Minh Ly Biography
Minh Ly started in poker the way many 'would be' poker players did, he
packed his bags and headed for Las Vegas; only his journey was a bit longer
than most. He was born in Vietnam and came to the U.S. in 1986 with the goal
of playing poker professionally. When he arrived in Las Vegas, he worked two
jobs while developing his poker skills, one as a dealer in a casino, the
other as a cook in a Chinese food restaurant. He started out playing low
limit cash games and worked at it for over 5 years before he gained the
confidence to move up to higher stakes.
While reaching his comfort zone at the "Big Game" $4,000/$8,000 at the
Bellagio, he received some encouragement from none other than Doyle Brunson
himself. Brunson suggested to Minh Ly that he work on his tournament game;
he took that advice and began cashing on many subsequent tournaments. He
finished 3rd at the 2001 WSOP $3,000 Limit Texas Hold’em event. In 2002, Ly
made final table of the WSOP Main Event.
In 2005, he took 2nd in the WSOP $5,000 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event,
just missing his first WSOP gold bracelet. This turned out to be an historic
event, for not only Minh Ly, but for his friend and mentor Doyle Brunson.
Doyle took first in that event and claimed his 10th WSOP gold bracelet tying
him with Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth, for the most bracelets won in the
history of the WSOP. The irony in his poker life did not end there:
fittingly, his greatest poker success to date, is his first place finish in
the WPT Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship in 2005. He took
home just over $1 million. He is still close friends with Brunson and can be
found playing at the tables of Brunson’s poker site, Doyle’s Room.
Minh Ly Fun Facts and Finishes
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He is regarded by many as one of the top cash game players around.
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Ly's total live tournament winnings exceed $2.4 million.
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In 2005, won the WPT Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship taking
home just over $1 million.
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In 2005, finished 2nd in the WSOP $5,000 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event
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In 2002, finished 9th in the WSOP Main Event
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As of 2006, Ly's total live tournament winnings exceed $2,300,000.