Jerry Yang

Jerry Yang Profile
	Nickname: The Shadow Online Username: Jerry Yang Web: www.fulltiltpoker.com Birthdate: 1968 Birthplace: Laos Residence: Temecula, CA, United States Tournaments Won: 1 WSOP Bracelets: 1 Total Winnings: $8,251,324

Throughout the 2007 WSOP tournament, Jerry Yang had been praying. Sometimes out loud, ‘Lord, put the ace or the 4 on the river,’ and at other times quietly with his hands together. In the final hand of the final table, heads up with Tuan Lam, Yang had just a 14% chance of winning the hand. His 8♦ 8♣ was looking weak against Lam’s A♦ Q♦ with 5♠ Q♣ 9♣ 7♦ on the table. Yang was pacing and mumbling into his clenched hands, as the river card was turned. Amazingly, it was a 6♥ and Yang had won $8.25 million with the 9 high straight. His family mobbed him as the crowd chanted ‘U.S.A!’ When interviewed afterwards however, Yang had to concede that though the win was important to him, it was a day from his childhood that ranked as the ‘happiest day’ of his life.

Jerry Yang was born in Laos in 1968 but when the Communists invaded in 1975, he and his family tried to flee to Thailand. He remembers being captured and having AK47s pointed at him. Eventually, the Yangs did make it across the border but all that awaited them was near starvation in a refugee camp. Some of his family perished in Thailand and Jerry was there four years until one day in 1979. This was his happiest day, when his father told him the family had been accepted into the United States and soon the Yangs were settling down in their new homeland. Jerry struggled with the language at first but with his father’s encouragement proceeded to graduate, with honours, from high school, college and grad school. He was accepted into medical school but postponed his place for two years to work as a missionary. Finally, he got his Master’s degree in health psychology and began working as a psychologist and social worker.

Jerry had only being playing poker for two years before his WSOP triumph and began by tutoring himself from books and watching poker on television. Soon he was entering tournaments at local casinos and it was at the Pechanga Casino where he won his seat into the WSOP event through a $225 satellite tournament. He had the second shortest stack when he reached the final table but Jerry had more than prayers to fall back on. Using his experience as a psychologist he studies his opponents’ demeanours and had had the opportunity to watch some of his final table opposition. ‘I saw they played a little tight,’ he said afterwards. With this information, Yang played an aggressive and at times reckless game but his tactic paid off as by the time he had reached the heads up, he had knocked out seven of his eight rivals and had four times as many chips as Lam.

As a socially conscious Christian, Jerry Yang donated a large proportion of his winnings to children’s charities and also bought his wife a new car. He has proved to be great ambassador for the game and made many friends. In the 2007 WSOP, his humility shone through and after the aggressive psychological battles he had with many of his defeated opponents, he shook their hands and told them in all sincerity, ‘I want you to know you have a friend for life.’

You can play online poker with Jerry Yang at Full Tilt Poker.

Jerry Yang WSOP Tournaments & Top Ten Finishes
	Event* Date Position Winnings 38th Annual WSOP Event 55 – Championship WSOP Final Jul 17th 2007 1st $8,250,000 2006 National Championship of Poker Inglewood Oct 24th 2006 3rd $6,985 Harrah’s Rincon, San Diego WSOP Circuit Feb 28th 2006 8th $805

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