Men "The Master" Nguyen Needs To Get Some Class, and Fast

poker player men nguyen is not a class act

Men "The Master" Nguyen is undoubtedly a great poker player.

He has six World Series of Poker bracelets under his belt and has won the Card Player Player of the Year award five times. He is currently at the final table of the World Poker Open and will be looking to add to his estimated $8 million dollars in lifetime poker earnings. Nguyen has not only had tournament success but is also a great cash game player as well.

That being said, Men "The Master" Nguyen needs a serious attitude adjustment. His antics at the 2008 World Poker Open were completely out of line and unforgivable, and illustrates the reason why Nguyen is one of the least popular professional poker players around today. Is there a single poker player held in less regard by his peers than the "Master"? I can't think of one.

Nguyen is the type of player who will go ballistic on the dealer if he takes a bad beat or is dealt a cold deck. However, he treats his fellow poker player just as poorly as the 2008 World Poker Open has shown.

There are two specific incidents that illustrate the type of person that Nguyen is at the poker table:

1. Nguyen and his opponent both hit the nut straight on the river. Both players were holding AK, and Nguyen's opponent pushed all-in. Nguyen was a little annoyed with the crowd and took the opportunity to slow-roll his opponent, posturing and deliberating for a few minutes before finally making the call. Nguyen calls, his opponent flips over the nuts, and Nguyen sits motionless, not flipping over his hand. The crowd, obviously thinking that Nguyen's opponent had won the hand, started applauding. Nguyen starts pointing at the crowd and says "You don't think that I have a hand? You don't think that I can beat that?" He then flips over his hand (the nuts as well), makes an inappropriate gesture to the crowd, and collects his chips.

You can view the hand here: Nguyen Slowroll

Totally classless, but not surprising. Nguyen's opponent was remarkably restrained; I can only imagine what would have happened if Nguyen had tried to pull that on someone a little more tightly wound.

2. Nguyen got into a big hand with Erick Lindgren on Day 3 of the World Poker Open. On a flop of Q 4 3 with two hearts, the two players got all of their chips into the middle with Lindgren holding the nut flush draw and Nguyen holding top set. Nguyen's hand held up, and instead of simply pumping his fist or something and then collecting his chips, he proceeded to celebrate and scream for a full minute, prompting Lindgren to say "Act like you've been there before." Given how much experience he has and how much he has won in the past, Nguyen was clearly rubbing it in Lindgren's face. You might forgive an amateur player for making that kind of a display when he gets caught up in the moment, but not a seasoned professional.

Nguyen is a great poker player. However, I can't think of a player who conducts himself in a worse manner at the tables than the "Master", and it is not surprising that he is as unpopular as he is with his fellow peers.

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