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Well, it took some work to track down the new World Champion in the poker world, but did you ever doubt your friends at Bluff? The call came in to us from the champ himself, and he wanted to make sure the good readers at Bluff would get a chance to hear about his triumph first hand!
Bluff: Well, first off – congratulations. Your win is quite an accomplishment
Jerry: Oh, I feel great! To be honest with you, it hasn’t really sunk in just yet, but I am very happy.
Bluff: We know it’s been quite a whirlwind since the final table, but tell us a bit about everything that has been going on.
Jerry: The last couple of days I have been getting a lot of phone calls, and doing interviews for newspapers and radio stations. I have been letting my agent do a lot of the call screening, as it’s been so much. I trusted him to tell me who I should speak with, and you guys were at the top of the list. You folks have been very kind to me. Howard David [Editor’s note: Howard David is the key anchor for WSOP coverage on Bluff Poker Radio, broadcast on the Sirius radio network] was very professional, down to earth, and a wonderful gentleman. I really felt so comfortable when he interviewed me at the final table, so I am appreciative of that. I am a happy man.
Bluff: Was this your first ever World Series of Poker?
Jerry: Absolutely, it was.
Bluff: Tell us a little bit about your childhood. From what we have heard and read, things were not very easy for you growing up.
Jerry: I grew up in Laos; I came from a very, very poor family. My parents were farmers. We didn’t have any modern technology. We basically used any tools that we made – machetes, axes. We would chop down an acre or two of land, and would burn and re-burn the wood left over. We had to really take a chance that land would be fertile enough to grow crops. Rice and corn were our two biggest crops.
We had no doctors, no hospitals; there was no modern medicine. My father, in fact, learned from his parents how to deliver children. It was a very difficult life. In the 70s the communists invaded my country because of the war, and my family, we tried to escape to Thailand. We got caught and we were threatened. One of the communist commanders said to my dad: “If you try to escape, wherever we find you, we will bury you.”
It was a very scary experience. We had AK-47’s pointing at our faces. I was about eight at the time, so even today I still remember. I even have nightmares from time to time. We made another escape attempt, and thank God we were successful. We were placed into a refugee camp, and then got moved to another camp. Four years of my life I spent in a refugee camp in Thailand. So I have come a very long way. In late September 1979, we got a call letting us know our father was one of the lucky people accepted to bring his family to America. That was the happiest day of my life, knowing that I would be going to a country where there was opportunity, freedom, education, and food! Food was a big deal, as we didn’t have much in the refugee camp. I had one of those big bellies that you see on the malnourished children on TV. I had worms. The food and water was sometimes old and not good to eat, but we had to.
It was a very sad experience, but that is what helped make me the person I am today. And that is one of the main reasons I am donating ten percent of my winnings to charity: the Make a Wish Foundation, Feed the Children, and the Ronald McDonald House. Children mean the world to me. I believe the children are our future, and if we don’t do something right now to help the children, we will be lost in the future.
Bluff:Wow, it’s hard for me to follow that up. Hopefully other members of the poker community will match your generosity. How did you find your way to a poker table? I am guessing there wasn’t much gambling where you grew up?
Jerry: (Laughs) No, no, no. It was a big no-no. My father, in fact, was totally against even playing any type of cards. I am not just talking about gin rummy, poker, or blackjack, anything to do with cards. Even checkers, my father was against. Any type of gambling – he was totally against it. When I first made the money in the WSOP and I called my family, I could even hear in his voice that he didn’t approve. When I made it to the final table, I told him, “Dad, you need to come down. I really am at the final table and need your support.” He finally came; he was still doubtful, but he came. Today, he is a very happy man with how things turned out, but he still is against poker and gambling. He thinks I should take my money and run. I disagree and I want you to make sure the people know this: I want to be a great ambassador for poker. I think poker is good for everybody. I want to continue to play poker and to give to charity, to promote humanitarian work. That work for charity is always going to go hand and hand with my poker play. That is the most important thing for me.
Bluff: When did you first start playing poker?
Jerry: It was about two years ago. I started watching poker on TV; I loved watching the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker. That got me interested. I got a bunch of books and I read them, while continuing to watch on TV. I have never played on the internet ever. In fact I didn’t even have any online accounts, until I signed up yesterday with Full Tilt, who is my sponsor. I have heard some scary stories out there, but I won’t criticize people who play online. If that is what makes people happy, if they are more comfortable playing online, that is great! We all want to win, whether it’s at a table or online. At this point I don’t intend to play much online, because right now my gut says I should stick with live poker. I think poker is a great way to meet new people, to challenge your mind and body, and invigorate your overall being.
Bluff: We read up a little on your background and see that you have a Master’s in Health Psychology. Did that knowledge help you in winning the World Series?
Jerry: Absolutely. A little background in psychology was a great help. Usually in the first hour or two I create a mental picture of every opponent at the table. When they break the table, obviously you have to start all over again, but this part of the game is very important. You have to do this to have an advantage. Even when you are sitting with the likes of Chris Ferguson, Daniel Negreanu, John Juanda, and others, you have to create profiles when you play. Don’t get me wrong, I am a true rookie here, but the more you take the time to study your opponents at the table, the more edge you will have.
Bluff: What were your initial expectations coming into the Main Event?
Jerry: Well, when you go to the WSOP, everybody has the dream to win the whole thing, but at the least every player wants to cash in the Main Event. At the same time, I wanted to have fun. I remember the first day I got there. I saw some of the top players in the world, including Chris Ferguson who I have become good friends with. I met Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly – all of these world-class players. That was more than enough for me. I got to meet them, and I was very happy about just that. I was so excited. I wanted to have fun. But to win the whole thing, wow, that is truly a blessing. I give all the credit and the glory to God. I think I owe that to him.
