Background Information about John Juanda
John Juanda, the Indonesian-born American professional poker player, has made a huge impact in the world of poker till date. In the year 2001 and 2002, he was recognized as the Cardplayer Magazine’s tournament Player of the Year. Since he stepped into the industry, he has won a total of 5 WSOP bracelets. He also received the prestigious recognition for the 2004 Professional Poker Tour event, which held at the Foxwoods Casino, in Connecticut.
He didn’t start out as a professional poker player. As a matter of fact, he had other interests until he discovered his true potential in poker. While flying to the United States, he met with a friend who introduced him to poker. He started playing at small tables until he grew his skills and began to play at big bet tables. In the year 1996, John Juanda made up his mind to start playing full-time poker game. And since he stepped into the industry, he has never looked back. Over the years, his exploits in the game has significantly impacted on John Juanda net worth and he has continued to grow his net worth up till date.
After he made his first tentative step into the real world of poker game in 1996, he proceeded to the World Series of Poker three years later. At this event in 1999, he made it to the final table at the first two events that he participated in. Born on the 8th of July, 1971, the 47 years old poker player was born in Medan, Indonesia. As part of his academic pursuit, he attended Oklahoma State University and went on to earn his Masters in Business Administration from Seattle University.
He made the move to the United States in 1990 when he enrolled for a degree at the Oklahoma State University. After his first degree, he went ahead to pursue his MBA at the Seattle University. Suffice to mention that John was a high school track superstar for the 200-meter sprints and 5000-meter races. Juanda is fluent in Madarin Chinese and English.
Early Poker Days of John Juanda
While studying for his MBA, he got involved in poker. He began to take the weekends off to learn how to play the game at some nearby casinos. He grew his skills and developed his gaming strategy to the point that he was playing with some of the best shots at the poker tables. Although he was rarely spoken about, there is no doubting the fact that John is one of the top players in the industry. According to Daniel Negreanu, John Juanda is perhaps the most neglected and underrated superstar in the world of poker today. He went ahead to reveal that Juanda is one of the most successful poker tournament players across the world and he has continued to sustain the momentum in his winnings.
Negreanu went further to say that John’s consistency at table is unparalleled because he has the uncanny ability to make it to the final table, irrespective of how tedious or competitive the players at the table are. In the course of his career as a professional poker player, John Juanda net worth has grown and he has made his impact felt in the industry. As a matter of fact, his results at tables speak for him and prove that his place is indeed among the best players in the industry. Since he started in the industry, he has earned over $25.6 million USD from poker tournaments alone. These winnings have made him one of the biggest winning poker players of all time.
How it all started: Marbles for Money
Prior to the time he enrolled in college, Juanda didn’t know how to play poker. However, he has been involved in gambling from a very young age back then in Indonesia. John was the first of four siblings and he lived with his family in Medan, North Sumatra. While growing up, he spent most of his early childhood with his grandparents because his parents were trying to work at starting up a business in a new city.
Although he wasn’t living with his parents but he was still exposed to his dad’s vices. The father liked to gamble and drink, even though he had never made any winning while gambling. He was always telling John never to gamble because according to him, gambling is not good. However, he didn’t stop gambling himself, which kind of sent a mixed signal to John Juanda.
Obviously, John never heeded his father’s advice as he began to play marbles for money while in grade school. It is important to mention that gambling was not a big part of his growing up life, even though he tried his hands on a couple of gambling games, including marbles. John had some things going for him in grade school. For one, he was a very popular child and knowledgeable. He was a track star during his time in high school.
Another thing that was in his favor was the fact that he was the first child of the family, which made him a favored child. He didn’t allow this to get into his head though. He understood his responsibilities as the first in the family and he took that job seriously. After high school, he proceeded to the United States for his college degree. While on the flight to the United States to begin his college education, he had his first encounter with poker. He met with a friend on flight who introduced him to the game. He taught John how to play the game and from there, his interest piqued. Although he barely spoke little English when he moved to America but he understood the game and began to gain mastery of the technicality involved in the game.
