Poker's Prince is Back 'On Track'

Lately, Scotty Nguyen has played some razor-sharp poker. He finished fourth in the World Series of Poker Paris/Bally's Circuit event last November. He followed up with a second-place finish in a $2,500 buy-in preliminary event at Bellagio's Five-Diamond World Poker Classic in December. Both of these performances represented six-figure scores.



But, it was another preliminary event, a $3,000 no-limit hold'em tournament at the Gold Strike in late January, in which Nguyen's play boosted his confidence and primed him to secure his first WPT championship.



At one point in the $3,000 event, with the blinds at $300-$600 and a $100 ante, he was down to $900 on the button. It looked like Scotty was heading out for a few Michelobs. But, 10 minutes later, he was sitting with $90,000. Just like a train, he kept chugging down the tracks all the way to the final table after a clinic on how to play a short stack.



A few days later, the 1998 World Series of Poker champion was barreling down the tracks again and found himself at his seventh World Poker Tour final table. The man who previously held the distinction of most trips to this particular breed of TV felt without a title took down his first, the WPT Gold Strike World Poker Open, and $969,421.

Scotty Nguyen, with his signature tinted shades, gold chains, and personable demeanor, is arguably one of poker's most recognizable faces. With four WSOP bracelets and nearly $6 million in lifetime tournament winnings, his name graces many of poker's "tops" lists.



However, more than material success, Nguyen is living proof that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.

I sat down with Nguyen the night before the Borgata Winter Poker Open championship event to talk about life, poker, and a little bit in between.



Justin Marchand: You just came off a command performance at the World Poker Open in Tunica. In 2005 you made the final table in the same event, but this year you won the title and nearly a million dollars. Can you walk our readers through the event, talk about the big hands or decisions you had to make, and tell us what it takes to outlast 327 of poker's top players?

Scotty Nguyen relaxes before play kicks off at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

Scotty Nguyen: The key hand of the five days was when I had two queens against two aces. In my heart, even when my opponent flipped up the two aces, I knew I was going to win. I was comfortable, and the guy with aces was afraid, even after he saw my cards. He had $170,000 and I had $150,000, so this was the tournament for me, baby. The queen came and I never looked back. Just like a train, I came on stronger and stronger for the rest of the tournament.



Another big hand happened 30 minutes later. A player tried to raise to $40,000 from under the gun. But the way he bet, putting in $10,000 first and then going back for $30,000 more, was called a string bet, and he was forced to raise it to just $10,000. The blinds were only $1,500-$3,000, so his $40,000 was big, baby. So, when it got to me, I said, "You want to make it $40,000? I'll help you out, baby." He came back over the top all in for $420,000 more! He threw over pocket kings, and I threw over pocket aces. It was all over from there, baby!



I was playing awesome poker those days. At the end of day one, I had $38,000; $218,000 after day two; $820,000 on day three; and, just like a train, baby, $2.1 million going into the final day.



JM: The field was stacked at the World Poker Open. Every table had poker's top names shoulder to shoulder. You've played with all the best for many years, but whose game do you most respect and who do you think are the top players on tour at this time?



SN: There is no field in poker these days that is easy. But when a field is as tough as it was in Tunica, it brings out the best in me. I love to compete. I want to prove that I should be there competing with the best, especially at no-limit hold'em. I love no-limit. Even when I'm sleeping, I rewind all sorts of hands in my head. I have a photographic memory that just keeps ticking like a record player. During the events, I'll get only two hours of sleep; I can't wait till the next day. "Shuffle up and deal" is all I want to hear.



JM: I know you love no-limit, but I thought Omaha was your game.



SN: Not only is it my game, baby, but I am the best Omaha player in the world. Nobody wants to challenge me at Omaha high-low split. I'll challenge anyone at any limit at any time in this game.

The big guns go at it in Tunica. Left to right: Gavin Smith, Scotty Nguyen, and Michael Mizrachi at the Gold Strike World Poker Open.

JM: You've been as much of a superstar as anyone in the poker world since you first busted onto the scene. Before the limelight and the fame, how did you get into poker?



