Scotty Nguyen

infobox poker player
firstname=Scotty
lastname=Nguyen
nickname=The Train
The Prince of Poker


caption=Scotty Nguyen at the 2006 World Series of Poker
hometown
wsop bracelet count=5
wsop money finishes=36
wsop main event best finish rank=Winner
wsop main event best finish year=1998
multi-year wsop winner
wpt titles=1 2006
wpt final tables=7(+1)
wpt money finishes=12
ept titles="None"
ept final tables=1
ept money finishes=2

Thuan "Scotty" Nguyễn (born October 28, 1962 in Nha Trang, Vietnam) is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event [ [http://conjelco.com/wsop98/event24.html 1998 WSOP main event final table in detail] ] and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship. This win also made him the first and currently only player to win both the WSOP Main Event and $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. events. He also stated that the only type of World Series of Poker event he has yet to win is 2-7 lowball. Nguyen is one of the most active players in professional poker today, and from 2000 to 2004 he finished in the money in more than 100 events.

Nguyen is noted for playing with lots of emotion. On the final hand of the 1998 World Series of Poker's Main Event, a full house was dealt on the table (9-9-8-8-8). Nguyen made the memorable quote to his opponent Kevin McBride: "You call, gonna be all over, baby!" ["sic"] McBride called, saying "I call. I play the board." Nguyen beat McBride with a better full house (9-9-9-8-8).

Nguyen's Main Event triumph in 1998 was followed immediately by tragedy—the very next day, one of his brothers was hit by a car back home in Vietnam, and killed. [ [http://poker.about.com/b/a/207739.htm About.com: Spotlight on Scotty Nguyen] ] For this reason, Scotty does not wear his 1998 WSOP championship bracelet.

Nguyen made an appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in April 2004. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0627524/ imdb.com - Late Night with Conan O'Brien-Episode dated 1 April 2004] ]

After making several World Poker Tour final tables, Nguyen eventually won a WPT event in January 2006, defeating Michael Mizrachi heads-up in the fourth season Gold Strike World Poker Open when his cards|A♠|Q♠ made a flush against Mizrachi's cards|A♣|J♦ on the very first hand of heads-up round. With this WPT victory, Scotty became one of only 5 people to win both the main event of the World Series of Poker and a World Poker Tour title.

Nguyen earned a second place finish at the 2007 World Series of Poker in the seven card stud high low split eight or better event won by Eli Elezra. Scotty stated after the event that he hadn't played cash games in over two years because he enjoys a friendly environment which is difficult in serious cash games. [ [http://youtube.com/watch?v=fVU98Fc5muQ Pokernews.com video] ] Scotty also nearly made the final table of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing in 11th place out of a field of 6,358 and earning $476,926.

At the 2008 $50,000 World Series of Poker H.O.R.S.E. event, Nguyen exhibited what many have considered objectionable, and even rule-breaking behavior. In the broadcast of the prestigious event, Nguyen is shown drinking numerous alcoholic beverages while swearing and scolding others at the final table, drawing criticism from commentators.

Nguyen also seemed to try to feed chips to an opposing player, Erick Lindgren, as the event drew to a close with three players left. After one hand in which Nguyen made an unorthodox raise, he chided Lindgren for not following up on Nguyen's attempt to help Lindgren win the pot. On the ESPN broadcast of the event, Nguyen is clearly heard saying, "I ... I ... I tried to protect your hand, I raise it, and you come out and fire." Such behavior clearly violates the rules of tournament play.

Following the event, Nguyen issued an apology to his fans and stated that the event's editing depicted him unfairly. He also cited issues like exhaustion, frustration with the perceived gloating of Michael DeMichele, and pressure to succeed as reasons for his unconventional behavior. [ [http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/article/4889/no-call-on-scotty-nguyen-magnifies-flaw-in-wsop-rules No Call on Scotty Nguyen Magnifies Flaw in WSOP Rules] ]

As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $9,700,000. [ [http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=185 Hendon Mob tournament results] ]

Nguyen has also made appearances on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour playing Elimination Blackjack.

World Series of Poker Bracelets

Notes

External links

* [http://www.worldpokertour.com/players/?x=profile&id=4080 World Poker Tour profile]
* [http://www.poker-babes.com/bio/scotty-nguyen/ Poker Babes profile]