Interview: Qui Nguyen Has Big Plans Post-WSOP
Since Qui Nguyen took down the 2016 WSOP Main Event for over $8 million at the Rio here in Las Vegas, he's something of a celebrity ,as you can imagine. We caught up with him on the rail as he ran the gauntlet of the corridors outside the Amazon, packed with fans asking for selfies. He told us all about his exit.
"In the final hand, I raised [James Akenhead] up with king-queen off-suit. He was in the big blind and called me with 
. The flop came 
, so he checked. I bet 2,700 and he raised to around 7,000. I snap-called. On the turn, the 
came and he made it 16,000. I only had around 30,000 so I shipped all in. He called. Jack of spades on the river!"
Nguyen laughs, but his WSOP Main Event defense is over. He admits that poker can be cruel, but knows how much variance exists in any tournament win.
"Poker is cruel, but only sometimes. Even if you play well, if you don't get any luck, there's nothing you can do. Everyone needs the luck to win. Even me."
Nguyen is modest about his own victory last year. He's also enjoyed meeting the many hundreds of fans he has here in Las Vegas who were cheering him on.
"It was great when I came back here. I'm very professional; everyone wants to shake my hand and take their picture with me. It's cool. After winning here at the Rio, I didn't go out much. I enjoyed the moment with my friends and family, but I couldn't wait to get back to playing poker."
Nguyen's plans post-WSOP in 2016 always included helping the Vietnamese people from his homeland and some Vietnamese people's battle to escape poverty.
"I'm going back home and my plan is to help the people. Some have no house and no food. I wanted to donate some money to help other people. There are a lot of people who struggle in life and I want to help. I'm just so lucky compared to other people, so I want to help those out there who are struggling. I'm very happy, but everyone should be happy."
Nguyen says Las Vegas itself is a treasured part of his life now. He lives in Sin City and won't be swapping that for anywhere else in the world right now. He may just travel a bit more in his next year as a former rather than reigning WSOP champion.
"I always play here. I might travel a little more this year. I've never been to Macau or China so I might travel there. In December with the World Series out there, I may go there. I love to travel in the United States and I live in Vegas. It's so great for poker. I'm a gambling guy, so I love this city. But just remember, don't gamble too much!"
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