Bluff: Was there a hand that really catapulted you to the final table?
Jerry: Boy, that’s a good question. When we came down to the last two tables, I was short stacked. I believe I had about $1.5 million. I remember having pocket eights, and I went all in. Alex K called with K♦Q♦, and at that point I was a 50/50. Thank God, my hand held up. It was so important for me. I not only doubled up, but it helped build my confidence and relieve the nerves and anxiety. We needed only a few people to bust before making the final table. I knew then that I would have a great shot at making the final table.
Bluff: Did your strategy change at all when you were on the final table bubble?
Jerry: No, I didn’t change much. I played my position. I would raise or reraise when I had a good hand. Throughout the whole tournament, I kept the same strategy. The only time I changed up my approach was when we were at the final table. I had $8.5 million when we started the final table, which as you know put me as one of the short stacks. The night before, I said to myself that the only chance I have of winning this tournament is by coming into the final table playing as aggressively as possible. And that is exactly what I did. I was lucky and picked up a few pots early. I did a lot of bluffing. I raised and reraised a lot with nothing, and I played a lot of hands from the button. Fortunately for me, they folded most of the time.
Bluff: The one infamous hand that really propelled you to the chip lead was against Lee Childs. Lee folded queens face up on a seven high board. Were you beating queens at that point?
Jerry: No. I had a strong hand, but I wasn’t beating queens.
Bluff: While watching the final table live, we put you on jacks. Were we close?
Jerry: You guys were correct. I had jacks. If Lee had called I would have been crippled badly, but I would not have been out. I figured the only way to win that pot was to make that move. I put him on A-K or A-Q. When we saw the flop, I knew the only way I would win that pot was to move in. I didn’t want him to catch up on the turn or river. Thank God he folded.
Bluff: A few hands later was the huge pot that gave you the overwhelming chip lead against Philip Hilm, when he tried to semibluff all in on the turn with the 8♦5♦ against your A-K. He put you in a difficult spot. Was there anything that helped you make that tough call?
Jerry: At that point I had picked up some body gestures from Philip. As you will see, I watched him very carefully. I watch everyone like a hawk. I sensed some weakness and knew that I had to make the call there. From then on, when I had the dominating chip lead, I made up my mind that I was not going to let it go. I wasn’t going to let anybody get away with any blind stealing or try to make moves on me. I played some very crappy hands. I would raise with some very speculative hands. I needed to play those hands, because I needed to maintain control of the table.
Bluff: I know when you got to four-handed play, things slowed down a lot. How did you maintain your composure for so long?
Jerry: You know, I was very focused during the whole table. I thank my family for being there to support me. The fans were amazing – people I didn’t even know were cheering for me, and I really appreciate that. That really motivated me. Every hand that I played, I would look at my children’s picture and that motivated me not to do anything stupid. I knew I had to play the best possible poker I could play. That worked to my advantage. It was basically common sense. I protected my stack and played my position. Whenever I sensed any weakness from my opponents, I played back at them. It worked out well for me.
Bluff: Was there anyone at the final table you didn’t want to get heads up with, who you tried to eliminate?
Jerry: Well, I definitely feared Lee Watkinson more than anyone at the final table. He is a very experienced player, and a very dangerous one. I was a little nervous about Lee. When he was knocked out, I felt a little bit better about my chances. Other than Lee, I feared Alex K and Philp Hilm the most at the table. Alex is a champ; he won a bracelet earlier in the year, and with him still in when we were four-handed, it was scary. Thank God again, that I was able to come out on top.
Bluff: How has your family dealt with this whirlwind of change?
Jerry: My family is very supportive. Like I said, my father was not that supportive initially, but he is a bit more now. I want to thank Full Tilt and Howard Lederer for all of their support at the final table. I also want to thank the guys at Lake Elsinore Casino. Ted, Pat, and Curt were behind me the whole time. They paid for my hotel stay. Coming from having six kids, I don’t have a lot of money, so I am just getting by. They handed me the money for the hotel without any questions asked. Wow, what a wonderful gesture. It’s people like that who make me want to give back to the community.
Bluff: Okay, so we know you have given back to tons of people so far. Have you done anything selfish yet, or bought yourself a present with your winnings?
Jerry: I haven’t bought myself a thing. I want to, though! For my wife, though, I bought her something. She was driving a beat up 1997 Odyssey. A couple of days ago I went and bought her a new car. She started crying and I told her not to cry, be happy. Enjoy it, because we finally are ahead and we won. When I look at the bracelet I still can’t believe it. Am I really the World Champion? It still hasn’t sunk in (sighs).
Bluff: We all know the year after is a whirlwind, and you will be playing a lot of poker. Is there anyone in particular you are looking forward to playing with?
Jerry: I think it will be fun against them all. I’m not looking forward to going heads up with some of those guys, but I will be very excited to play them. Just the opportunity to play with them will be so wonderful. I can’t wait to get started!
Bluff: Well, we all wish you the best. You have already proven to be a great ambassador!
Jerry: You said it. I want to be a great ambassador. I think we all must support poker. I don’t know all the issues, or what the future of poker may be. We can’t predict that now. But as much as we can, we need to rally together, work as a team, and really promote poker. It’s a good game, and hopefully it will prove to be beneficial to our community and our country.
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