Scotty Nguyen – A Poker Legend
Born as Thuan Nguyen in October 28, 1962 in Nha Trang Vietnam, Scotty’s life is reminiscent of thousands of other young children in the 70s. This was the time when the communists had a firm foothold on Vietnam and refugees from this country were spread all over the world – from other Asian countries to the United States.
Scotty was one of the more fortunate ones as when he was 14, he had the chance to flee his native country for the United States. He initially lived in Chicago but soon moved to California and spent his growing up years there. Though Asians usually are stereotyped into being very diligent students and being part of the smart group in school, Scotty didn’t really fall into that stereotype. Instead, he focused more on learning how to play that intriguing game called poker rather than his schoolwork.
Quite obviously, his early efforts paid off as he is now acknowledged as one of the most well-known poker players of his time. Not only that, he has gained the admiration and respect of the poker community across the globe. As if that were not enough, some say that Scotty Nguyen is one of the most moneyed poker players as well! With his activeness in the poker world – up to the present – this comes as no surprise. Even as recent as January of this year, Scotty won a World Poker Tour event. It is said that as of this year, Scotty has won over $6.7 million. Enough said.
Here is a list of his accomplishments in detail:
World Series of Poker bracelets:
- 1997 $2,000 Omaha Eight or Better – $156,950 Prize
- 1998 $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship – $1,000,000
- 2001 $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha – $178,480
- 2001 $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split Eight or Better – $287,580
World Poker Tour Achievements:
- 1 World Poker Tour Title
- 5 final tables
- 10 money finishes
Other titles:
- Omaha Hi-Lo Event at 1997 World Series of Poker
- Pot-Limit Omaha Event at 2001 World Series of Poker
- Two World Poker Open Titles at Foxwoods
- Limit Hold’em and Seven Card Stud Events at 2003 Legends of Poker
- Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven Card Stud Events at 2003 Festa al Lago
Scotty’s style is a mixture of easy-going and aggressive play. He seems to be quite relaxed when at the tables but opponents know better than to take that for granted as he can be quite an aggressive player and take all their money home.
Just like many other professional gamblers, Scotty also dabbles in other games such as blackjack. In fact, he has made some appearance at the Ultimate Blackjack Tour. However, he is most known for his “You call this one and it’s all over, baby?” at the WSOP Finals in 1998. He was right. His opponent called – thinking that the full house on the table would give him the win – and lost to Scotty’s 9 in his hand.
Andrew Kicak is a poker enthusiast, a writer, researcher, speaker, and consultant. You can visit his blog and sign up free to get 
