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Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan is beyond doubt, the most successful Asian poker player. He's also a member of another very exclusive club: he's one of the two poker players alive, who have won two WSOP main events in their lifetime, the other one being none other than Doyle Brunson.
Even though he's known for his extravagant lifestyle these days, Johnny didn't always find the going this smooth back in the days. As a matter of fact, his life-story is the perfect embodiment of the American Dream.
Born in China, Chan was 6 when, together with his parents, he immigrated to the US. He went to school in Phoenix and Houston, and worked in his family's restaurant. Nothing foretold what a great poker player he was to turn into, at least not at that stage.
As soon as he discovered poker, his natural ability for the game became quite obvious, but it wasn't until he began playing in the underground poker games hosted by his father's restaurant, that his talent truly surfaced.
Word has it, at one point, the regulars whom he used to play there, tried to ditch him, because he was beginning to spoil the game for them, by winning all the time.
The true turning point came at 16, when Chan - albeit illegally - proved to himself and to those close to him, that he indeed had what it took to make it big in Vegas. He sat in with $500 and he turned that into $20,000 in no time. Unfortunately, at that stage, inexperience was still a problem, which eventually made him lose the whole sum the very next day.
The disappointment sent him back to Houston, but I guess he never settled for defeat. After a few years of playing poker back home, he returned to Vegas, this time though, he was ready for the big leagues. He struggled along for a while on small bankrolls, but, together with a change in lifestyle, he finally managed to find and eliminate that last piece of the puzzle, that was preventing him from becoming one of the poker greats.
Chan's first notable tournament success came at Bob Stupak's America's Cup tourney, where he earned himself the nickname: "The Orient Express" (he was that fast to dispose of 13 of the 16 players)
He won his first WSOP main event in 1997. That instantly turned him into a celebrity, and when he came back, just one year later in 1998, to successfully defend his title, stardom was guaranteed.
News, magazines, radio and TV were all showcasing Chan's name right up there with the biggest of celebrities. His WSOP performances inspired numerous documentaries and even a movie (Rounders), in which he himself appeared, albeit in a cameo role.
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Johnny Chan : Poker Player
