POKER PROFESSIONAL JOHNNY CHAN
JOHNNY CHAN POKER PRO
Johnny Chan Poker Professional
Johnny Chan moved with his family in 1962 from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, then in 1968 to Phoenix, Arizona and later in 1973 to Houston, Texas where his family owned restaurants. He was going to continue in the family business, but when he was 16 he went on a junket to Las Vegas, Nevada. When he was 21, Chan dropped out of the University of Houston, where he was majoring in hotel and restaurant management, and moved to Las Vegas to become a professional gambler.
Johnny Chan World Series of Poker
Johnny Chan attributes some of his early success to the fact that many players had not previously played against Asian players before. He shot to fame in the late 1980s, winning the championship event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in two consecutive years (1987 and 1988). A videotape of the 1988 WSOP final heads up match is featured in the movie Rounders, in which Johnny Chan makes a cameo appearance. He almost won a third consecutive title, but finished in 2nd place in 1989 to Phil Hellmuth. Jerry Buss, an avid poker player and owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, promised Chan an NBA championship ring if he could win three in a row.
Johnny Chan is known for keeping a “lucky” orange in front of him on the table, and after the second consecutive WSOP title other players began bringing fruit to the table in hopes of increasing their luck. Chan says he only had an orange with him because of the pleasant scent, as smoking, which was allowed in many tournaments then, bothers him. Johnny Chan was once a smoker, but now he neither smokes nor drinks alcohol.
In 2005, Johnny Chan won his tenth World Series of Poker title, defeating Phil Laak in a Texas hold 'em event. He is now tied with Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth for the record of 10 World Series of Poker bracelets. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002.
Johnny Chan World Series of Poker
• 1985 $1,000 Limit Hold'em $171,000
• 1987 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship $625,000
• 1988 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship $700,000
• 1994 $1,500 Seven Card Stud $135,600
• 1997 $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw $164,250
• 2000 $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha $178,800
• 2002 $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Gold Bracelet Match Play $34,000
• 2003 $5,000 No Limit Hold'em $224,400
• 2003 $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha $158,100
• 2005 $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em $303,025
Through 2006, Johnny Chan has won $3,744,331 at the World Series of Poker.
Poker Superstars
Chan competed in the $400,000 Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament in February 2005. He came back from only having $20,000 chips out of $3,200,000 in play to finish in second place to Gus Hansen. Chan later competed in Poker Superstars II during the summer of 2005. He defeated 22 of the best players to make it to the finals. Then he defeated Todd Brunson in the finals after three matches to win the $400,000 first prize. Chan is currently appearing in Poker Superstars III.
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