John Juanda
When it comes down to professional poker, then John Juanda has to be one the greatest players. Born on July 8 1971, Juanda got his MBA from Seattle University and spent a good part of his free time playing poker in his local casinos a factor that has gone a long way in making him the great player he is. He originates from Medan, North Sumatra though currently, Juanda is a resident of Las Vegas. Raised by his grandparents because due to the need for his parents to work in a different city, he was a little late in starting to play poker though he used to gamble in marbles as a child in Indonesia. However, he was highly disciplined and because of this, people liked him.
Been the first born in a family of four, Juanda was sent to the U.S in 1990 to study since it was considered his duty to take charge of the family. It was during his flight to the State of Oklahoma where he was supposed to study an undergraduate degree in marketing and management that he had his first taste of poker. By the time the plane he was in touched down, he had the basics involved in playing poker. However, it was not until 1996 that he ventured into professional poker. While in school, Juanda had to work for his upkeep and to pay for his fee and as such, he carried out various jobs such as stock brokerage work and sale of bibles.
It was while he was studying for his masters that he participated in his first tournament and he came in tenth place. Disappointed by this dismal performance, he stayed up all night trying to figure out what he did not do right. His efforts paid off well because the next time he participated in a tournament, he came in first. One of the factors that make him stand out in the game is his ability to sit back and analyze his moves after every game and as such, perfect his moves.
In 1999, he took the leap for the first major tournament which was the $ 1,500 Limit Hold’em event and came in the 9th place in a background of 609 players. Shortly after, he participated in another event with $ limit and came in 7th. This second game showcased some prominent poker players such as Josh Arieh, Humberto Brenes, and Howard Lederer among others and it was due to this that Juanda was marked as a skillful player. From that point on, his streak in poker changed. In 2000, Juanda he predominately featured in the California State Championships by making three final tables and winning the event. In that same year, it is notable to say that he was declared the second runner up to the U.S poker championships which were held at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
His record in the world of professional poker is commendable. He has 3 World Series of poker titles and a world poker open championship title. Because of his consistency, he also has two best all around player awards and up to date has won more than eleven major tournaments. In 2004, he won over $ 1.5 million and become the third player in a WTP which was in the L.A Poker Invitational at Commerce Casino. In the year before that he had played in a game that featured Phil Ivey, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Rob Hollink and Robert Williamson and managed to $ 2,500 pot limit Omaha final table event.
A feature that makes Juanda a great player is his exterior serious demeanor which makes it almost impossible for anyone to read his moves. Even with other players in the same table, it is always impossible for any of them to detect any move he will make. Juanda advises players who are strict in the way they play their game to try loosen up from time to time. He says that this is what helps him keep opponents off track because they are never certain about what to expect. Juanda also never stick to any particular style of playing instead, he chooses to experiment by changes hands often.
In addition to this, as mentioned earlier, Juanda takes time to analyze how he faired after a game and this gives him the opportunity to point out something that worked to his advantage and one that backfired. This way, he makes certain to avoid some common mistakes. John Juanda says that his favorite games are pot-limit and no-limit hold’em. His achievements in poker are many and far widespread though the one thing that he has not managed to clinch is a World Poker Tour Win though in 2006, he was close to making it in the list of the WPT championship and the North American poker Championships. One thing that is certain though, you can back up a bet on Juanda and rest assured that he will not disappoint you.
Posted by Joel
on May 1 2010. Filed under Player Profiles.
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