JJ Duque Wins Seat To $1,000 Guaranteed Limit Seven Card Stud of Full Tilt Poker

Full Tilt Poker runs a Fantasy Poker League for the current 2010 World Series of Poker. As a participant, all I have to do is to check out the many events happening throughout the 2010 WSOP, and then pick among the many professional poker pros and poker superstars on whom I think could win, and then get points if the players I pick make it in the money.

For Event #10 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, which was the $10,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud Championship, I picked out the likes of John Juanda, Doyle Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Ted Forrest, Eli Elezra, Andy Bloch and Johnny Chan. However, none of these picks made it to the money. The only pick I had among the 15 that made ITM was Men "The Master" Nguyen. Not only did Men "The Master" Nguyen make it in the money, but he also won the entire tournament, winning his seventh WSOP gold bracelet, and celebrating his 65th WSOP cash (as of that time). And because of Men "The Master" Nguyen's victory, I was able to win a tournament seat to Full Tilt Poker's Fantasy Freeroll for Event #10, which was a $1,000 Guaranteed Seven Card Stud tournament.

Of course, Seven Card Stud was one of the first games of poker that I learned, but I never really knew much about the strategy until later on. I'm not an expert in Seven Card Stud, and I sincerely wish that more poker rooms in the Philippines include a Seven Card Stud table, or maybe even a tournament, but the lack of players for Seven Card Stud just makes it hard to practice and play on a regular basis. The little chance that I do get  to play Seven Card Stud and its variants is when I join HORSE tournaments in Full Tilt Poker or Pokerstars. I've cashed in at Sagsan's HORSE freeroll tournament in Pokerstars. Yeah - whoopee doo - freeroll, but at least I get to practice other poker variants apart from Texas Hold'em.

Anyway, my Seven Card Stud is pretty average, and I still have the tendency to chase after cards, especially when trying to hit a flush or an open-ended straight. And then I still make the mistake of losing count with my outs, especially in regards to the other open cards of opponents that were folded. With that said, I didn't do that well in the $1,000 Guaranteed Full Tilt Poker Fantasy Freeroll Seven Card Stud Hi. Of the 482 players that registered, I managed to finish at 266th place in the bottom half of the field. So - there's not much to report there about anything great. I missed out to win the first prize of $237, or make it in the money at 56th place and up. Incidentally, first prize went to player "smokinat420" and I guess that puts a smile to my face knowing that the winner shares the same herbal habit. (if you know what I mean).

Well since there's nothing much to write about that tourney - I'll just give my thanks and congratulations to Men "The Master" Nguyen, the poker pro responsible for winning a bracelet, and in effect won me my seat.

Men "The Master" Nguyen has an interesting life story of how he earned his way to the American dream. Born in Vietnam in 1954, his Anti-communist views led him to escape the Communist regime of Vietnam in 1978 by sailing on a boat to Malaysia. He received political asylum form the United States that same year, and eventually became an American citizen in 1986. Men Nguyen started playing poker around 1984, and has since then won several tournaments with career earnings from poker just over $9 Million. He has also had the distinction of winning Card Player Magazine's Player of the Year Award  in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005.

Men "The Master" Nguyen has used his winnings to charities in Vietnam, and even built and founded a kindergarten school from his poker winnings.