World Poker Tour

Van Nguyen “Mrs. Master“

Birthplace
Vietnam

Birthday
July 4

Total Winnings
$146,080

Van Nguyen was born in Vietnam, which is where she met her husband, poker pro Men Nguyen. He eventually brought her to the United States, where they settled in Bell Gardens, California. Van was perfectly content being a wife and mother to her three children, proudly proclaiming homemaker as her occupation. When her children got older and didn’t need constant care, she became a bit restless.

With a husband who was a successful poker player, it was only natural that Van began to learn the game. Men, commonly referred to as “The Master,” taught her to play limit hold’em, then no-limit. For three years, she spent time sitting behind her husband at poker tables watching him play. When she finally dove into cash games and small tournaments, Men sat behind her and critiqued her game so she could improve. With the support of her biggest fan, Van took to poker like a pro.

Van has several tournament cashes to her credit, including a World Series of Poker money finish in 2007. But on March 1st, 2008, she found herself at the final table of the WPT Invitational –- one of a handful of women who made it that far in a mixed event. Though she played a slow and careful strategy at the final table, it worked against her opponents. She won the tournament, becoming the first woman to ever win a WPT mixed event. With her proud husband at her side, she happily accepted her prize and donated ten percent to the children of Vietnam, a tradition that her husband started years ago. Van then followed up her WPT win with a final table appearance at the WPT Ladies Championship in April, and though she finished in sixth place, the poker community is only seeing the beginning of what "Mrs. Master" can do.