Often, when big names in the poker world are tossed around amongst fans of the game, John Juanda’s name is left out. It’s not that he hasn’t had a deserving career, but rather his quiet nature that sometimes leaves people to forget about how great a player he really is.
Intro
John Juanda is a professional poker player of Chinese-Indonesian origin currently residing in Marina del Rey, California. He is known for winning five World Series of Poker bracelets first of which he collected in 2002 by winning the $1,500 Limit Ace to Five Triple Draw event for almost $50,000. He was also one of the founders of the infamous online poker site Full Tilt Poker.
Background
Born in Indonesia, Juanda came to the United States in 1990 when he enrolled at Oklahoma State University. After graduating from OSU, John went on to receive an MBA from Seattle University. In order to help with the cost of school, Juanda worked various jobs on the side. One of his jobs had the high school track star selling bibles from door to door.
When not working or attending class, Juanda spent time in local casinos, where he began honing his skills in poker. It didn’t take long for Juanda to realize that poker was his calling. In 1996, John completed his MBA program and took to the West Coast felt. In order to seek out larger stakes, Juanda relocated to California.
World Series of Poker
After sticking it out in cash games and smaller buy-in tournaments, Juanda set out for the WSOP in 1999 where he cashed in two events. The following year, he cashed again at the WSOP and also earned a second-place finish at the United States Poker Championships.
Just a couple of years later, in 2002, Juanda was able to put together a nice string of five cashes at the WSOP, one of which earned him his first bracelet. The next year, Juanda returned to the WSOP and landed himself two more bracelets. In 2008 Juanda won his first WSOP Europe bracelet by taking down the WSOPE London Main Event, good for over $1.5 million.
John Juanda's Top 5 WSOP Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | $1,500 Limit Ace to Five Triple Draw | 1st | $49,620 |
| 2003 | $2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split | 1st | $130,200 |
| 2003 | $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha | 1st | $203,840 |
| 2008 | WSOPE ￡10,000 Main Event | 1st | ￡868,800 ($1,580,096) |
| 2011 | $10,000 No-Limit Deuce To Seven Draw | 1st | $367,170 |
World Poker Tour
Aside from his five WSOP bracelets, Juanda also has a record of making six WPT final tables and nineteen money finishes; however, his WPT title collection is still empty. Juanda came close to winning a WPT event in 2002 when he finished in second place at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Final event. He lost that heads-up match to Gus Hansen and took home almost $280,000 for the runner-up finish.
John Juanda's Top 6 WPT Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Five Diamond World Poker Classic $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Final | 2nd | $278,240 |
| 2004 | WPT Invitational Main Event | 3rd | $18,000 |
| 2012 | WPT World Championship $100,000 Super High Roller | 3rd | $526,320 |
| 2004 | Mirage Poker Showdown $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Final Day | 4th | $162,012 |
| 2004 | Ultimatebet.com Poker Classic $6,000 No-Limit Hold'em Final Day | 5th | $130,000 |
| 2006 | North American Poker Championships C$10,000 North American Poker Championships | 5th | C$217,320 ($193,003) |
European Poker Tour
Juanda has a total of three European Poker Tour money finishes on his record. He made his first EPT cash in 2009 when he finished in 40th place at the EPT London Main Event. His biggest achievement on the European circuit came a year later when Juanda came back to London to fall just short of the title losing the final play to the young Scottish prodigy David Vamplew and finishing the Main Event in second place for ￡545,000.
John Juanda's Top 3 EPT Results
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | London ￡5,000 Main Event | 2nd | ￡545,000 |
| 2012 | Barcelona €5,000 Main Event | 8th | €76,100 |
| 2009 | London ￡5,000 Main Event | 40th | ￡14,200 |
Other Achievements
If it’s consistency you want, John Juanda will deliver. Each and every year, Juanda has put up numerous cashes and deep runs along the tournament circuit. He’s even proven that he is a force in tournaments outside the U.S. His three most significant finishes outside of the States come with first place at the 2006 Crown Australian Poker Championship for over $700,000, a second-place finish at the 2012 WSOPE Cannes €50,000 Majestic Roller event for €600,000, and a fifth place at the 2012 Macau High Stakes Challenge $258,000 Super High Roller good for $1,645,753.
Sponsorship
John Juanda was one of the nine poker players who founded the Full Tilt Poker online poker site and represented Team Full Tilt colors in live tournaments until the site seized its operations in 2011.
Did you know?
- John Juanda was a high-school running star specializing in the 200-meter sprints and 5000-meter races.
- In 2002 Juanda finished second in the Card Player 2002 Player of the Year race.
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