John Juanda is a nice guy! He is calm, reasonable, quiet and easygoing. Not the usual adjectives ordinarily used to describe your average professional Poker player. He is also highly intelligent and one who calculates every play. In spite of being different in so many ways from other players, John should not be underestimated or taken for granted.

Born on July 8, 1971 in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, John grew up with a father who drank and gambled but warned John not to emulate his behavior. His mother's stability was a balancing factor in his life. She encouraged him to do well in school, continue his education and be competitive. After graduating from high school where he excelled in track, he came to the United States to attend Oklahoma University. He then went on to earn an MBA from Seattle University. John has always had an interest in the field of medicine and he has often stated that if he had not become a professional Poker player, he would have gone on to medical school.

While attending graduate school, he spent some time at a Seattle card room where he became a skillful Poker player and accumulated a sizeable bankroll. In 1996, he made a decision to play Poker as a full time career.

John Juanda's World Poker Tour Winnings:

- Season 1 ? Bellagio ? Five Diamond World Poker Classic ? 2nd place - $278,240

- Season 2 ? Commerce Casino ? WPT Invitational ? 3rd place - $18,000

- Season 2 ? Party Poker ? Party Poker Million ? 7th place - $103,874

- Season 2 ? Reno Hilton ? World Poker Challenge ? 16th place - $13,070

- Season 2 ? Bellagio ? WPT World Championship ? 34th place - $41,583

- Season 3 ? Bellagio ? Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship -6th place - $84,000

- Season 3 ? The Mirage ? Mirage Poker Showdown ? 4th place - $162,012

- Season 3 ? Ultimate Bet ? Ultimate Bet's Aruba Poker Classic ? 5th place - $130,000

John started off in 2006 by winning a major title ? the first place spot in the Speed Poker Million Dollar Challenge at the Crown Australian Poker Championship in Melbourne. His prize was one million Australian dollars!

John is part of the Team Full Tilt that can be found online at www.fulltiltpoker.com . One of the team pledges is the following impressive statement:

"We pledge to chat with players every day at all levels, even play money."

The team members are:

- Howard Lederer
- Chris Ferguson
- Jennifer Harman
- Erick Lindgren
- Clonie Gowen
- Mike Matusow
- Phil Ivey
- Phil Gordon
- Erik Seidel
- Andy Bloch

John Juanda's accomplishments are too many to list and based upon his past achievements, his future looks very promising.

As of this writing, his total live Tournament winnings are in excess of $6,100,000.