Mr. Nice Guy… This is how John Juanda is often called. He has such a great personality that everybody who communicate with him can’t say anything bad about this player. He is always calm and friendly. It seems that no-one can put him on tilt. The reason is simple: he knows he is lucky at everything he does.
An Awarded Bible Salesman John was born in Indonesia in 1971. Since his childhood he was a successful guy. "I was a very good athlete," he recalls. "I was probably the best athlete in my junior high school. I was on the track team and I was the fastest at all the distances from 200 meters up through 5,000 meters.” In 1990 he came to the United States to study at Oklahoma State University and later at the University of Seattle. Besides working as a door to door salesman (he was selling Bibles and was even awarded as the best salesman) John was a good blackjack player. Once, playing the game at a casino he became interested in poker. Unfortunately he didn’t know the rules. So he went to a shop and bought a book containing the most basic information. He read it, then went to the casino and began winning right away. “Whenever I have wanted to become successful at something, I have been able to do it,” notes John. Lucky And Cool John Juanda is very aggressive and is considered “the luckiest player alive.” "I don't mind that image," says John, "because it helps me win a lot… Some people are afraid to play pots against me when they should, because they 'know' I will get lucky against them. There are lots of other variations of that, ways that the image causes them to play badly." Though John sometimes makes an impression of a maniac he does not play every tournament. He gambles only when he feels like it or when he needs money. And since he makes a lot of money playing at high limits, he can’t be seen on TV too often. Still, he has 3 WSOP bracelets and a number of titles as well as an impressive winning list. A Future Doctor? John Juanda does not “live for gambling.” It’s just the way of making good money. He also has a “master of business administration” degree but thinks of a career in medicine. He knows he will succeed in everything he does. So he has a great chance to turn into a great doctor from a great poker player.
