Hello Pokerplanet !!

Welcome to the second episode of my first pokerlist: the Most Famous Poker Player top-100. Today I’ll present you the next five players, meaning numbers 95 to 91 with among them the first former WSOP Main Event winner of the list, like I’ve said before. I hope you already have an idea about who it could be because I’m going to reveal him today, namely on number 91. But logically I’ll start where we stopped, starting with number 95.

(95) =>  MIMI  TRAN

> Thithi (Mimi) Tran

> born 05/07/1960 in Vietnam.

> lives now in Los Angeles, California.

> has 2 children.

> reached several final tables at the WSOP tournaments.

> her live tournaments winnings are above $1.500.00 (2009) with which she stands in the top 10 of the richest women in poker.

Mimi is probably the most famous because of her former relationship with poker Pro Barry Greenstein. She made a deal with him that when he would learn her to play poker, than she would teach him how to speak Vietnamese. Mimi is well known as a great high stakes cash game player which she proved on the first season of High Stakes Poker.

(94) =>  MAX PESCATORI

> Massimiliano Pescatori

> born 1971, Milan (ITA).

> lives now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Nickname : The Italian Pirate

> won 2 Bracelets (2006 NL Hold’em – 2008 PL Hold’em/Omaha)

> has over $2.800.000 (2009) in live tournament wnnings

Max moved to Vegas in 1994, where he first started to play Seven Card Stud before he switched to Hold’em because it was far more profitable for him. He’s also a typical Italian, very proud of his country which he often shows by wearing a bandana with the colours of Italy or a soccershirt from the Squadra Azzura.

(93) =>  J.J.  LIU

> Joanne Jishung Liu

> born 10/04/1965 in Taiwan

> married to Poker Pro Dan Alspach and got 3 kids.

> lives now in Palo Alto, California.

> Nickname :  J.J.

> ranked 6th in the Women’s All Time Money List with her live tournament winnings over $2.000.000.

She has a master’s degree in computer engineering. J.J. was also the first woman in 2007 who became second in the World Poker Tour Championship Event, losing heads-up to Ted Forrest. But she’s probably the most famous for her weird hats,  for her extravagant, colourful outfits and for her Greg Raymer glasses which she often wears during a hand.

(92) => ALEX  KRAVCHENKO

> Alexander Kravchenko

> born 21/04/1971 in USSR

> married and has 2 children

> lives now in Moscow (RUS)

> won 1 Bracelet ( 2007 Omaha Hi/Lo split 8 or better)

> plays at PokerStars as a member of the Team PokerStars Pro

> has life tournament winnings over $3.000.000 (2009)

With his Bracelet win in 2007 became Alex the first Russian ever to win a Bracelet. It was a good year for him because he also almost won the Main Event then, finishing 4th. Jerry Yang was the ultimate winner, more about him in a moment;) .

(91) => JERRY  YANG

> Xao ” Jerry” Yang

> born 1968 in Laos

> married and has 6 children

> lives now in Temecula, California.

> Nickname : The Shadow

> won 1 Bracelet ( 2007 Main Event WSOP)

> plays at Full Tilt Poker

> won 8.250.000$ for his win at the Main Event which is pretty much his total life tournament winnings (2009). He’s still in the top-15 of all time money winners in Poker, despite no other significant wins.

Jerry holds a master’s degree in health psychology and started to play poker in 2005. He qualified for the 2007 Main Event through a satellite, just like Chris Moneymaker did when he won in 2003. He came as 8th on the final table but he knocked out 7 of the 8 other players before winning heads-up against Tuan Lam when he made a straight on the river with his pair of eights against Tuan’s Ace-Queen ( top pair, top kicker). Jerry had always a picture of his six children at the table, which confirms his image of a true family man, who’s very religious and humble. He proved that once more by donating 10% (825.000$) of his Main Event prize money to several charities.

J.M.