Found that cardplayer interview, I was a bit off in my recollection when it came to the limits he played.
http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_maga...27&m_id=24
John Juanda is only 30 years old and is already one of the best poker players in the world. He moved to the United States from Indonesia when he was 20. After graduating from Oklahoma State University, he got an MBA from Seattle University. John has a knack for big-bet poker and enjoys playing mixed games when he plays live-action. While eating Dim Sum, John and I chatted.
Jeff Shulman: Where and why did you start playing poker?
John Juanda: I started playing about five years ago, while going to grad school at Seattle University. I used to drive an hour and a half to Bellingham to play $1-$4 seven-card stud. Being in college, $1-$4 stud was about as much as I could afford. Actually, I started out with just a $100 bankroll. I turned that modest $100 bankroll into a little more than $15,000 in just four months. Later, I found that there were higher-limit games being played in a cardroom only a half-hour away. With my new “monster” bankroll, $10-$20 became a more comfortable limit for me to play. After finishing school and getting my MBA, I decided to move to L.A. to give professional poker a try. It was a decision that seems to have worked out pretty well for me.
JS: You are obviously very successful at tournament poker; how does that success compare to your cash game results? Also, how high are you playing these days?
JJ: Well, I’ve played as high as $1,500-$3,000, but I normally play limits in the $400-$800 range. Side games have clearly been more lucrative for me, but I also enjoy the competitive nature of tournament poker. One of my passions has always been traveling. I also enjoy meeting new people and spending time with my friends, and tournaments give me the opportunity to do both.
JS: Whose poker game do you admire most among your peers?
JJ: Allen Cunningham’s. He is, in my opinion, already the best side game and tournament player today, yet he is still working hard to improve his game. These days, he is concentrating more on side games, although he still plays the bigger tournaments like the World Series of Poker. I predict that if he continues at this pace, he’ll one day be the all-time money leader at the World Series.
JS: Which players do you most respect in the poker world?
JJ: There are too many to mention, but I’ll mention the few who stick out in my mind. Allen, Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Randy Holland, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, and Bobby Hoff. I respect these players not only for their play, but also because they are great ambassadors for the game and are all-around good people.
JS: What are your favorite hobbies?
JJ: I like sucking out (laughing). Having the worst hand going in doesn’t scare me much, that’s how you win big pots! Seriously, though, I love to travel, read, analyze business deals, and eat good food.
JS: Speaking of business, have you taken anything from the business world that has helped you at the poker tables?
JJ: Hmm … I would have to say that the business world taught me how to prepare. I usually go to a poker game with a well-thought strategy/game plan. It also taught me discipline and money management.
JS: What is your most memorable poker moment?
JJ: I was heads up in the 1998 Legends of Poker championship event against a very classy guy named Al Stonum. It looked like I had a lot more chips than he did, we got all in, and I won the hand. As he got up to shake my hand, I decided that we might as well count the chips. After counting, he still had a few chips left. At the time, I had him about 50-1, and he came back and beat me. This was a championship event, and it took me three more years to win my first (2001 World Poker Open). Many people asked me why I said anything, and I responded by saying it was the right thing to do. If I could do it all over again, I would do the same thing — but hopefully I would win.
JS: That’s a great story — and a classy act on your part.