World Poker Tour

John Juanda

Birthplace
Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Hometown
Alhambra, CA

Birthday
July 8

Total Winnings
$1,223,774

In a world where most players earn their reputation and celebrity through brash and obnoxious behavior, John Juanda has taken the opposite tack. He's become famous for a combination of a quiet, respectful demeanor and fierce, aggressive poker play. As a kid in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, he adjusted to living with his grandparents for several years while his parents started a new business. His father, a hardcore gambler, lectured his son about the troubles gambling could cause. Though respectful of his father, Juanda was shooting marbles for money by the time he hit elementary school.

Juanda set out for college in 1990. On a flight from Indonesia to the United States, Juanda's friend introduced him to poker. In the air above the Pacific Ocean, his friend explained the basic strategies of various games, calculating odds, and reading opposing players. By the time the plane's wheels hit the ground in Oklahoma, Juanda had settled on a new hobby. He graduated with degrees in marketing and management and then headed to Seattle to work on his MBA. He sold bibles door-to-door and traded stocks, all the while hitting up the card rooms and building a bankroll. By 1996, he had the money and the mindset to attack poker full-time.

Over the next decade, Juanda became one of the most feared and respected players in the game. He final tabled the first two World Series of Poker events he entered in 1999. He followed that up with a win in the 2001 Jack Binion World Poker Open championship. He picked up his first WSOP bracelet in 2002 for his victory in the Triple Draw Lowball event. He won two more bracelets in 2003. In the first three seasons of the World Poker Tour, Juanda made five final tables. In less than ten years, Juanda had become a worldwide poker star and used his money to put his sister through college. While his soft-spoken attitude may not draw a lot of attention from TV cameras, his poker skill draws more attention than most poker players on the circuit. There seems little chance he'll go back to selling bibles door-to-door.