|
 Men the Master Nguyen has six
World Series of Poker victories. In a testament to his all-around ability,
those six bracelets come in five different games: Stud HiLo, Omaha HiLo, Ace to Five Triple Draw Lowball, Limit Holdem and Seven Card Stud
(where he has two bracelets).
Men is certainly one of the more determined players around, which displeases a lot of lazier players. Men is well known
for is mentoring other players, usually from the Vietnamese community but not always. They practice poker and discuss
hands in a school-like learning environment. Sometimes his young Jedis learn good lessons, but sometimes not. Men
himself has grown considerably as a player and person since joining the poker world. In the 1990s he was a notorious
hothead, a reputation that undeservedly follows him still. Poker players tend to have long memories, so some acts of
jerk-ness can haunt you forever. And worse, they can be the basis for all manner of slanders and untrue stories.
Men's player mentoring no doubt led to a significant amount of softplaying in the past, and softplaying is a form of
cheating, but such instances were rare when
they occurred and Men now insists that his protégés play hard against him. It is a tough thing to keep an eye on, but
regular tournament players know of Men's situation, and such softplaying would be extremely hard to ever do these days.
Himself one of the "boat people" who fled with nothing as the Communists took over Vietnam, Men is one of the
most generous people you'll find in the poker world. Among many other activities, his charitable contributions have built
a school in Vietnam. -- Steve Badger
See Shirley Rosario's
Men the Master profile.
|
|
