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Dung “Gomer” Nguyen Wins First WSOP Gold Bracelet

Published on 26-Jun-2012

“The $607,200 Hallway Conversation”
Preface: Ever had a three-minute conversation worth $607,200? Dung “Gomer” Nguyen has. Perhaps, it’s too good a
story -- a tale no one would possibly believe. But it really happened. Here’s the incredible story of how a 37-year-old
recreational poker player from Wichita, Kansas stormed into the 2012 World Series of Poker, massacred a field of 2,534
players, and walked away with more than 600 grand and a glistening new gold bracelet, which all came about due to a
brief hallway conversation:
“The Butterfly Effect” is now a common term which seeks to explain the unbreakable bonds between all things in the
universe. The phrase was initially coined as a simple way to illustrate a complex scientific concept.
The hypothetical question posed was, “Does a butterfly flapping its wings in Ohio eventually create a typhoon in the South
Pacific?” Even a fragile butterfly has a measurable effect on air current by flapping its tiny wings. It follows then, that a
storm cycle occurring many months later, thousands of miles away, is one of the many outlying by-products of the
butterfly's initial action.
“The Butterfly Effect” can apply to poker, too. Unfortunately, many fail to grasp its nuances. Even the most subtle
actions can affect the ultimate outcome of a poker tournament. Consider for a moment that any motion whatsoever – a
laugh, a sneeze, a smile, a wave, or even the most ordinary of common distractions – can and often will cause a poker
dealer to shuffle a deck of cards in a slightly different way. Just one card out of place at any time, by consequence,
changes the entire sequence of cards that follow the remainder of the tournament.
Got that?
If you’re wondering what any of this has to do with the most recent tournament held at the World Series of Poker, we’ll get
to that in a moment.
Since the actions at one table are very likely seen and heard by players at adjoining tables, even subtle movements,
increasingly larger numbers of people are affected by the initial motion. Secondary tables feel the aftereffects of what
happened. Moments later, the next outlying group of tables and players facilitate an unbreakable line of countless
corollaries, which in a sense not only change the outcome of what happens in poker, but impact the world.
Sure, we all agree – poker is a game of skill. But it's also quite possible that an innocuous chuckle on Day One by the
hypothetical player on sitting in Seat 6 at Table 278 at the 2011 World Series of Poker influenced the outcome of the
tournament. In a sense, every single champion’s victory is a combination of billions upon billions of figurative butterfly
wings flapping since the beginning of time, combined with the skill,talent, and – dare it be said, luck – to overcome
randomness.
Which now brings us to a man most people in the poker world have never heard of, until today. His name is Dung
“Gomer” Nguyen.
First – a short biography: Born in Vietnam....Immigrated to the United States when three months old....The ninth of 11
children.....Initially settled down and grew up in New Orleans.....Mother died when as a young age....Moved to Wichita,
Kansas to live with his older sister....Worked various odd jobs for years....Played $1-3 limit poker in one of the local
casinos.....Virtually no major tournament track record.
Three days ago, Nguyen was walking down the hallway of the tournament area at the Rio in Las Vegas. It was just a few
minutes prior to noon, which was the starting time of the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #38).
Nguyen had absolutely no plans to play in the tournament that day. His intent was to sit in some cash games and
perhaps enter one of the Deep Stack tournaments, which cost a few hundred dollars.
That’s when Nguyen ran into his friend. It would be a moment that would literally change his life.
Nguyen revealed his friend that he had no intention to play in that day’s gold bracelet tourney. The field size was much
too large – more than 2,500 players were expected. The entry fee also cost a considerable sum to the recreational player
on a short bankroll.
Nguyen’s friend argued otherwise. He pleaded. The poker comrade explained that he would, in fact, post $750 -- which
was half the entry fee. In exchange, the two friends became business partners and agreed that the investment would be
worth a 50/50 split of any prize money winnings.
The notion of winning prize money and dividing a cash prize of any substantive value seemed like only a remote
possibility. After all, players have what amounts to only a ten percent chance of getting back a dime.
As things turned out, Nguyen and his investor would do slightly better than that.
Indeed, this brief conversation out in the hallway, while hundreds of other poker players raced by to their tables and seats,
turned out to be an angelic flap of proverbial wings, ultimately creating an end-game typhoon out of what should have
been an innocuous initial act. Nguyen’s friend and the confidence he expressed, was a guardian angel, an inspiration,
and butterfly that would later create a tremor.
