...
, and David Grey
David Grey
David F. Grey is an American professional poker player from Henderson, Nevada.Grey is best known as a cash-game player, but he also has several notable poker tournament wins to his name....
. He purchased a Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...
for $17,000, a Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
for $21,000 and a condominium for $60,000 all in cash. He lived in Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
and was winning $50,000 to $100,000 a night.
Bad habits plagued Nguyen as recreational use of marijuana, cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, and alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
developed into full-scale addictions. After a bad losing streak, he ended up going broke. Nguyen was spared a room and $5,000 in cash.
Poker career
Nguyen had to rebuild his bankroll after losing his million. His next success came at the 1997 World Series of Poker1997 World Series of Poker
The 1997 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. Most notably, it was the only WSOP where the final table of the main event took place outdoors, at the Fremont Street Experience, just outside of Binions...
where he won the $2,000 Omaha 8 or Better, netting a profit of over $150,000. Unfortunately Nguyen blew this bankroll again and was completely broke shortly before the 1998 World Series of Poker
1998 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
. Nguyen had to play in a small satellite tournament which he did not even have enough money to buy into. Mike Matusow
Mike Matusow
Michael Matusow is an American professional poker player, residing in Henderson, Nevada. Matusow's nickname of "The Mouth" reflects his reputation for trash-talking at the poker table...
saw potential in Nguyen and decided to bankroll 1/3 of the buy in.
Nguyen is noted for playing with lots of emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
. He went on to win the 1998 World Series of Poker and split 1/3 of the winnings ($333,333) with Mike Matusow. On the final hand of the 1998 World Series of Poker's Main Event, a full house was dealt on the table . Nguyen made the memorable quote to his opponent Kevin McBride: "You call, it's gonna be all over baby!" McBride called, saying "I call. I play the board." Nguyen beat McBride with a better full house by holding . Nguyen's Main Event triumph in 1998 was followed immediately by tragedy—the very next day, one of his brothers was hit by a car back home in Vietnam, and killed. For this reason, Scotty does not wear his 1998 WSOP championship bracelet.
After making several 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...
final tables, Nguyen eventually won a WPT event in January 2006, defeating Michael Mizrachi
Michael Mizrachi
Michael David Mizrachi is an American professional poker player who won the 2010 World Series of Poker $50,000 Players Championship.. Mizrachi also has two World Poker Tour Titles, and finished 5th in the Main Event of the 2010 World Series of Poker.-Personal life:Mizrachi was born in Miami,...
heads-up in the fourth season
World Poker Tour season 4 results
- Mirage Poker Showdown:* Casino: The Mirage, Las Vegas * Buy-in: $10,000* 4-Day Event: May 23, 2005 to May 26, 2005* Number of Entries: 317* Total Prize Pool: $3,074,900* Number of Payouts: 27* Winning Hand: Q-Q...
Gold Strike World Poker Open
World Poker Open
The World Poker Open was one of the annual events on the World Poker Tour....
when his made a flush against Mizrachi's on the very first hand of heads-up round. With this WPT victory, Scotty became one of only 5 people to win both the main event of the World Series of Poker and a World Poker Tour title. Nguyen earned a second place finish at the 2007 World Series of Poker
2007 World Series of Poker
The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18...
in the seven card stud high low split eight or better
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
event won by Eli Elezra
Eli Elezra
Eliahu Ilan Elezra is an Israeli professional poker player and a businessman, now living in Las Vegas, Nevada.While he was in Israel, Elezra was a lieutenant in the Golani Brigade. He was bedridden by a leg injury; during this time he began playing poker...
. Scotty stated after the event that he hadn't played cash games in over two years because he enjoys a friendly environment which is difficult in serious cash games. Scotty also nearly made the final table of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing in 11th place out of a field of 6,358 and earning $476,926.
At the 2008 $50,000 World Series of Poker H.O.R.S.E. event, Nguyen exhibited what many have considered objectionable, and even rule-breaking behavior. In the broadcast of the prestigious event, Nguyen was shown drinking numerous alcoholic beverages while swearing and scolding others (including waiters/waitresses) at the final table, drawing criticism from commentators. Following the event (which Nguyen won), Nguyen issued an apology to his fans and stated that the event's editing depicted him unfairly. He also cited issues like exhaustion, frustration with the perceived gloating of Michael DeMichele
Michael DeMichele
Michael DeMichele is a professional poker player from East Haven, Connecticut.DeMichele's first major success in poker came in the 2006 United States Poker Championship Main Event, where he finished in 3rd place winning $215,194. Since then, DeMichele has cashed in some World Series of Poker...
, and pressure to succeed as reasons for his unconventional behavior. Nguyen later formally apologized to the fans in an interview, and said that he no longer blamed any other players for his behavior, and that there was no excuse for his behavior at the 2008 H.O.R.S.E. event.
In 2009, Nguyen won the inaugural LA Poker Classic $10,000 H.O.R.S.E World Championship at the Commerce Casino's annual LA Poker Classic Series. This 1st place finish earned him $339,743, and further cemented Nguyen's reputation as one of the greatest masters of all variations of fixed limit poker.
As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $11,250,000. Of those winnings, $4,727,717 have come at the WSOP. Nguyen has also made appearances on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour
Ultimate Blackjack Tour
The Ultimate Blackjack Tour was a televised series of Elimination Blackjack tournaments that aired in syndication. It debuted on September 16, 2006. The show consists of a series of televised Elimination Blackjack tournaments...
playing Elimination Blackjack
Elimination Blackjack
Elimination Blackjack is a tournament format of blackjack invented by Russ Hamilton, and is played on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour and in various casinos. It combines the game of blackjack with elements of No Limit Texas Hold'Em...
. Nguyen also made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
in April 2004.
World Series of Poker bracelets
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 1997 World Series of Poker The 1997 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. Most notably, it was the only WSOP where the final table of the main event took place outdoors, at the Fremont Street Experience, just outside of Binions... |
$2,000 Omaha 8 or Better | $156,959 |
| 1998 1998 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*... |
$10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship | $1,000,000 |
| 2001 2001 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 613 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a non-online casino at the time.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:... |
$2,500 Pot Limit Omaha | $178,480 |
| 2001 | $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split Eight or Better | $287,580 |
| 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... |
$50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship | $1,989,120 |