Men “The Master” Nguyen

Born in 1954 in Phan Thiet, Vietnam, Men Nguyen dropped out of school at the age of 13 and became a bus driver in order to support his family. In 1978 he left his homeland on a refugee boat hoping to escape communism and found himself in Malaysia. That same year he received political asylum from the United States and settled in Los Angeles, California. Things were not easy for him, he did not speak English and even after he learned it he had difficulty finding a job. After much searching he found a position as a machinist which he did for almost eight years until he saved up enough money playing poker to invest in a furniture store and dry cleaning company.

Nguyen first became interested in poker when he took a trip to Las Vegas with his friends in 1984. He didn't know much about the game and lost quite a deal of money during his first trip but he fell in love with poker and ended up traveling to Las Vegas almost every weekend to play. It wasn't long before he got the hang of things and in 1986 he began competing in live tournaments. After investing in several small businesses, he decided to go pro in 1990 and quickly took the poker world by storm winning several events and final tabling at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). In 1992 he won his first WSOP bracelet and since then he has won six other WSOP events and has become one of the top 10 WSOP bracelet winners of all time. Over the years he has cashed in hundreds of poker tournaments and won more than 90 events. He has won the Card Player Magazine Player of the Year award four times having received the title in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005. 

A Buddhist, Nguyen is known for incorporating elements of his philosophy into both his poker playing and teaching.  He has a reputation for being one of the very best poker teachers in the industry, though he is known for being very strict with his students. He regularly does charity work and donates part of his winnings to build orphanages and help the poor in Vietnam. Since getting his citizenship in 1986 he has helped many members of his family move to America including his brother Ut Nguyen who he personally trained in the art of poker. An industry icon Nguyen continues to compete in and win events around the world.