Qui Nguyen (poker player)
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.
| Qui Nguyen | |
|---|---|
 Nguyen at the 2016 World Series of Poker | |
| Nickname(s) | Tommy Gun |
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Born | 1977 (age 45–46)[1] |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 1 |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 6 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | Winner, 2016 |
Nguyen was born in Vietnam before emigrating 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.[2] 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.[3] 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 $8,050,000, most of which came from his main event victory.[4]
Qui Nguyen's autobiography, From Vietnam to Vegas! How I won the World Series of Poker Main Event, was published in November 2017 by D&B Publishing. In the 450 page book, Nguyen dissects over 170 key hands from the final table, and tells his life story as well. Steve Blay is the co-author.[5] Steve Blay is the founder of, and software engineer behind, AdvancedPokerTraining.com. Blay used his software to create bots simulating each of the November Nine's playing style. These simulations kept predicting a Qui Nguyen victory. When Nguyen heard of these results, he flew Blay out to Las Vegas to help him train for the final table.[6] After his WSOP victory, D&B publishing reached out to Nguyen and Blay to share their story.
As of November 2017, Qui Nguyen lives in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas, Nevada, with his son Kyle.[7]
World Series of Poker bracelets
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event | $8,005,310 |
References
- Nguyen, Qui; Blay, Steve (2017). From Vietnam to Vegas! How I Won the World Series of Poker Main Event. D&B Publishing. ISBN 978-1909457805.
- 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.
- Holloway, Chad (November 29, 2017). "2016 WSOP Champ Qui Nguyen Talks to CardsChat About His New Book 'From Vietnam to Vegas!: How I Won the World Series of Poker Main Event'". CardsChat.com. Retrieved November 30, 2017.