SN: I grew up in Nha Trang, a small town in Vietnam. I had nine brothers and four sisters. My mom had her hands full providing for me and my family. I owe everything to my mother. She spent every single dime she had to send me to the United States.



When I first came to the United States, I wound up in Chicago. I never saw snow before and there I was, going outside to play with snow every day until my fingers turned purple! After a while, I just couldn't take it anymore in Chicago, so I found a new sponsor in Costa Mesa, California. Then, I moved to Vegas in 1989. To me, Vegas represented money, power, and fame. I came to this country with nothing, but I knew one day I would be famous.



I dealt poker off and on for two years at Harrah's Casino and the Golden Nugget. I learned a bit and started playing $1-$3 stud at the Stardust. At first, I went broke every night, baby! Then I learned how to play hold'em. I started at $5-$10, then moved up to $10-$20 and $20-$40. I was winning, and quit my job. The last paycheck I ever got was $270. Six months later, I had a million dollars and I was only 23 years old. But I lost it all in four hours playing craps at Caesars Palace. I had four boxes packed with money. You couldn't even slip a $100 bill in it. Then, all in one day, it was gone. It made me stronger and was an important lesson to learn.



But I came back strong, just like a train climbing a mountain. Before long, I was winning again. I knew this was the only way that I could support my family, and sure enough, in a few years I gave my mom the biggest home in Nha Trang. You can sleep 50 people in it!



JM: Besides the pit, were there any other significant bumps along the road as you moved up the ladder from low-limit grinder to world champion in 1998?



SN: From 1989 to 1998, I went broke at least 100 times. But I knew this game would make me, and I chased my dream every night. Even when I lost, I went home and learned from my mistakes. Just like a boxing match, I would tell myself to get back in the ring. I would never take the TKO.



In 1998, I told all of my friends that I would be the first player from Vietnam to win the World Series – and I did it. And winning the WPT last month was my second dream, and I made that come true.



JM: What poker-related skills do you possess that have made Scotty Nguyen a winning player?



SN: In poker, you can rely on luck only for a short time. Some people stay lucky for one or two years. My last paycheck was 20 years ago, and my poker skills have carried me on.



Skill has so much to do with poker, but it's hard to explain. Personally, I think that I am one of the best short-stacked players ever. Some players, when they get short, give up. I get dangerous. I want my opponents to think they can run over me. And, on the flip side, when I have the chips, they are afraid. My opponents start asking the floor to break up the tables.



I also have the ability to recognize when I am beat. For example, in Tunica, we're playing a hand with four-way action. The flop comes 6-3-2 rainbow. I'm holding 3-2 of diamonds. I bet $45,000, and The Grinder (Michael Mizrachi) calls. The turn is a 5. I check, and Grinder bets $70,000. I have a big hand, but I just know he has two fours. I said, "If you don't have two fours, I'll eat the entire deck." I mucked, Grinder showed me the two fours and asked me if I had glasses that could see through the deck.



JM: You're not a new face to a WPT final table. In fact, Tunica must be lucky for you, because you made back-to-back final-table appearances there at the World Poker Open in 2005 and 2006. How was this year different?

There were a few nail-biting moments in route to Nguyen's first World Poker Tour championship.

SN: Before this year's Gold Strike, I made six WPT final tables. That is more than anybody. But my past results didn't satisfy me. I came in sixth, sixth, fifth, fourth, third, and third. In two of those events, I came to the final table with the chip lead, and was second in chips in two others.



Before, I'd play for the fans. I'd come in and be aggressive for them. I think I was trying to give the fans too much. They want to see Scotty Nguyen push his chips around with nothing, and that is what I gave them.



I realize that without the fans, we would never be where we are now. But now, I am focused on winning. It is time for Scotty Nguyen. And I think my results speak for themselves. In the last 10 events I've played, I have made the final table six times.



JM: Who has been the most influential player or personality in your poker career?



SN: My number one idol has always been Stu Ungar. I watched him win and win and win. I watched him all the way through the 1997 event when he won it all. I had a magazine in my house with his picture on it after he won the World Series. I said to myself every day that I would replace him on the cover. And sure enough, I did, baby! At the table, Stu and Scotty are a lot alike. We both had no fear; nobody can make me sweat.



