John Juanda
Name:
Johnson (John) Juanda
Nickname: JJ, Mr. Nice
guy
Birthplace: Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Residence:
Marina del Rey, California
Tournament Winnings: ~ 6,900,000
$
WSOP - Bracelets: 3
John Juanda was born on July 8, 1971 in Indonesia. As he tells it,
he had a great childhood: he grew up with his grandparents since his
parents were busy with their careers. After fifth grade, he and his
three siblings (brother Rudy, sister Sally, and his late brother
David) were raised by their parents.
As the firstborn son and oldest grandchild, he had a special place
in the family structure, since in Indonesia it is a privilege to be
the firstborn. John was not spoiled, but he was given much attention
and love, which had an impact on his self consciousness.
John loves his mother above all, who worked seven days a week
during his childhood and still found time for her kids. In hindsight,
he finds he has his mother to thank for all that he has, who raised
him and his sister to be respectful. John got his gambler's heart
from his late father, even though he was not a good idol, since he
was mostly drunk and lost often.
In 1990, John went to the US for further schooling. He was an
excellent sprinter and runner in high school, never losing a race
from 200 m to 5000m in 3 years. Later, he went to Oklahoma State
University and then got his MBA at Seattle University. He made some
extra money as a bible salesman, although he's a Buddhist.
A friend taught him to play poker on his flight to the US. From
the beginning John was a theorist, but he decided to try it himself
while observing a game in a casino. He perfected his game during his
college years, continuously learning and playing.
John spoke and understood little English at first, but this
weakness turned out to be his strongest weapon at the poker table: he
learned to read people and to learn by observation. He describes
poker as 'psychological warfare', since "if you have your opponents
beaten psychologically, they cannot win".
John uses his polite,reserved and respectful appearance by
quietly, almost unnoticeably taking his opponents chips. He's called
'Mr. Nice Guy' because of his polite and never obnoxious manner
toward his opponents. He is capable of cooly analyzing the
opposition, and, despite his sympathetic appearance, playing
mercilessly, often making the largest possible profit.
Behind the friendly smile is a calm analyst who constantly thinks
of strategies and moves at the table while remaining opaque himself.
His game is not built on aggression, but rather he tries to get as
much information as possible about his opponent through his moves and
bets, and then to use this against them.
John is one of the best tournament players in the world, though he
would not admit it: he claims Ivey is better at Seven Card Stud,
Negreanu is better in Omaha, and Seidel is better at Pot Limit Omaha.
Nor does he claim to be the best in No Limit Hold'em, but he is
convinced he would find a way to win if he were to sit at a table of
the best players. John is well liked in the poker scene, counting
players like Daniel Negreanu among his friends.
Just as he sneaks the chips of his opponents, he seems to appear
unnoticed on countless lists of results. In 1996 he began to play
tournaments, and he played as many as possible. He is, without a
doubt, one of the best all-around players on the tour (tournament
champion in 2002 and 3 "Best All Around Player" awards). He was
runner-up twice for Cardplayer Magazine's 'Player of the Year' award,
in 2001 and 2002. John is a member of 'Team Full Tilt' of Full Tilt
Poker.
WSOP-Bracelets:
2002: $1,500 Triple Draw Lowball
Ace to Five ($49,620)
2003: $2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo
($130,200)
2003: $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha ($203,840)
Selected Tournaments:
2001: Winner, Jack Binion
World Poker Open
2005: Winner, Monte Carlo Millions
Consolation Tournament ($500,000). Sixth place, Monte Carlo Millions
Main Event and second, FullTiltPoker-Net-Event.
2006:
Winner, Speed Poker Event of the Aussie Millions ~$732,000 in a
tough field of opponents
All in all, he has placed ITM 39 times in the WSOP and 14 times in
the WPT, with 6 final tables, showing the constancy of his tournament
game. His best placement in the main event at the WSOP was 31st
in 2005.
In the near future, John would like to fulfill a childhood dream:
to study medicine and practice in a developing nation - pro bono.
Only competition and competitors are keeping him in the poker scene
now. We'll see how long these things can keep him from his dream...
Author: Nina Stein
Picture source: Full Tilt Poker