Scotty Nguyen

♦ THE PLAYERS PROFILE ♦ Scotty still Scotty Nguyen beaming… The ‘Prince of Poker’ is a legend of the game, but as Ben Wilson discovered, his behaviour during the WSOP 50K HORSE event may have tarnished his crown he flop comes Nine-Nine- announced to the world that the Prince tournament earnings, and ranked seventh Eight. A white-track-suited of Poker had arrived. in the poker’s all-time money list, he has Scotty Nguyen eyes the flop “The 1998 WSOP is something you come a long way from his humble origins from behind his trademark can never forget, because when you win to establish himself as one of the most blue-black tinted sunglasses the main event at the WSOP, 100 years successful and colourful characters in Tand checks. Kevin McBride comes out from now people will know that in 1998, the game. firing for 100,000. Scotty counts out a Scotty Nguyen was doing this, and after stack of chips methodically before that what did he do? He’s going on and Vegas, baby speaking. “How much you got left winning a lot of major tournaments, not Born Thuan Nguyen on 28 October, man?” he asks McBride brusquely. just getting lucky in 1998 and being 1962, in Vietnam, the eldest of 13 McBride looks down and counts his forgotten until now. A lot of WSOP children, a young Nguyen arrived in the chips. “About 350,000 maybe?” he champions, they win and then they get States having fled the war in his answers after a pause. forgotten. No one even come close to homeland when he was just 13. Scotty looks back at his cards, toying what I do.” confirms the lively and As in the old adage ‘all roads lead to with his chips and stroking his chin garrulous World Champion. Rome’, in the world of poker all roads pensively before calling and then check- Currently the only player to win both lead to Las Vegas and in 1982 a young calling another 100,000 McBride bet on the main event the $50,000 HORSE Nguyen found himself employed as a the turn when a second Eight hits. event and a World Poker Tour title, busboy in Harrah’s. It was here that he “Oh my god, what is going on here?’ Scotty is also one of only five players to picked up his moniker ‘Scotty’ – because, Phil Helmuth wonders aloud from the win a WSOP main event and a WPT title. as the manager curtly informed him, no commentary box, ‘could Scotty be slow- With more than $10 million in career one would be able to pronounce the playing a Nine?’ name Thuan – and the start of the legend After the third Eight hits the river, began to take shape. And the rest, as they Scotty instantly announces all-in before say, is history. standing up and uttering the immortal Well, not quite. As with all roads, the line that would win him the 1998 WSOP After that what did ride can sometimes be a little bumpy. main event. “You call, it’s gonna be all After a rocky start where Scotty began over baby!” he states, coolly exhaling he do? He’s going on dealing poker at Harrah’s, he also began smoke and taking a swig from his bottle playing. By the age of 23, Scotty was of Michelob. A disbelieving McBride and winning a lot of starting to make a name for himself in the A lot of WSOP champions, calls, announcing that he is playing the poker world. However, after a disastrous board, only to see Scotty flip over a Nine major tournaments, stint at the gaming tables and a cold they win and they get forgotten. for the higher full house. streak in sports betting, Nguyen found onk And with that one line, Scotty Nguyen not just getting lucky himself between tournaments and with M No one come close to what I do cemented his place in poker history and little money. © Rob 52 THE OFFICIAL world PoKEr Tour™ MAGAZINE THE OFFICIAL world PoKEr Tour™ MAGAZINE 53 ♦ THE PLAYERS PROFILE ♦ Scotty has two pet monkeys is not every thing. It’s just how you win Scotty won nearly called Lucky and Jackpot for the fans, because without them you $1 million in Tunica never have Scotty Nguyen. So I want to apologise for that you know.” It’s bad enough when I’m sorry, baby you lost a pot, you Genuine remorse lines his face as he considers this last statement before he don’t need to say continues: “I like it when a player play nice, in the clean way you know. What I anything about how dislike is, some people they take a cheap shot, or old school, they act like they bad they play gonna throw their hand away when they sit there with the nuts. home, you look at it and you tell your “You know, baby, you don’t need to loved ones, the reason I win that is cos do that. When you have the nuts, try to we made a deal and the player has not figure it out and win the pot and stack played their best game no more. them up. Enjoy it! You don’t need to “That’s why I enjoy the trophy now needle the player when they lost. It’s bad when I look at it, because I win it, enough when you lost a big pot. You straight up, I won it playing poker you don’t need to say anything about how know, I prove to the world that I’m the did well in Hold ’Em. Doesn’t matter, bad they play or anything. You know best at this, Scotty Nguyen is still the best though,” he states confidently, “I been baby, you don’t need that, just be there is baby!’ Scotty throws back his watching you man. You’re my inspiration Scotty talking with Johnny Chan professional. Don’t play dirty. head and gives his trademark chuckle. buddy! I’m playing in the WSOPE “That’s what I dislike about some tomorrow for the first time! Can I get a players, you know. That’s old school, That’s the truth, baby photograph? Me and you baby?” he asks laconically. “But I don’t like the result. baby. That’s messed up. Just win and There is a disarming honesty to Scotty – confidently. I mean winning sometimes is not enjoy it, just make it clean. Even the a genuine feeling that what you see is “You got it baby!” confirms Scotty. everything… You wanna win in a pretty HORSE event you see; I won the game what you get. And there you have it, in a “Good luck tomorrow!” he wishes as the way, and you want to win in a way the straight up baby, I didn’t make no deals. nutshell, the reason why Scotty is such a clearly happy Celt wanders off into the fan remembers and enjoys, not the way… I didn’t buy the trophy. There were some favourite with the fans. As if to prove my crowds of Leicester Square. you know it’s like the player tries to get things that were said but bottom line, point a mildly inebriated Scotsman Rewind five years, I wander the busy under the skin of all the other players, Scotty Nguyen clean. He win it all. It’s wanders up. Oblivious to the fact that corridors of the Rio towards the Amazon you know what I mean? not like we cut a deal and people throw Scotty is speaking into a Dictaphone, he Room, just another open mouthed fan in “I don’t need to do that. I don’t need to their game away and let me win the only has eyes for his hero. awe of the gaggle of big name poker talk like that at the end, you know? trophy, the bracelet. If we make a deal, “Scotty! Pleased to meet you buddy! professionals walking past. It is telling That’s the only thing I regret, because a something important like that… I watched you on TV last night, and the that only one stops to speak to me. million of my fans, you know, I let them ‘I would never ever make a deal, if you night before!” he gushes, ‘I saw your His name? Need you ask? down and let my loved ones down too. look at it, you go home, bring the trophy temper tantrums at the Omaha but you Nobody is perfect, everybody makes Enter Mike Matusow stage left. My loved ones could not believe how mistakes, and when you are in the The big-hearted pro bought Scotty into a I acted… The only thing I want to let you At the Borgata in limelight consistently you are not always $500 World Series satellite for a share of know, the fans mean so much… so you Atlantic City going to come across too well. Am I his action, and after four days of gruelling You have to win in have to win in a clean way, in the pretty making excuses for his behaviour? Far tournament play Nguyen found himself way, because a lot of young kids are from it, but I think that everyone is heads-up with Floridian Kevin McBride. a clean way, in the looking up at me, and I can’t do entitled to learn from their mistakes and Fast-forward a decade, four WSOP something like that.

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