Berry "The Gentleman" Johnston is also one of my idols. He is so gentle with the game and with all the other players and dealers. I never cuss or throw cards. The inspiration for this is Berry's approach to the game. I want to follow his lead.



There is nobody I respect more than Phil Hellmuth. He is a poker player's poker player. Man, he can play. I respect all the top players. But, I'd love to be at a final table against Daniel (Negreanu), Men (Nguyen), and Phil (Hellmuth). I would love to bust them all and make Hellmuth cry (laughing). Really, I love that guy; he makes me play my best game when he is around.



JM: Year in and year out, you continue to be a fan favorite and always seem willing to stop and sign an autograph or talk poker with your fans. Why do you believe this is important, and do you enjoy this part of your celeb status?



SN: How I carry myself helps me. Even though I am a fierce competitor, it isn't all about results. Everyone knows me because of how I treat people. It is so important to treat the fans well. Some fans travel thousands of miles just to take a photo or shake my hand. Without the fans, there is no Scotty Nguyen, Phil Hellmuth, or Daniel Negreanu. The fans made all of us who we are, and made the game what it is today.



I want all the young kids to see me succeed at poker and strive to be like me, rather than hanging around the 7-Eleven getting drunk or doing drugs. I want them to use their brains, make names for themselves. When you make it happen out there on the tables, you will be a role model for the kids.



JM: You have a great nickname, "The Prince" of poker. Does this nickname also have something to do with your outgoing attitude toward your fans?



SN: I picked up the nickname "Prince" when I was young. If you meet 100 women, 100 will say they love Scotty, baby! I spend time with all my fans. No matter if they are big, small, beautiful, fat, brown, white, or blue, I make them all feel like ladies.



Now, however, I have a new nickname. Scotty "The Train" Nguyen, baby. Watch out, because The Train is heating up, and once I'm going, there is no stopping The Train!



JM: Part of your celeb status is your great personality, Train. At the table, you seem to chat it up with your opponents and get under their skin. How can table talk assist one's game, and how does it contribute to your success?



SN: I love to talk, baby. I talk to them (my opponents) to set traps, and they still jump in. At the Gold Strike, I was raising Johnny's (Donaldson) blind every time and stealing a lot. He moved in on me one hand, and I folded. The next time, I raised his blind again. I told him, "If you can beat queens, move all in, baby." (This is reminiscent of the last hand of the 1998 World Series main event, when Scotty Nguyen uttered one of the best quotes in poker history: "If you call, it's all over, baby.") He (Johnny) moved all in with J-10. I had queens. I knew he would do something like that. I would think people know I'm setting the trap, but they seem happy to fall in it and die. I guess I am so friendly at the table that sometimes they don't see it coming.

Scotty Nguyen and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi swap outfits at the WPT final table.

JM: You maintain a few industry sponsorship deals. Can you tell us about the business side of Scotty Nguyen? I saw that you recently signed a sponsorship agreement to help promote poker at Cherokee Casinos.



SN: My girlfriend, Julie Ratcliff, was a big part of putting me together with Cherokee. The people at Cherokee loved the idea and jumped at it. They treat me so good there, and have the most comfortable poker room you have ever played in, and the best service. Their poker room has been open only since January. There are 40 tables at the Tulsa location, and in the future they are looking to do a Scotty Nguyen poker room.



JM: Any deals in the works for a Michelob commercial anytime soon?



SN: Not yet, baby!



JM: You've seen poker move from the backrooms to Hollywood. How do you think tournament poker and the affiliated business and industry it has created will change and evolve over the next few years?



SN: Poker will only get bigger and better. The mean, nasty, grumpy old days are over. Now, players like us bring a different look to the game; we make it fun, and the growth is not going to stop.



JM: So, what is next for Scotty Nguyen? What are your personal goals and ambitions related to poker, business, and life in general?



SN: I love the game so much. I'm looking to improve poker and make it bigger and better. Like I always tell the entire final table whenever I sit down with them: "Good luck, play your game, and keep it clean." That is my goal, not only at the table, but also in life.



All aboard! The Scotty Express has just pulled into town. Make sure all hands and feet are inside, and if you are on my tracks, you will be run over! Watch out in 2006, The Train is coming!