Qui Nguyen (poker player)

Qui Nguyen (born 1977) is a Vietnamese-American poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada. He won the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event, earning $8,005,310.

For the Vietnamese American playwright, see Qui Nguyen.

Qui Nguyen
Nickname(s)Tommy Gun
ResidenceLas Vegas, Nevada
Born1977 (age 43–44)[1]
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)1
Final table(s)1
Money finish(es)6
Highest ITM
Main Event finish		Winner, 2016

Nguyen was born in Vietnam before emigrating to the United States in 2001 at the age of 24. He initially settled in California and worked in a nail salon before moving to Las Vegas in 2007. Nguyen began playing poker in 2003, concentrating on small limit hold’em cash games.[2] He turned to no limit games upon arriving to Las Vegas and recorded several cashes in small buy-in events. His only WSOP cash prior to the Main Event came in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event in 2009 for $9,029.

Nguyen won his seat in the 2016 Main Event through a $1,100 satellite.[3] He played through the Main Event and reached the November Nine in second chip position. After a final table which lasted 364 hands, Nguyen defeated Gordon Vayo on the 181st hand of heads-up with his K♣ 10♣ against Vayo's J♠ 10♠ on a board of K♦ 9♣ 7♦ 2♠ 3♥.

As of 2017, Nguyen's total live tournament winnings exceed $8,050,000, most of which came from his main event victory.[4]

Qui Nguyen's autobiography, From Vietnam to Vegas! How I won the World Series of Poker Main Event, was published in November 2017 by D&B Publishing. In the 450 page book, Nguyen dissects over 170 key hands from the final table, and tells his life story as well. Steve Blay is the co-author.[5] Steve Blay is the founder of, and software engineer behind, AdvancedPokerTraining.com. Blay used his software to create bots simulating each of the November Nine's playing style. These simulations kept predicting a Qui Nguyen victory. When Nguyen heard of these results, he flew Blay out to Las Vegas to help him train for the final table.[6] After his WSOP victory, D&B publishing reached out to Nguyen and Blay to share their story.

As of November 2017, Qui Nguyen lives in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas, Nevada, with his son Kyle.[7]

World Series of Poker bracelets
Year Tournament Prize (US$)
2016 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $8,005,310

References
  1. Nguyen, Qui; Blay, Steve (2017). From Vietnam to Vegas! How I Won the World Series of Poker Main Event. D&B Publishing. ISBN 978-1909457805.
  2. Lee, Bernard (September 30, 2016). "Qui Nguyen embraces November Nine as opportunity to improve his life". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  3. "Qui Nguyen: 2016 WSOP November Nine Bio". Pokerlistings.com. July 18, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  4. Hendon Mob profile
  5. Davy, Lee (December 29, 2016). "D&B Publishing to launch Qui Nguyen autobiography in time for 2017 November nine". CalvinAyre.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  6. Serpico, Ryan (November 4, 2016). "Gainesville bots train World Series of Poker champ". Gainesville.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  7. Holloway, Chad (November 29, 2017). "2016 WSOP Champ Qui Nguyen Talks to CardsChat About His New Book 'From Vietnam to Vegas!: How I Won the World Series of Poker Main Event'". CardsChat.com. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
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