John Juanda Early Poker Career
Although he was introduced to poker before he started college, he didn’t allow the game to make him lose focus in his academics. He didn’t start playing poker effectively until he finished his undergraduate degrees in marketing and management. After his degree, he moved to Seattle to commence his MBA program, and from this point, he began to engage in the game of poker. While going through his MBA classes, he took up a number of jobs to pay through school. He worked as a stock broker and at some point, he was selling Bibles. Although he is a self-acclaimed lifelong Buddhist, John won awards for the sales of Bibles. When not studying or working, Juanda could be found at local casinos trying his hands at a couple of tables. He regularly play poker on weekends and during this period he developed his skills in the game and quickly figured he could actually make good money while playing at poker tables.
According to Juanda, he would spend twelve hours playing poker and then go home to sleep. He went on to say that he couldn’t wait for the day to break so he could go back to play again the following day. In 1996, he completed his MBA and made up his mind to go into poker full time. With the fund he had bankrolled during his weekend games, he decided to become a full time professional poker player. While playing, he continued to develop his games and skills at card rooms and casinos on the west coast. Finally, he moved close to Los Angeles to play at some bigger stakes poker games. From this point onward, John Juanda net worth began to make an upward rise.
John Juanda at World Series of Poker (WSOP)
Juanda continued playing at poker tables and by 1999, he had mustered enough courage to attend his first major tournament. Prior to this period, he had been cashing at low buy-in tournaments and these winnings laid the foundation for John Juanda net worth. In 1999, he entered the World Series of Poker tournament and bought into the $1,500 Limit Hold’em event. In a field of 609 players, John placed 9th winning $14,615. By the following week, he finished in the 7th place at the same WSOP where he bought into the $3,000 Limit Hold’em, event. He made a winning of $12,675 at the end of the event. During the final table while seated with some seasoned professionals in the industry, including Humberto Brenes, Captain Tom Frankling, Josh Arieh, and Howard Lederer, it was very obvious that John was set to make it big in the industry.
The following year, Juanda went back to World Series of Poker and played in the 2000 World Series of Poker $3,000 Limit Hold’em and placed 10th. He returned in the year 2001 and placed 3rd in the $2,500 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo Split Eight-or-Better event. He also played in the $3,000 Limit Hold’em and placed 7th. All these winnings began to open doors and significantly influenced John Juanda net worth. Meanwhile, he didn’t stop playing at low buy-ins as he participated in a couple of games in such events. Once in a while, he would enter into $1,000 events and cash.
The year 2002 was a different year for John and it was the beginning of his series of big winning at World Series of Poker. Juanda cashed at five different World Series of Poker events in 2002 and made it to three final tables. He won his first WSOP bracelet from one of these three final tables. In less than two weeks after his victory at the World Series of Poker, Juanda went ahead to win the second place at the World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic. This winning was his largest cash so far at that time. He made a winning of $278,240 USD at the end of the WPT. This winning turned the tide in favor of John Juanda net worth. In 2003, he entered again for the World Series of Poker events and he made six different cashes and won two more WSOP bracelets.
The successes of John Juanda didn’t stop. He kept blazing and raking in cash after cash at tournaments. One of his epic successes was during the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. He made it to the final table at the event in London and battled for more than 19 hours with Stanislav Alekhin heads-up until he defeated his opponent. The victory led to John Juanda’s first World Series of Poker Main Event success, with a winning of £868,800.
He didn’t stop at that; he went ahead in 2010 to win additional major cash in London during the EPT/UKIPT £5,000. He finished in the 2nd place and won £868,800. These winnings have accumulated to remarkably increase John Juanda net worth. At this time, John was a renowned member of the Team pro lineup with Full Tilt Poker. He often featured in televised cash game shows. In 2011, John won another World Series of Poker in the $10,000 2-7 Draw. He followed this with a title at the 2012 $100,000 World Poker Tour Super High Roller. He also finished in the runner-up place at the €50,000 High Roller at the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe. In 2012, he won the World Poker Tour South Korea. All these winnings added to the growth of John Juanda net worth.
He didn’t stop at these earnings. In 2015, he participated in the European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event and made a winning of €1,022,593. He also attained huge winnings during the 2016 Triton High Roller Series and proceeded to the 2017 Aussie Millions. He kept breaking through in 2017 and he made a back to back second and third place at the €25,000 PokerStars Championship in Monaco in 2017. He also won at the HK$1 million Triton Macau Main Event and made a winning of $2,870,092. This prize was the best live cash he has made in his career.
