Card Player Profile: Men NguyenNguyen Talks About His Recent Success on the World Poker Tour and What it Takes to Make Final Tables |
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Men “The Master” Nguyen has won the Card Player Player of the Year race a record four times. The Vietnamese player is known for mentoring others, and it was his pupils who coined his nickname. Many of them, including 2007 Card Player Player of the Year David Pham, have gone on to enjoy great success. Nguyen has more than $8 million in lifetime tournament earnings. Last month, he cashed in two consecutive World Poker Tour events, the most recent of which came at Borgata in Atlantic City.
Lizzy Harrison: Earlier this week you went deep in the Borgata Winter Open and narrowly missed making another World Poker Tour final table. How did you progress through the tournament?
Men Nguyen: At Borgata I made it through a big field, and I am very disappointed that I could not make it to the final table. On the first day, I accumulated a few chips, the same way that I did [the week before] in Tunica. I ended with less, though. On day 2, I only had about 15,000 in chips to start, but I hung in there and picked up some pots. On the third day, I won some chips off of Gavin Griffin. That is how I had 400,000 in chips when there were 27 players left. Then, I didn’t get any more hands; I didn’t play any hands, I just hung in there. I didn’t play one big pot, I just mucked. The limits were high, and the table did not see many flops. I wanted to make that final table very badly. I really wanted to earn some more Card Player Player of the Year points. You have to make the final nine to get any points, and I went out in 10th place. Also, if I had made it to the final nine, I would have earned at least an extra $30,000. But what I really wanted was the Player of the Year points.
LH: Why are the Player of the Year points so important to you?
MN: I have been the Player of the Year four times, and I am trying to make it five times. That is why I am so upset about not making the final table at Borgata. I tried to just ante, ante, ante so I could at least make it to ninth place. Believe me, I did not sleep that night because I could not make it to the final nine players. I still can’t believe that I played so well and got so close to more points and more money.
LH: You mentioned you were playing very tight, what prompted you to move all of your chips in with only 10 players remaining?
MN: In my last hand, I had A-K, and my opponent made a raise. I pushed all in, and he called with pocket jacks. It was bad luck; he had a pair and I had two overcards. I hadn’t played a hand all day, and I had A-K; I had to play it. What else could I gave done? I was hoping he had A-Q or A-anything! Anyway, he flopped a jack for a set. The river was an ace, but it was too late for me. I was very disappointed. I just couldn’t believe that I couldn’t make it to the final nine. I hung in there for three days and yet I couldn’t hang on for one more spot.
LH: Right before the tournament in New Jersey, you were in Mississippi for the World Poker Open. How did you make it all the way to that final table?
MN: When the first day of play ended in Tunica, I only had about 25,000 in chips. On the second day, I built up my stack little by little, and I ended up with 229,000. On day 3, I got lucky against the chip leader. I had a set of queens against his flush draw, and I doubled up through him. I made it to the final 10 with 1.2 million in chips, and then I was blinded down to 700,000; I didn’t get a hand! I entered the final table with 700,000, and it was a tough table; Hoyt Corkins and Freddy Deeb were there. There were also some young players that were very strong.
LH: It really was a stacked final table. Which opponent gave you the most trouble?
MN: Hoyt Corkins. With Corkins, it was all in, all in, all in. It is tough to play against him or any player like that. But I hung in there until I was in the top three. When there were only three of us left, Corkins was all in on every hand. He had about 600,000 when we started threehanded play, but after he moved all in three or four times he had 1 million in chips. I could not do much when he would make those raises. Then, he made a 250,000 raise, and I moved all in with Kd-10d. He called with pocket jacks. There was nothing I could have done.
LH: You couldn’t have gotten away from that hand?
MN: The blinds and antes were so I high that I had no time to wait for another hand to play. There was no raising and calling before the flop. If a player wanted to raise preflop it had to be all in. There was no chance to actually play poker by the time I was knocked out. The limits were too high for the big money we were playing for. I was disappointed that I had no choice but to play the hand that I played. If I had hit it and won the pot, I would have had a chance to play some more. Good players need more time to play at final tables. I think that I played well, and I did get some hands, and that helped me get to the top three. That is where all of the money is, the top three spots.
LH: In the past two WPT events that you’ve played, you didn’t seem to start accumulating chips until later in the tournament. How do you manage that?
MN: They don’t call me Men The Master for nothing [laughs]! I can always hang in there, because I play so well. I know how to pick up pots. I pick on players who have less chips than I do. I like to go after the small stacks, because even if they win they can’t bust me. If they double up, I still have chips, and that means I still have a chance to come back and win! That is why I do not like to get involved with the big-stacked players; they can knock me out.
LH: The L.A. Poker Classic main event begins later this month; will you be there looking for your third consecutive WPT cash?
MN: I will be there in L.A., and I am going to try again. Every tournament, I try to make money and earn points. That is why I play tournaments.
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