World Poker Tour Championship - Part 1, Tuan Le Triumphs

IIn our Volume 17, No. 27 issue, my friend and world-class humorist Max Shapiro softly satirized the art of tournament reporting in a Pulitzer-worthy piece titled, Standardizing Tournament Writing. The articulate octogenarian pondered the question of whether we should include the name of the winner of an event in the first few paragraphs or build to a conclusion that reveals the champion during the details of the final hand. Max summarized, "I have been trained to lead off with the most important information – in this case, the name of the winner." If you've read my reports, you know that I have chosen to play the suspense angle, until now. With Tuan Le's handsome, youthful face on the cover of this issue, I don't believe I can keep even those of you who play Q-9 under the gun in suspense. So, here we go: Tuan Le, now 26, outlasted 451 opponents to capture the seven-day Five-Star World Poker Classic championship at the beautiful Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas at 11:57 p.m. on April 25, 2005. The 5-foot-7-inch, 149-pound, brown-eyed, right-handed chip pusher walked away with $2,856,150 and a huge, shiny silver tray emblematic of the World Poker Tour (WPT) season three championship.

Tuan Le in action in the WPT Championship

Tuan Le and I spoke briefly a few days after he captured this prestigious crown. The Los Angeles-born star answered every question, save one. When I asked what he planned to do with the money, Tuan Le hesitated for what seemed like 10 seconds and finally admitted he didn't know and hadn't really thought about it, but he did know that he'd like to do something good for poker with part of the proceeds. I wasn't surprised by his answer from either perspective. During our conversation he told me how thankful he was to poker for the many new friends and great life he has. As for not really thinking about the money, when I initially became involved with gambling, I played poker and bet horses with a friend, Mitch. Once, we won a four-race parlay at Roosevelt Raceway, known back then as the twin double. We spread the final race and, thanks to the equine lord in the sky, the horse with the longest odds on the board nosed out the 3-to-5 favorite. The payout was more than $27,000. When I asked Mitch what he was going to do with his share of all that money (assuming we figured out how to cash the ticket, because we were both 17 years old), he told me money means nothing to a true gambler except for one thing; without it you can't be in action. When I asked if he could possibly be serious about that amount of money (it seemed like an absolute fortune at the time) being meaningless, he threw a line at me that I have never forgotten, "Munz, I'm dead serious; cash is just green coupons."

LEE MUNZER: Congratulations on another huge win. Within the space of six months you've won two WPT events, more than $4.4 million, and will soon become a familiar face to fans of televised poker when this show airs on June 29. I know you have limited time for this phone call, so let's get right to it. What's your favorite television show?


TUAN LE: My favorite television show? (laughs) I don't watch much television, but probably something like The Apprentice. I like reality shows.

LM: How about your favorite music?

TL: I like rap music.

LM: Do you listen to Thug Nation and Big Moe (just showing off my range, folks) when you're playing?

TL: Not usually. I might miss an announced raise thinking someone just called. I won't wear headphones at key stages of a tournament.

LM: Tell us about your first experience playing poker.

TL: It was about three years ago in California. I played $20-$40 hold'em.

LM: That's a pretty steep introductory level. What were your favorite sports to play when you were growing up?

TL: Tennis and basketball. I still play when I can, but poker is my main game now.

LM: Are there any areas in your poker game that you are working on to improve?

TL: Areas … (thinks for a few seconds) yes, discipline. I have really poor discipline when I play poker.

LM: In what way, playing too many hands (Tuan Le is an action player)? TL: No, I lose focus, especially during these long tournaments. This one and Foxwoods (Tuan Le defeated 673 opponents to win the Foxwoods World Poker Finals, a WPT event, last November) were each six days of play. I play a lot of hands, but I don't think that by itself is a bad thing. Knowing how to play them is the key.



LM: Are you working on something to help you pay closer attention to table activity?

TL: No, not at the moment. I really don't know what I can do. At least I haven't discovered a cure. Some people have given me advice, but I haven't improved my focus yet.



LM: Maybe our readers will come to the rescue and e-mail me, unless they are also your opponents. I recall Dan Harrington saying he realizes he will lose focus during marathon events, so he doesn't fight to maintain focus at all times. He tries to save his best periods of strong concentration for the times full attention is most important. I suppose he means when he is moved to a new table, when he senses players are changing gears, and for the final two days of an event. Let's change our gear and reverse into tournament preparation. Do you do anything special? TL:

Not really anything physically, but I try to prepare mentally by relaxing. I stay close to my family and good friends. That's what's important to me. I try to keep everything in my life stable before I go off to play a seven day event.

