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 It is often said
that to be successful at poker, you need to treat it as a business. No one is better at doing that than John Juanda. This
MBA from California is as stone-faced at the poker table as they come. He never seems to let his emotions influence his
decisions. Juanda is quiet and analytical, and very skilled at assessing his opponents and adjusting to their game. He is
not an ego driven player, and is always assessing and readjusting his own game when necessary. This objectivity has been one
of the cornerstones of his success.
John Juanda was born and raised in Indonesia. He moved to the United States in 1990 even though he did not write or speak
English. He learned the language and the American culture through close observation, a skill he would later find out comes
in very handy at the poker table. He attended both the University of Oklahoma and the University of Seattle, where he earned
his MBA. Before playing poker for a living, he was a door-to-door bible salesman.
Juanda began playing poker in 1996. He prefers tournament poker and prefers No Limit and Pot Limit Hold'em. He is very
selective about the tournaments he participates in, only playing in high buy in tournaments and prestigious events. Juanda
also plays poker online as part of Team Full Tilt, where he is generally regarded as one of the most well-liked and accessible pros.
Juanda has been a staple on the World Poker Tour, making the TV final table several times. One of his successes came as the
champion of the inaugural Professional Poker Player's Tour event, which he won after a long heads up battle with Chris
Bigler. Juanda was a 2-1 underdog at the beginning of heads up play. He expertly chipped away at Bigler's stack, purposely
trying to keep pots low and outplay him. His plan worked and he walked away the first PPT champion.
Another key to John’s success is his competitive nature, a trait that he cultivated years ago when he was a sports star (he
was a successful runner, competing in distances ranging from 200m to 5000m). In poker tournaments, you will never see John
trying to squeak into the money to be on television or to make his buy in back. For John, it is win or go home. It is this
style of play that contributed to my small (indirect) win at the 2005 World Series of Poker. I played a tournament on
FullTilt Poker prior to the WSOP where I won 1% of John's action in the main event along with my $7,500 prize money. John
ended up finishing in 31st place for $274,090 which means I was $2,740 richer because of his efforts.
Besides being a great poker player, John Juanda has an easygoing nature that is refreshing in today’s world of arrogant,
trash talking, misbehaving poker players. He generally likes people, and has attributed this to his success. Taking a
genuine interest in people allows you to read them better at the poker table.
We may not be seeing this nice guy at the poker table much longer. Juanda has plans to enter medical school to become a
Doctor. He ultimately wants to provide medical care to people that cannot afford it in his home country of Indonesia.
John Juanda has 3 World Series of Poker Bracelets. In 2002, he won the $1,500 Triple Draw Lowball Ace to Five. In 2003, he
won two bracelets, the $2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi Lo split and the $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha. He was the winner of the 2002
Professional Poker Player's Tour. John's other accomplishments include being runner up for the Card Player Magazine Player
of the Year in 2001 and 2002.
You can play with John at his own table at online card room
Full Tilt Poker.
John Juanda: English,
Dutch,
German,
French,
Spanish |