And so, off Nguyen went.
Three days later, the situation was very different. Nguyen wasn’t out in the hallway anymore. He was sitting on the ESPN
Main Stage playing for the biggest pot of his life. In a six-hour display of dominance that was undoubtedly the most
decisive – and perhaps easiest – victory witnessed so far at this year’s WSOP, Nguyen won his very first WSOP gold
bracelet and the hefty sum of $607,200 some of which was shared with a certain rail bird watching with intense interest.
As Nguyen was busy posing for photographers in front of a massive pile of poker chips and was being interviewed by the
press just moments after his unlikely victory, several poker players who were involved in other poker tournaments across
the room glanced over at the newest WSOP champion. Dozens of conversations ensued. Shuffles were altered. Other
discussions spilled out in the hallway.
And -- if "The Butterfly Effect" is to be believed -- poker history changed forever and ever.
Dung "Gomer" Nguyen won his first major tournament victory tonight at the World Series of Poker, in Las Vegas.
Nguyen won the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament (Event #38). The competition drew another mammoth field
size – totaling 2,534 entries. The tournament was played over a three-day period at the Rio, ending on Friday night under
the bright lights of the ESPN Main Stage.
Nguyen is a 37-year-old Vietnamese-born part-time poker player. He now resides in Wichita, Kansas. For this
achievement, Nguyen collected the astronomical sum of $607,200 in prize money, plus his first WSOP gold bracelet.
MEET THE LATEST WSOP CHAMPION – DUNG “GOMER” NGUYEN
Name: Dung “Gomer” Nguyen
Birthplace: Vietnam
Childhood: Immigrated to the U.S. a three-month old, grew up in New Orleans
Family: The 9th of 11 children (both parents deceased)
Current Residence: Wichita, Kansas
Profession: Odd jobs
Marital Status: Single
Children: None
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE WINNER
Q: You almost made it look to easy. It really just was amazing. You just never were in danger it seemed.
N: Part of it was just falling right today. I don’t know, maybe it was just destiny. And I wasn’t even going to play, my
buddy over there talked me into playing and it was like destiny or something, I don’t know.
Q: Tell us more about the story, you weren’t going to play. What did your buddy say to you, what was the tipping point
that made you decide to play?
N: We were just walking down the hallway and my friend was like are you going to play in the tournament and I was like
no I don’t think so. He’s like man I really think you should play. I was like ok, and he said that he would take half of my
action and I said alight. Then, I just decided to play. Coming in after first day after dinner break I only had 4,000. I
thought I was done. Coming back from dinner break and I doubled up three times in a row and then that’s it, it was all
from there. Everything just felt right.
Q: So your saying that $600,000 in prize money -- you’re like getting 300,000 and he’s getting 300,000
N: Yep.
Q: Now after that point you said you know things started going your way -- you held the chip lead from the start of the
final table to the finish. Can you talk about how you felt coming in, if you felt confident with holding the chip lead?
N: Well I was really nervous actually. I mean like I said before I don’t play many tournaments and this is as deep as I
have ever gone in any tournament, so I was pretty nervous. I came to the final table with the chip lead I know I was just
going to keep playing small pot poker with them. I mean I just play my own style. I know the kids nowadays they like to
shovel, pre flop, and three bet. I more like to call and I just kept the pot small and everything was just falling right.
Q: So you weren’t going to play the event you obviously came out here with a bunch of your friends what were your plans
and what’s it like to win a bracelet with them here?
N: (Laughs) They are actually not out here for me. They came out here just to play, too. I come out here for the World
Series; I come out here every year. I don’t play many events I play a little bit of poker sparingly here and there and that’s
it. My boss comes out every year, so I come out here every year with him.
Q: How did you get the nickname “Gomer?”
N: Actually, it’s just a nickname I picked up while I was in high school. A friend of mine saw I shaved my head one day
and I looked like “Gomer” from the Army. He said that I looked like “Gomer Pyle,” and he just kept calling me that and
now all my friends call me “Gomer.”
ODDS AND ENDS
This was classified as WSOP schedule Event #38, since it’s the thirty-eight gold bracelet of 61 to be awarded this summer
in Las Vegas. The tournament was played over three consecutive days and nights, starting on Wednesday at noon and
concluding on Friday night at midnight.
The total duration of the final table was about six hours.
The final table included two former gold bracelet winners – Blair Hinkle and David Pham.
