Originally born in Vietnam and currently living in Arcadia, California, Kenny Tran started playing poker at a bowling alley while working at McDonald’s. After becoming obsessed with the game, he honed his skills at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles and before long he was a feared player in even the highest stakes games. Presently, he is widely regarded as one of the best cash game players in the world.
For whatever reason, tournament players are the rock stars of the poker world, so Tran has always gone relatively unheralded. However, he has had some success at the tournament tables. In 2001, he won a $300 No Limit Hold’em event at the L.A. Poker Classic, taking home $118K for his efforts. A few months later, he won another $300 tournament, this time for $38K. In 2006, he cashed for $88K in the Fourth Annual Five-Star World Poker Classic.
2007 proved to be a coming out party for Tran, at least on the tournament circuit. At the World Series of Poker, he made his first final table, finishing fifth in the $5K H.O.R.S.E. event for $444K. He also finished 16th in the main event for $381K. And just in case that didn’t get the poker world’s attention, Tran made sure they were aware of his talent in 2008 by winning the WSOP World Championship Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em event for $539K. All told, Kenny’s live tournament earnings exceed $2 million.
A world class cash game and tournament player, Kenny Tran is also extremely kind and generous. In support of his family and heritage, he gives 10% of his winnings to his relatives back in Vietnam. When he’s not playing in nosebleed cash games or traveling the world, Tran can be found playing online at Full Tilt Poker where he’s a sponsored pro.