Johnny Chan

Posted by Craig on October 16, 2008

Born in China, Johnny Chan has become one of the best players in World Series of Poker history. Johnny sits second all time with 10 WSOP bracelets just one behind Phil Hellmuth. Chan’s first World Series of Poker cash was in 1983 and he plays a full schedule to this day with 3 cashes in 2008. Johnny is popular on poker television and is widely considered one of the top 5 players in World Series of Poker history. Chan came to the United States in 1968, he is married and has six children. Johnny won is first bracelet in 1985 and his tenth in 2005.

Heading in to the 1987 World Series of Poker Main Event Chan had already had one bracelet to his name, but the Main Event would be where his career truly started. The Main Event final table in 1987 was littered with poker greats like Howard Lederer, Dan Harrington and Mickey Appleman. At the final table Johnny proved that he was a player to reckon with and beat all those top pros and took home the title. Chan beat Frank Henderson heads up and won $650 000. Once again in 1988 Chan made the final table of the Main Event and once again a lot of names you will recognize were at the table with him, guys like Erik Seidel, TJ Cloutier and Humberto Brenes. Once again Johnny showed  that he was one of the top pros in the world besting Seidel heads up to take home the bracelet and $700 000. The 1989 Main Event, Johnny was now the man to watch with back to back wins and three career bracelets. This is where legends are born, Chan once again was there in the end. He battled his way to once again being heads up for the title, and what happened was two future poker legends would take battle. Phil Hellmuth vs Johnny Chan, maybe poker fans didn’t realize it at the time, but it was legend vs legend. Hellmuth would take home the title, but Chan would still take home more then $300 000.  We will never see another player make three main event final tables in a row, let alone win 2 and finish second once. Johnny had made his name in the poker world, but he wasn’t done there, he would win more bracelets and even make another Main Event final table in 1992.

Chan wouldn’t win his fourth bracelet until 1994 when he won a seven card stud tournament. His fifth came in 1997 when he outlasted Barry Greenstein, Steve Zolotow and Lyle Berman in winning the deuce to seven lowball bracelet. Chan won his sixth bracelet in 2000 and in 2002 he met an old friend in the no limit holdem heads up tournament. That player was Phil Hellmuth and this time Johnny took home the title and his seventh bracelet. His eighth and ninth bracelet both came in 2003 in event 15 and event 24. In 2005 Chan won his then record 10th bracelet in a pot limit holdem tournament. To win that 10th title he had to beat Phil Laak heads up, which earned him over $300 000. Since then Johnny has cashed eight times and most recently finished 4th in an Omaha event in 2008.

Overall Johnny has 10 bracelets and cashed 41 times in his career. Over his 25 year career Johnny has made more then $4 million at the World Series of Poker alone. 25 years and 27 final tables made, Chan is one of the most consistent poker players in poker history. He has had success playing Holdem of all limits and styles, Omaha and seven card games. The first thing that jumps out at me when I look at Johnny’s WSOP record is the amount of great players he has run into over the years. Chan vs Hellmuth will always be debated, who is the best player of there generation. I am not about to pick, but they will forever be linked in World Series of Poker history.

Johnny is more then just the World Series he commonly appears on Poker After Dark on NBC.  He also won Poker Superstars and has career tournament earnings of more then $6.5 million. Johnny has written two books, Play Poker Like Johnny Chan and Million Dollar Holdem. He runs his own online poker site, owns fast food franchises and wants to eventually open his own casino.  Chan is a business man and a great poker player who will strive for success in all his endeavors.

I am sure if you took a poll of professional poker players, it would be close to unanimous that Johnny should be considered one of the best players to ever live. With back to back main event titles and 10 bracelets in total Chan has proven that he belongs in that category. He will forever be linked with Phil Hellmuth, and people will wonder who truly is the best player of there generation. Chan is currently sitting tied for second all time in career World Series of Poker wins with poker legend Doyle Brunson, just one behind Phil Hellmuth’s 11 bracelets. I don’t think Johnny is going anywhere, he loves playing poker and I think he will play as long as physically possible. Chan continues to frequently be on poker programming and is still at the top of his game. In the near future Johnny Chan will win his 11th bracelet and the debate will continue Chan or Hellmuth. In a dream world some day they will play heads up to set the record for most career bracelets, but that becomes less likely the bigger the game gets. Chan has proven he could win against the best pros in the world and that he can win in big field events. Johnny Chan is one of the best poker players to ever live, in any generation.