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The Orient Express

Johnny Chan steamrolls the competition

One of poker's greatest legends, Johnny Chan earned the nickname "The Orient Express" after eliminating 13 players from Bob Stupak's America's Cup Tournament in less than 40 minutes. Johnny's steamroller style serves him well, especially in the World Series of Poker, where he's collected 10 gold bracelets, two of which were back-to-back Main Events in 1987 and 1988.

Born in Canton, China, Johnny and his family moved to the U.S. when he was six. His remarkable career started off with pick-up games amongst his peers, quickly moving onto a more challenging weekly game with his father's friends. In both cases, everyone got tired of Johnny walking away with their money.

So Johnny went searching for bigger waters and bigger fish, and found them both in Las Vegas. Right off the bat he would win big, turning $500 into $20,000 overnight. He's never once looked back.

Johnny's success at the tables has launched other ventures. He was featured in the 1998 film Rounders, and he has mentored many other poker players, including the 2006 Main Event winner, Jamie Gold. Johnny was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002.