Between 2018, John made it to many final tables at the European Poker Tour Barcelona, and the Triton High Roller Series Korea in 2019. For Juanda, the cash didn’t stop coming and he continues to rise in his poker career. The huge earnings have all impacted greatly on John Juanda net worth. In the year 2015, John Juanda was inducted into the much-deserved Poker Hall of Fame. In the world of poker, John is one player that you can place your bet on to make it to the final table and make big win while at it.
Highlights of John Juanda Biggest Winnings
| Tournaments | Year | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| HK$250,000 Short Deck No Limit Hold’em – Ante Only Triton Poker Super High Roller Series | 2019 | $601,358 |
| HK$1 million No Limit Hold’em Short Deck Ante Only Triton Poker Super High Roller Series | 2019 | $471,368 |
| €5,300 No Limit Hold’em EPT Main Event European Poker Tour Barcelona | 2018 | $137,740 |
| HK$250K No Limit Hold’em High Roller 2017 Asia Championship of Poker, Macau | 2017 | $158,926 |
| HK$1 Million No Limit Hold’em Triton Macau Main Event Triton Poker Super High Roller Series, Macau | 2017 | $2,870,092 |
| HK$1 Million No Limit Hold’em Main Event Triton Poker Super High Roller Series, Montenegro | 2017 | $595,581 |
| €25,750 No Limit Hold’em PokerStars Championship High Roller 8-Max | 2017 | $747,332 |
| €25,750 No Limit Hold’em 8-Max Shot Clock PokerStars Championship by Monte Carlo | 2017 | $290,533 |
| A$25K No Limit Hold’em Challenge 2017 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, Melbourne | 2017 | $217,636 |
| HK$500K No Limit Hold’em Main Event Triton Poker Super High Roller Series, Philippines | 2016 | $584,560 |
| €50K No Limit Hold’em Super High Roller 8-Handed EPT 13 ESPT 7 Barcelona | 2016 | $119,295 |
| €50K No Limit Hold’em Super High Roller EPT 12 EUREKA 5 Prague | 2016 | $116,656 |
| HK$500K No Limit Hold’em Super High Roller APPT 2015 Asia Championship of Poker, Macau | 2015 | $719,171 |
| €5,300 No Limit Hold’em EPT Main Event | 2015 | $1,164,034 |
| €25,500 No Limit Hold’em High Roller 8-Max EPT 10 FPS 4 Grand Final, Monte Carlo | 2014 | $590,816 |
| $5K No Limit Hold’em High Roller Day 1 World Poker Tour South Korea, Jeju | 2013 | $288,000 |
| €51K No Limit Hold’em Majestic Roller Re-Entry 2012 World Series of Poker, Europe | 2012 | $782,789 |
| HHK$2 Million No Limit Hold’em Super High Roller 2012 World Series of Poker Europe | 2012 | $1,645,756 |
| $10K No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw World Championship | 2011 | $367,170 |
| £5,250 No Limit Hold’em EPT Main Event UKIPT Grand Final | 2010 | $852,868 |
| $3K H.O.R.S.E 41st World Series of Poker 2010 WSOP, Las Vegas | 2010 | $129,553 |
| $50K The Players Championship Event 8 Game 41st World Series of Poker 2010, Las Vegas | 2010 | $436,865 |
| $20K Week 6 International III Poker After Dark V, Las Vegas | 2009 | $120,000 |
| £20,300 No Limit Hold’em High Roller EPT 5 London | 2008 | $598,770 |
| £10,350 World Championship No Limit Hold’em | 2008 | $1,580,096 |
| $5K Pot Limit Omaha 39th World Series of Poker | 2008 | $154,296 |
| $5K Pot Limit Omaha 38th World Series of Poker | 2007 | $112,749 |
| $20K Week 9 Poker After Dark, Las Vegas | 2007 | $120,000 |
| C$10,300 WPT North American Poker Championship | 2007 | $193,003 |
| A$100K Speed Poker Million Dollar Challenge Crown Australian Poker Championship, Melbourne | 2006 | $732,901 |
| $10K Championship Event No Limit Hold’em 2005 WSOP Tournament Circuit, Atlantic City | 2005 | $186,240 |
| $120K No Limit Hold’em 120K Full Tilt Poker Invitational, Monte Carlo | 2005 | $280,000 |
| Consolation Tournament – Monte Carlo Millions Gold | 2005 | |
| $10K No Limit Texas Hold’em World Championship Event 36th World Series of Poker, Las Vegas | 2005 | $274,090 |
| PPT No Limit Hold’em Final Day 2004 World Poker Finals, Mashantucket | 2004 | $225,000 |
| $1,570 No Limit Hold’em Final Day 2004 Festa Al Lago II Poker Tournament, Las Vegas | 2004 | $151,485 |
All these winnings are what made up John Juanda net worth.
