EXCLUSIVE: A Masterful Life

Don’t let his size fool you, Men Nguyen’s stature as a poker player is as big as his heart

April 10, 2006

By Angi Cividino
BodogNation Contributing Writer

Holding his head high and his Poker Player of the Year award even higher, the 5-foot professional poker player stood tall onstage at the Music Box Theater in Old Hollywood. On February 15, wearing his heart on his sleeve and the biggest of smiles, Men Nguyen gave the acceptance speech of his life.

Nguyen wasn’t expecting the Bodog-produced Poker Player Awards Gala to be that big. So in front of a packed audience of celebrities, fans and peers he graciously thanked his family, whom he brought to the show. And he thanked the United States, the country that opened its arms and gave him a chance to live out his dreams. He thanked Bodog.com Founder Calvin Ayre and Card Player magazine's founder Barry Shulman for putting together a "great event". He thanked everyone for letting him continue to do what he loves most: play poker.

Men Nguyen took home his fourth poker player of the year award in February (BodogNation file photo).

“I am very honored to win the 2005 Card Player, Player of the Year award. This is the fourth time I've won, but this year’s was the hardest to win because I did a lot of charity work throughout the year,” said Nguyen, who accumulated $973,620 in winnings last year. “In May, I went to Vietnam with my wife, Van. We distributed rice and built an indoor playground for the school children. In August I went to Atlanta, Georgia, with Scotty Nguyen to raise funds for the children of Vietnam. Then in November, I went to Minnesota with T.J. Cloutier, Mike Sexton and Marcel Luske to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In December, the day before the $15,000 main event at the Bellagio, I flew back to Los Angeles and played in a charity tournament with David Pham at the Hawaiian Gardens.”

If it sounds like Nguyen’s generous character is unusual for a guy who makes a living stealing blinds, that’s because he does have a rather altruistic approach to his game. You see, even before Nguyen became a professional poker player, he was (and still is) a practicing Buddhist.

“Charity is very important to me. It’s part of who I am and what I believe in,” said Nguyen. “I am a Buddhist and I take my faith very seriously. I believe that when an individual does an act of kindness, it comes back to him. I respect the opportunities this country has to offer and am very fortunate to live here, but I will never forget my homeland where people are starving. Each year, I visit Vietnam with presents and food to help the people.”

Nguyen was born and raised in Vietnam. As a young boy, he dutifully accepted the cards he was dealt; at age 13 he quit school to help support his family. Nguyen soon found work as a bus driver, but he held bigger dreams.

In 1978, Nguyen boarded a boat bound for Pulau Besar in Malaysia, where he met a beautiful Salvadoran woman. After an intensely romantic courtship, he said, they moved in together and started a new family.

For a while, things were good. Really good. Nguyen’s daughter and wife provided him with a sense of purpose and belonging. So when she up and left Nguyen and took their daughter with her, Nguyen was shocked.

Needing a new start, Nguyen went in pursuit of the American Dream. He left for the United States and was granted political asylum. Vietnam was now oceans away, but the lessons he'd learned remained very dear to his heart.

“My father told me that if you work hard in America, you will succeed,” Nguyen said. “I remembered his advice when I was accepted into the United States. I had nothing in the beginning, but I believed in myself.”

Working as a machinist during the day, his command of English grew and his newfound confidence fueled his desire to do more with his life.

Discovering Las Vegas

In 1984, Nguyen boarded a junket to Las Vegas. He was given a room for the night and $30 to play a rather inexperienced group of card-playing senior citizens at Caesars Palace. Bored and unchallenged, Nguyen wandered around the poker floor and stumbled upon a table of players enjoying a game of 7-Card Stud. Used to playing no-limit 5-Card Stud with a 28-card deck back in Vietnam, Nguyen said he was intrigued when invited to join the action.

Don't be fooled. Awards show MC Brad Garrett and all other poker fans and players look up to Men Nguyen (BodogNation file photo).

Nguyen said he ended up losing $3,200 that first night, but it wasn’t enough to keep him away for long.

He made several trips back to Vegas to recoup his losses, where he quickly became known as the “Money Machine” (for having to make one too many trips to the bank machine, apparently).

“The next week I thought about the game and analyzed my play. The following weekend I returned to Las Vegas and beat the game!” Nguyen said. “I won my first tournament later that year and eventually quit my day job to become a professional poker player.”

Nguyen took up teaching poker, which is how he earned his current nickname, “The Master”. And the rest, as they say, is poker history.

“The Master” has been playing professional poker for more than 17 years and has won more than 75 tournaments. Though he has never won a main World Series of Poker event, Nguyen has collected six WSOP bracelets and over $4.1 million in tournament earnings.

For a man whose humble beginnings, inherent poker skills and big dreams have helped him to succeed and give so much back to the people in Vietnam, Nguyen said there is still one dream he’d like to fulfill.

“I want to win the Main Event of the World Series of Poker,” he said. “I made the final table in 1996, but I got a bad beat and didn't win. Hopefully, I will win the big one this year!”