Qui Nguyen (poker player)
| Qui Nguyen | |
|---|---|
 Qui Nguyen, 2016 | |
| Nickname(s) | Tommy Gun |
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Born | 1977 (age 39–40) |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 1 |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 2 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | Winner, 2016 |
Qui Nguyen (born 1977) is a Vietnamese-American poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada. He won the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event, earning $8,005,310.
Nguyen was born in Vietnam before immigrating to the United States in 2001 at the age of 24. He initially settled in California and worked in a nail salon before moving to Las Vegas in 2007. Nguyen began playing poker in 2003, concentrating on small limit hold’em cash games.[1] He turned to no limit games upon arriving to Las Vegas and recorded several cashes in small buy-in events. His only WSOP cash prior to the Main Event came in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event in 2009 for $9,029.
Nguyen won his seat in the 2016 Main Event through a $1,100 satellite.[2] He played through the Main Event and reached the November Nine in second chip position. After a final table which lasted 364 hands, Nguyen defeated Gordon Vayo on the 181st hand of heads-up with his against Vayo's on a board of .
As of 2017, Nguyen's total live tournament winnings exceed $8,050,000, most of which come from his main event victory.[3]
Qui Nguyen's autobiography, "From Vietnam to Vegas! How I won the World Series of Poker Main Event", will be published in the fall of 2017 by D&B Publishing. Nguyen will tell his life story as well as dissecting over 100 key hands from the final table. Steve Blay will co-author.[4] Steve Blay is the founder of, and software engineer behind, AdvancedPokerTraining.com. Blay used his software to create bots simulating each of the November Nine's playing style. These simulations kept predicting a Qui Nguyen victory. When Nguyen heard of these results, he flew Blay out to Las Vegas to help him train for the final table. [5]After his WSOP victory, D&B publishing reached out to Nguyen and Blay to share their story.
World Series of Poker bracelets
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event | $8,005,310 |
References
- ↑ Lee, Bernard (September 30, 2016). "Qui Nguyen embraces November Nine as opportunity to improve his life". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Qui Nguyen: 2016 WSOP November Nine Bio". Pokerlistings.com. July 18, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ Hendon Mob profile
- ↑ Davy, Lee (December 29, 2016). "D&B Publishing to launch Qui Nguyen autobiography in time for 2017 November nine". CalvinAyre.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ↑ Serpico, Ryan (November 4, 2016). "Gainesville bots train World Series of Poker champ". Gainesville.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017.