John Juanda Wins L.A. Poker Classic Seven-Card Stud Event

When one looks at John Juanda's poker resume, his first-place finish in the seven-card stud championship during Commerce Casino's 2003 L.A. Poker Classic comes as no surprise. Although Juanda's most recent win occurred in a seven-card stud event, he usually weighs in as a no-limit hold'em champion. In fact, this highly respected player has chalked up an impressive array of poker titles in just a few short years. At 31, he lays claim to championship status in the industry's top tournaments, including the Jack Binion World Poker Open, the World Series of Poker, the Hall of Fame Classic, the Four Queens Poker Classic, the World Poker Finals, Legends of Poker, the California State Poker Championship, and Commerce Casino's annual L.A. Poker Classic. Juanda, who finished second in the race for the coveted title of Card Player "Player of the Year" in 2001 and 2002, has proven himself to be a formidable opponent in the industry's most lucrative poker tournaments. After claiming victory in the 2003 LAPC's new $50,000-added seven-card stud championship recently, Juanda pocketed more than $142,000 in first-place prize money.

Commerce Casino Executive Poker Host Jerry Stensrud stated, "The money couldn't go to a nicer guy. John is a true gentleman poker player who elevates the style and status of the game. His entire countenance helps to legitimize and uphold the integrity of poker. Plus, he's absolutely brilliant."

Incidentally, "brilliant" also translates to an M.B.A. from Seattle University. A stock trader and former sales and marketing executive, Juanda usually enters high buy-in poker events. Looking for more bang for his buck and prize money for a win, Juanda is known for being highly selective when it comes to tournament investments. Said Stensrud, "John is not your average $300 buy-in player. He singles out the high-paying arenas, and goes for the big money."

Big money would best define Commerce Casino's 2003 L.A. Poker Classic. With two $1 million-guaranteed events, the L.A. Poker Classic definitely signaled a strong beep on Juanda's prize money radar. When Commerce Casino raised the bar with more than $6.2 million in prize money last year, the L.A. Poker Classic became a homing beacon for Juanda, who has landed three LAPC first-place wins to date. As a result, Juanda's friendly face, modest temperament, well-groomed manner, and finesse poker plays have become familiar to everyone at Commerce Casino's annual L.A. Poker Classic tournament.

Juanda, who was born in Indonesia, is a relative newcomer to the industry. In fact, he got his first whiff of a royal flush while flying with a buddy from Indonesia to the United States to attend college in 1990. It was a long, boring plane ride until his friend pulled out a deck of cards for a friendly game of poker.

"I was a total novice and had never really played poker before. My friend explained the rankings and strategies; then, he dealt us both royal flushes. At first I was so excited. Looking at my hand, I couldn't believe my luck, and thought, 'Wow, this can't be possible!' My friend then revealed that he was holding a royal flush, too. Common sense told me that there had to be something wrong. He laughingly admitted that he had stacked the deck," reflected Juanda.

"It was actually a very good lesson for me, because it made me start using common sense and figuring out the odds of certain card combinations. I became an active thinker from the very beginning. For the rest of the plane trip, we were playing and betting. By the time we landed, I knew how to play poker, and was winning more from my friend than I was losing," he added.

Although he landed in the United States with a newfound interest in poker, Juanda didn't actively pursue the game right away. He played some with friends in college, but didn't sit down at a casino poker table until he was in graduate school.

"I was a full-time student, and had some extra time during the day. A friend told me about a casino in the area, so I thought I'd try a few low-limit games. I started with $100 and kept on winning in live-action games. Then, I began to enter tournaments and win some events," he remarked.

With regard to his recent LAPC victory, Juanda commented, "The seven-card stud win was very special because it was the first time I had ever won a seven-card stud event in tournament play. I've won other tournament events, but never a seven-card stud competition before now." Juanda prefers no-limit hold'em in tournament play, and his favorite live-action games include triple-draw lowball and pot-limit hold'em.

Over the past six years, Juanda has honed his playing strategies by relying on common sense, active odds-based thinking, and player observations. Modest and humble by nature, Juanda is reluctant to stand too long in the spotlight. He graciously accepts praise and counters with a characteristically humble remark such as, "I think one of the main reasons that I have done well is that I am able to read people fairly well. If you pay attention to people as individuals, you sometimes gain insight into how they play and think."

When asked about his future poker plans, Juanda responded, "I might slow down a little. Eventually, I would like to go to graduate school to study medicine."

He added, "It doesn't feel like I've been playing in tournaments for six years. It seems like a much shorter time to me. Time flies when you're having fun. I guess I'm having fun," he smiled.