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Mr. Nice Guy

If you think nice guys like John Juanda finish last, think again

"Don't gamble," was the advice John Juanda's father gave him, which is why John plans to be a doctor someday. Right now, however, he's having too much success operating at poker tables.

John played his first poker game on the flight from his native Indonesia to attend Oklahoma State. His first hand was a royal flush. He couldn't believe his luck - literally. He figured out that getting a royal flush off the bat was mathematically impossible. Turns out his friend had stacked the deck. John's instinct was on the money, and it's been the cornerstone of his game ever since.

John had several successful careers before turning to poker. He was a marketing executive, stock trader, and door-to-door bible salesman. In 1997, he entered 13 tournaments near his home in Los Angeles. He made the final table in all of them, including two first places and five seconds. Even with his father's admonition, John decided he couldn't ignore those results.

Away from the table, John is known for being easy-going, modest and big-hearted. Of course, those descriptions bear no resemblance to the way John plays poker. At the table, it's all business. And John's business has been very good, generating three WSOP championship bracelets and more than $6 million in winnings.

When "someday" comes, John plans to leave the game and become a doctor in his native Indonesia. It'd means a significant change in his life, but it's a gamble he's willing to take.