John Juanda: The Poker Player and the Buddhist
The life of Juanda is an inspiration for many people. Apart from his winning streaks at poker tables, John is popular for his level headedness and friendly demeanor while at the poker table. It’s not that he is a timid person but just that he has been able to master his self-restraint, which he developed through his religion of Buddhism. According to John, he always tries his best to win at games but he respects every individual he plays with at tables and when he loses, he doesn’t get upset. This, according to him is one of the sacred teachings of Buddhism, which propagate the need for a sense of balance.
This way of life has greatly helped John Juanda in keeping from rolling his money away. It has also helped him to develop the strategy of respecting other professional poker players and treating them like business partners. He is very conscious of his money and he maintained a responsible bankroll at every point in time. Since he stepped into the world of poker, John has remained a winning player year in year out. He is also a very responsible player as he doesn’t put all his money into the game. Some of John Juanda net worth has been invested into a savings plan.
One other factor that is responsible for the success of John is his lack of fluency in the English language when he first moved to the United States. He reportedly said that at that time, whenever someone tried talking to him and he could not understand them, he simply watched their facial expressions and body language to make a good guess of what they were trying to say. With this, he had been able to learn to understand people beyond what they say.
Poker players across the world understand the value associated with the talent of reading people’s body language at poker tables. In spite of the skills he has acquired, the driving force for John at the table is the streaks of success and all these winnings have led to the growth of John Juanda net worth. John has continued to grow his scores and winning in Korea, Europe, Macau, and the Philippines.
John Juanda World Series of Poker Bracelets
He earned his first bracelet in 2002 at the Triple Draw Lowball Ace to Five poker event. He won a total of $49,620 at this event. The following year, he finished in many monies and was named the World Series of Poker Tournament Champion of the Year. In 2008, he made his biggest cash at the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. He won $1.5 million in prize and his fourth WSOP bracelets. In the course of his career, he has won a total of five World Series of Poker bracelets. The highlights of his World Series of Poker bracelets are as followed.
| Tournament | Year | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| $1,500 Triple Draw Lowball Ace to Five | 2002 | $49,620 |
| $2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split | 2003 | $130,200 |
| $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha | 2003 | $203,840 |
| £10,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event | 2008 | $1,539,250 |
| $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship | 2011 | $367,170 |
One of the biggest achievements was at the Speed Poker Million Dollar Challenge at the 2006 event. He went against some of the best professional poker players, including Phil Ivey, Tony Bloom, and Mike Sexton. He didn’t only beat these players but went ahead to win the first place. In addition to this, he made it to six other World Poker Tour final tables and made it very close to winning a World Poker Tour title.
In the year 2008, he made it to his first EPT final table and finished in the second place at the European Poker Tour London High Roller Showdown. He walked away the cash prize of $570,000. He is a full sponsored team member of Full Tilt and he regularly plan at the online platform with other professional players in his team.
John Juanda Net Worth
As at the time of this writing, John Juanda net worth from his total live earnings is $25,241,270. His best live cash so far is $2,870,092. He occupies the 14th place on the All Time Money List and 1st on the Indonesia All Time Money List. He ranks 5th on the All Time Money List Best Rank and 513th on the Global Poker Index Ranking. He occupies the 20th position on the Popularity Ranking. John is an Indonesian born poker player living in Marina Del Ray, California, in the United States.
Personal Life of John Juanda
John Juanda is single and doesn’t have any children. He currently resides in Marina Del Rey, California. He has a younger sister, whom he pays her college tuition. Suffice to mention that his sister stays with him in his home and takes classes during the session. When John is not playing at poker table in major tournaments, he is busy playing at other underground games anywhere in the world. According to him, when he decides to retire from poker, he would be going back to medical school to achieve his goal of offering free medical care to less privileged communities in the third world countries.