Poker often takes a lifetime to learn, but don't tell Nam Le that. This self-assured 25-year-old has already earned more than $2.6 million in less than three years on the tournament circuit, and in February of 2006, Le captured his first major victory at the
World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Stars championship event. He then followed that with another first-place finish in the $5,000
Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge in June and a second-place finish in
July's World Series of Poker $2,000 no-limit hold'em event.
Currently second in the
Card Player Player of the Year race, Le is determined to take his place in poker history.
Born in Irvine, California, on Sept. 10, 1980, Le was raised in Huntington Beach, California. After attending high school, he went on to spend two years in college, majoring in business marketing. It was around this time that his cousin, Foxwoods and
WPT Championship winner, Tuan Le and he began hanging out and talking about poker. It wasn't long before Nam realized that he could make much more money playing poker than he could providing marketing for someone else's company.
Now with several major first-place cashes under his belt, Le is looking to make his mark on the game. Defined by a stillness seldom seen in many players, he quietly observes his opponents' tendencies and then capitalizes on them. With his playing style still a mystery to many, Le continues to shift gears at a dramatic rate while at the table, leaving a wake of battered opponents and baffled pros along the way.
Although deeply connected to his family, Le has fully embraced the poker lifestyle and has forged a career for himself to such an extent that at 25, he already has achieved heights in his career that many professional players will never achieve in a lifetime.
Determined, disciplined, and driven are words that describe this young man's persona perfectly, and if you don't watch out, he may be the guy who busts you at the next tournament.
Michael Friedman: What first got you involved with the game?
Nam Le: Tuan Le got me into poker. He found some early success and said it was a great way to make money.
MF: Explain your relationship with Tuan.
NL: He and I are cousins. When I was about 22, we started hanging out together because he lived in L.A. and I was living in Orange County. When we started hanging out, he was really into poker, and it wasn't long before he got me playing.
MF: What were you doing before playing poker?
NL: I graduated from high school and went to college for two years, studying business marketing. I really wasn't sure why I was doing it, probably to make my family happy. It just didn't make me happy, and I knew it wasn't what I wanted to do for a living.
MF: Did that have any effect on your game?
NL: Not really, but when I found poker and Texas hold'em, I knew right away that this was what I had been looking for. Poker was much more compatible with what I wanted to do for a living. You get to work all hours of the day and be your own boss. Right away, I felt like I could beat the game.
MF: What's your favorite aspect of the game?
NL: Outplaying someone, especially a professional who makes his living playing the game. There is plenty of gamble in the casino games, and you never really beat them in the long run, but with poker, you can actually win year after year, and you definitely can have an edge over the other players.
MF: What is your favorite poker game?
NL: My favorite game is no-limit hold'em, because that is where the money is. That's all I play now. I pretty much play only tournaments. In cash games, the swings can really mess with your head. If I win too much money or lose too much money, it can really affect my tournament play.
I play a lot of online poker. I think online play sharpens my game a lot. It forces me to learn how to play at certain speeds and helps me work on my tournament game.
MF: Do you prefer live or online play?
NL: Of course I prefer live. You can win millions of dollars in live tournaments. I play online a lot to kill time.
MF: What do you play online?
NL: No-limit, limit, and a lot of heads-up play, as well. I don't play many tournaments, because I don't feel that I can get the edge. I spend a lot of time at the tables profiling people and getting a good read on their play. You can't really do that online.
MF: What is the reason for your success?
NL: I'm surrounded by a lot of good players. The number one reason is that if there was no Tuan Le, there would be no Nam Le.
I'm sure of that. Tuan taught me the game and basically showed me how to win. All of my friends are poker players, as well.
They don't tell me how to play each hand, but we discuss particular situations and I get their opinions on how to play a hand.
That helps me to avoid taking senseless risks and to make the most out of every situation.
MF: Who is in your crew?
NL: Me, Tuan, and Tim Phan. From the get-go, we all helped each other with the game. Now, I travel a lot and have become good friends with other players through the tournaments. I talk a lot of poker with J.C. Tran, and he has helped my game.
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and I often talk about play. Barry Greenstein has also played a major role in developing my game.
There are a lot of people who helped me get here.
MF: Define your playing style?
NL: I don't even really know what it is. Some people say I'm the tightest player ever. Some people think I'm hyperaggressive, but I think I just do what I can. If the players next to me will let me get away with stealing, I'll steal pots. If I reraise and people fold, I'm going to attack. I guess that I just do what I can in any given situation. I think my best strength is that I am very strong at adapting to my table. I also like to play really slowly against the good players. I like watching them before I put my chips in the middle. I honestly don't know, I guess I'll let my tournament play speak for itself.
MF: How important is the math or reading players?
NL: If you asked me on certain hands what the math is, I wouldn't necessarily know. Reading and profiling your opponent is key.
Knowing when to pick your spots is crucial. In the no-limit tournament games, I'm not sure about cash games, it's not always about getting pot odds. I think a lot of players take too many risks by overcommitting themselves because they have pot odds to call for all of their chips; but the thing is with tournaments, it's all about surviving. If you can keep your chips and gradually improve, that's good. Sometimes if you have to get all of your chips in to get the odds, it is not worth it. Tournaments are all about survival. Some people think you have to be a math magician to play this game. You don't. It's all about intuition and making good reads.
