Winning multiple World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets is a commendable feat. And Men Nguyen has seven WSOP bracelets to his credit. Overcoming a tough teenage, this Vietnamese player was so influenced by poker, that he went on to tutor his family and hundreds of others on the game. Nguyen popularly known as ‘Money Machine’ is one of the most reputed poker players with exemplary achievements.
The Vietnamese-American pro made his presence felt on the final-tables of World Poker Tour (WPT) on five occasions so far and finished in the money 17 times. Apart from seven WSOP bracelets, Nguyen has 89 in the money (ITM) finishes at the WSOP. In his poker career, he has won more than 95 poker tournaments and had over 475 ITM finishes.
Nguyen was born in 1954 in Phan Thiet, Vietnam. He had a rough teenage years wherein he had to drop out of school and become a bus driver to support his family at the age of 13. Nguyen escaped the Communist regime in Vietnam via boat and sailed all the way to Pulau Besar in Malaysia along with 87 compatriots in early 1978. In the same year, he received political asylum from the United States (US) following which he settled in Los Angeles, California. He received American citizenship in 1986. This pro went on a junket trip to Las Vegas in 1984, where he was first introduced to poker. He did not stop after that and often visited the place every weekend. He lost hundreds of dollars there earning him the nickname of ‘Money Machine.’ But that wasn’t for too long, as pretty soon he aced the game and claimed his first-ever tournament victory in 1987.
Men Nguyen’s social profiles 🌐
He started a dry cleaning business and furniture store with his poker earnings. However, he later sold them because it wasn’t as profitable as expected. Nguyen tutored a lot of people about the game including his cousins David Pham, Minh Nguyen, and his wife Van Nguyen. His wife became the first woman ever to win a World Poker Tour (WPT) mixed event when she shipped the WPT Celebrity Invitational in March 2008.
One of his students gave him the nickname of ‘The Master’ in 1991 which also became quite popular. There is also a philanthropist side of Nguyen that very few people are aware of. A portion of the money earned by Nguyen through tournaments is donated to charities in Vietnam. Apart from that, he also built a kindergarten in Vietnam with his final table finish earnings from the 1996 WSOP.
All the stats in this article are updated as of 10th March 2022!
Nguyen won the Card Player Magazine Player of the Year award four times in 1997, 2001, 2003, and 2005. And with success follows a little controversy too. There were allegations regarding Nguyen’s involvement in a tournament cheating scandal. However, nothing has been proved yet and Nguyen has denied his involvement in any such case.
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Amarylisa Gonsalves is a Content Writer at Gutshot Magazine. Advancing from a marketing background, she found her calling in writing. She takes delight in exploring genres and is a curious learner. Patient and ambivert, she believes in letting her work speak for itself. Apart from content writing, she finds solace in writing poetry by expressing herself through words. Additionally, she adores indulging in anything that satisfies her creative self, like drawing and DIY crafts.
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