The runner up was Theo Tran.
The top 267 finishers collected prize money.
The official WSOP gold bracelet ceremony takes place on the day following the winner’s victory (or some hours later when
the tournament end very late). The ceremony takes place inside Brasilia. The ceremony begins at the conclusion of the
first break of the noon tournament. The ceremony usually starts around 2:20 pm. The national anthem of the winner’s
nation is played. The entire presentation is open to public and media. Video and photography is permitted by both public
and members of the media.
2012 WSOP STATISTICS
Through the conclusion of Event #38, the nationality of gold bracelet winners has been:
United States (29): Chip Saechao, Brent Hanks, Leif Force, Cory Zeidman, Andy Bloch, Herbert Tapscott, John
Monnette, Brian HastingsBrandon SchaeferAdam Friedman, Matt Matros, Andy Frankenberger, Phil
Hellmuth, Cliff Goldkind, Ben Scholl, Randy Ohel, Joe Cassidy, Brian Meinders, Gabe Scott, Ylon Schwartz, Larry Wright,
Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman, Carter PhillipsMax SteinbergChris Tryba, David “ODB” Baker; Dung
“Gomer” Nguyen
Canada (3): Ashkan Razavi, Simon Charette, Timothy Adams
France (1): Aubin Cazals
Bulgaria (1): Nick Jivkov
The Netherlands (1): Vincent van der Fluit
Belgium (1): Michael Gathy
Japan (1): Naoya Kihara
Great Britain (1): Craig McCorkell
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:
United States (28): Brent Hanks, Leif Force, Cory Zeidman, Andy Bloch, Herbert Tapscott, John Monnette, Brian
Hastings, David “Doc” Arsht, Brandon SchaeferAdam Friedman, Matt Matros, Andy Frankenberger, Phil Hellmuth, Cliff
Goldkind, Ben Scholl, Randy Ohel, Joe Cassidy, Brian Meinders, Gabe Scott, Ylon Schwartz, Larry Wright, Allyn Jaffrey-
Shulman, Carter PhillipsMax SteinbergChris Tryba, David “ODB” Baker
Canada (2): Simon Charette, Timothy Adams
Thailand (1): Chip Saechao
Bulgaria (1): Nick Jivkov
France (1): Aubin Cazals
Iran (1): Ashkan Razavi
The Netherlands (1): Vincent van der Fluit
Belgium (1): Michael Gathy
Japan (1): Naoya Kihara
Great Britain (1): Craig McCorkell
Vietnam (1): Dung “Gomer” Nguyen
Through the conclusion of this event, the home state of the 26 American winners has been:
Nevada (7): Brent Hanks, Andy Bloch, Randy Ohel, Joe Cassidy, Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman, Carter Phillips, David “Bakes”
Baker, Chris Tryba
California (4): Chip Saechao, John MonnetteMax Steinberg
Pennsylvania (3): Brian Hastings, David “Doc” Arsht, Ben Scholl
Texas (3): Ylon Schwartz, Larry Wright, David “ODB” Baker
Florida (2): Leif Force, Cory Zeidman
New York (2): Matt Matros, Andy Frankenberger
Alabama (1): Herbert Tapscott
Ohio (1): Adam Friedman
Washington (1): Brandon Schaefer
Maryland (1): Cliff Goldkind
New Jersey (1): Brian Meinders
Oklahoma (1): Gabe Scott
Kansas (1): Dung “Gomer” Nguyen
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the breakdown of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who
won gold bracelets is as follows:
Professional Players (27): Brent Hanks, Leif Force, Andy Bloch, Aubin CazalsAshkan Razavi, Vincent
van der Fluit, Brian HastingsBrandon SchaeferAdam Friedman, Matt Matros, Andy Frankenberger, Phil Hellmuth,
Randy Ohel, Michael GathySimon CharetteJoe Cassidy, Gabe Scott, Ylon Schwartz, Timothy AdamsLarry Wright,
Carter PhillipsMax SteinbergNaoya KiharaChris TrybaCraig McCorkell, David “ODB” Baker
Semi-Pros (4): Cory Zeidman, Nick JivkovBrian Meinders, Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman
Amateurs (6): Chip Saechao, Herbert Tapscott, David “Doc” Arsht, Cliff Goldkind, Ben Scholl, Dung “Gomer” Nguyen
Note: Various categories and statistics will be updated with each gold bracelet event as they are completed.
-- by Nolan Dalla