MF: What do you do to prepare for a tournament?
NL: I think you really need a lot of rest, since you'll be playing for at least a good 12 hours. You need to let go of your problems and get your mind clear.
MF: What does it take to win in today's game?
NL: It takes a lot of discipline, and at the same time, you can't be afraid to gamble. If I had to pick a player to win a tournament, I'd always pick the gambler. The guy who is willing to risk it all is going to win. You have to swing for the fences to win one of these big tournaments. If you just try to hang in there to make the money, you may make a little bit at the end of the year, but you'll never win the big one. No one remembers the people who just make the money. People who understand this have the best chance of winning.
MF: How much of your game is gamble and how much of it is skill?
NL: I really don't like to gamble, not even coin flips. If the guy shows me pocket fours and I have A-K, I don't like putting all of my money in. I like to play it safe, because you can always improve table by table, hour by hour.
MF: How tough is it being on the road all the time?
NL: It is real tough. You don't get to see your family and you miss your friends. It's a tough life, but at the same time, it's really cool because you get to meet a lot of new people, travel around the world, and stay at nice hotels where they bring the food to you. It is a lifestyle you have to get to like. If you don't, you have no shot. You can't be miserable playing. It doesn't work. You have to want to be there.
MF: How hard is it being away from your family and how do they feel about your success?
NL: Of course, at first my parents were against gambling. Gambling has ruined a lot of people's lives, and they were concerned.
Now, when they see me on television and winning lots of money, they support me. I get phone calls and text messages when I'm doing well. I try to come home as often as I can, even if it's just for a day. It keeps me grounded. It refreshes my mind, as well.
I think you have to keep your family close to you.
MF: What was your strategy for your first major win at
Bay 101?
NL: Day one, I just took it like a normal tournament. I didn't really smell victory until it came to the last day when it became sixhanded. Once I hit a half-million in chips, I realized that I could really win. There were some great players, but I let them take themselves out. I didn't think I had to take risks, and it worked out.
MF: Was there a particular hand that made you, or was it more about getting consistent cards?
NL: I think it was more about consistent play than getting one specific hand. I never really put my chips at risk throughout the whole event. I took jabs at pots and cruised through. When it came to the final table, my whole plan was to get it down to heads up, even if I was a dog in chips. The players just took themselves out and I just let them do it. The next thing I knew, it was time to play my game, and then it was over.
MF: How special was the win?
NL: It was big. A lot of great legends can go through their lifetimes playing poker and never win a big event. Tuan won Foxwoods and Bellagio, so I felt a little pressure to win a big one. I never wanted to be a guy who played poker and never won a big one.
The money is great, but knowing that I won an event and that I'm on the right path means a lot. I'm achieving my dreams and I've got a shot to make a living doing this.
MF: How have things changed for you since that win?
NL: The money is good, I guess. Financially, I didn't really do that much. I'm pretty much the same guy. I sleep better now and food tastes better to me, but I'm not really any different.
MF: What is it like being 25 and having won more than $2.6 million in less than three years?
NL: I didn't know I had won that much. When you see that, you may go, "Wow, that's a big accomplishment," but I'm not satisfied. I feel very fortunate to have won that money, but it is still a long journey for me. I'm not a greedy guy, but I'm hoping to make more than $2.6 million.
MF: Which is more important, winning a WSOP bracelet or the money?
NL: If you had asked me before I finished second in the 2006 $2,000 no-limit event, I would have said it was about the money. You keep the bracelet, and I'll keep the money. Now that I came so close, I willingly would trade my money for that bracelet. It's like winning a
WPT championship. A lot of people will never do that. Both are a major accomplishment in the poker world. I would trade anything for a bracelet now, especially the first one. I have to get one.
MF: How do you beat the large fields?
NL: Discipline. Today, you can't get sidetracked. You look around the room and think, "Wow, look at all these chips." You just have to take it one table at a time. You can't be bothered by what's going on around you. You just have to focus on beating your table. The next thing you know, you'll be at the final table. That's how I did it.
MF: How did you pick up the game so quickly?
NL: I was very fortunate, because a lot of players don't get to watch the game before they learn it. Instead of playing on my own and learning on my own, I got to watch Tuan play high-stakes poker. I got to see his holecards and ask questions. He always answered them. Instead of me making mistakes, he was making them for me, and I got to learn how to make the right choices. He got to do the hard part and I got to learn how to play. I was very fortunate to have Tuan teach me about the game.
MF: Where do you see your career going from here?
NL: Right now, I see me winning another
WPT major event and at least three bracelets. I think the sky is the limit for me, but I'm hoping that with another major win and three bracelets, I'll be happy. Maybe then I'll be able to look back on my poker career and be satisfied.
MF: What advice would you give players?
NL: Money management is the most important thing. You can have all the skill in the world, but if you can't manage your money, you have no shot at this game. There are so many situations you go through, that if you don't have money-management skills, you're done.
MF: Do you have anything else to say?
NL: In the game of poker, you have ups and downs. Whether you have $5 million or you are broke, always be good and true to your family. That is the most important thing.