LM: Speaking of family, Nam Le (Tuan Le's cousin) played very well when he came in sixth at the Five-Diamond World Poker Classic II championship in December. He got all his chips in with the best hand (K-Q versus K-J). Unfortunately for him, Vinny Landrum spiked a jack to knock him out. Did you help Nam Le along? TL:

He used to come and watch me play and then we would talk about hands that came up and the right way to play them. Now that he's a strong player, we learn from each other's experiences.

LM: Do you play a similar game?

Tuan Le sizes up the situation.

TL: Not really. We think alike in many ways, but he plays more conservatively than I do. My reputation is one of a somewhat reckless player, and I suppose it appears that way to many. He is more disciplined. LM: I think one has to play with some gamble in his or her game to win against these huge fields – either take risks or perhaps survive for five and be "hit with the deck" during the last two days of a seven-day event. TL: Sure, look at Michael Mizrachi; he's a bit reckless, but very successful. LM: John Phan also plays that type of game. At one point Sunday night during threehanded play, I had your chip count pegged at $890,000, just 3.9 percent of the chips in play. What were your thoughts? TL: Hasan (Habib) had around 13 million and Paul (Maxfield) had almost nine million. I was trying to get back to where I had enough chips that I could actually start playing (a normal game). LM: When you began to get low in chips, did the thought occur to you that you might be better off folding all but your premium hands, hoping to move up if your opponents got all their chips in and Maxfield was knocked out? TL: No, you know I never even looked at the payouts, other than first place. I didn't know what third or second paid. I did know that unless I made a run quickly, this thing might be over for me. I think the blinds were $200,000-$400,000 at that point, so I couldn't wait even if I wanted to. I really got lucky when I moved in on the button and they both folded. That was a big hand for me. LM: Let's go back to the end of day six. There are six players remaining and you know the final-table seating arrangement will be (from seat No. 1 through seat No. 6) Maxfield, Habib, Ivey, yourself, Phan, and Hollink. Did you formulate a game plan? TL: Yeah, unlike Foxwoods, where I came in really aggressive, raising maybe 20 out of the first 23 hands, here I decided to play more cautiously because the players were so good. But, at the same time, I decided if I played a hand, I was going to play it aggressively. I think being positioned right behind Phil and Hasan was a big break for me. It was definitely a key to winning. LM: What do you believe are your general keys to winning? TL: Probably a natural ability to play aggressively. Also, I can read opponents pretty well. LM: Speaking of reading, have you read many poker books? TL: Actually, I had never read a book on poker until I was eating dinner one night with some people and I noticed Barry Greenstein's girlfriend was carrying an advanced copy of Barry's book (Ace on the River). I skimmed through a couple of pages and I was interested in it. She gave it to me and I read it. I think it sharpened up my game. But, that's the only book I've read. LM: Barry is revered for his great work with charities. I hear you, along with many others, donated a percentage of your prize money to Curtis Bibb's family. He will be missed. Did you know him? TL: Very well. You know how poker players like to make bets? Well, somehow I got involved in a foot race bet with Sam Grizzle. Curtis took side action on me. LM: Tell me Sam didn't outrun you. TL: (laughs) Well, he won, but I had to give him a head start of 10 yards in a 50-yard dash. LM: Barry believes his book will help most readers move up by one level. The poker craze has reached many who have become new players in the last year. Can you help them move up with a suggestion? TL: I think so. I'd tell them the main thing is to find out what works for you and use it to your advantage. If you are a conservative person and tight player naturally, find out how to win with that style. If you are like me – they call me borderline reckless -find out how to best use your gambling tendencies to win. Learn about yourself and you will win. Don't try to imitate or duplicate what isn't right for you.

LM: That's great advice. I'm sure the readers will appreciate the help and the time you gave us. It was a pleasure speaking with you and watching you play. ♠

Phil Ivey (left) and Tuan Le (right) at the final table of the WPT World Championship

Lee will return in the next issue to continue this four-part series. He will provide comprehensive Five-Star World Poker Classic championship coverage and examine several pivotal hands. The pros will reveal explanations concerning what they were thinking and planning when they made their moves.

Phil Ivey (left) and Tuan Le (right) at the final table of the WPT World Championship