Professional poker player Tuan Lam entered the world in war-torn Vietnam on New Year's Day in 1966. Years later when he was just nineteen years old, he immigrated to Canada where he eventually found work doing general labor at a metal factory. During his spare time he learned the sport of playing poker from some of his close friends. Soon it was apparent that hard labor was not Lam's dream - and he turned his hobby of poker into a full-time pursuit as a professional so he could do what he loves best.
The career change has been good for Lam. In 2006 he earned a 46th place at one WSOP event and in 2005 he reached 78th place during a WSOP tournament. This year was much bigger for Lam as he found himself in seat 6 and ranked second in chip count at the Main Event of the 2007 WSOP. Despite the fortitude of the eventual winner, Jerry Yang, Lam held on tightly, earning runner-up honors after a grueling sixteen hour battle for the top spot. Second place is nothing to cry about when you earn what Lam did. His paycheck of $4,840,981 for the 2007 WSOP runner-up spot was more than he could have earned in a lifetime as a metal laborer. Prior to this massive win - he had pulled in under $20,000 playing poker. Lam currently resides in Kitchener in the Toronto, Canada area with his wife and two children. Surely his family has no complaints with his career change and he's definitely faring much better than any local metal worker. His lifetime earnings are now in excess of $4,851,424.
