Mimi Tran
Encyclopedia
Thithi "Mimi" Tran is a Vietnamese-American professional poker
player.
, Vietnam
. After moving to the United States in 1982, Tran found work in the electronics
industry in Silicon Valley
. She began playing poker in 1989, after an auto accident left her disabled and unable to continue working in her field. Tran has finished in the money in multiple World Series of Poker
(WSOP) tournaments, including two second-place finishes, a third-place finish and a fourth-place finish. A high-stakes cash game
specialist, Tran is perhaps best known as Barry Greenstein
's ex-girlfriend. Greenstein not only taught her how to play poker, but also convinced her to compete in tournaments; until the mid-to-late 1990s she had been exclusively a side-game player. (Initially, Greenstein himself also played exclusively in side-games; now he donates his tournament winnings to charity.) In exchange for Greenstein teaching Tran how to play poker, she taught him how to speak Vietnamese
. The two have an on-going debate about who is the better teacher; Greenstein says he is the better teacher and Tran says that is only because she is the better student.
As of 2008, her total live tournament winnings exceed $1,400,000. Her 17 cashes as the WSOP account for $408,304 of those winnings. She also features highly in the list of most successful female poker players in terms of tournament earnings. Tran has two children and lives in Los Angeles, California
.
At the inaugural National Heads-Up Poker Championship
, Tran was the only female to make the money in a field that included Annie Duke
, Jennifer Harman
, Kathy Liebert
, Cyndy Violette
and Evelyn Ng
. All three of her opponents were WSOP Main Event champions: she defeated 1983
champion Tom McEvoy
and 2003
champion Chris Moneymaker
before being eliminated in the semi-finals by 2000
champion Chris Ferguson
. She received $25,000 prize money.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player.
Biography
Tran was born in Nha TrangNha Trang
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. After moving to the United States in 1982, Tran found work in the electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
industry in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. She began playing poker in 1989, after an auto accident left her disabled and unable to continue working in her field. Tran has finished in the money in multiple World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP) tournaments, including two second-place finishes, a third-place finish and a fourth-place finish. A high-stakes cash game
Ring game
Ring game may refer to:*Ring game , a general class of multi-player pocket billiards gambling games*Ring game, a.k.a. cash game, a poker game played with "real" chips and each player's own money at stake, as opposed to a poker tournament with a prize money pool...
specialist, Tran is perhaps best known as Barry Greenstein
Barry Greenstein
Barry Greenstein is a professional poker player. He has won a number of major events, including three at the World Series of Poker and two on the World Poker Tour. Greenstein donates his profit from tournament winnings to charities, primarily Children, Incorporated, earning him the nickname "the...
's ex-girlfriend. Greenstein not only taught her how to play poker, but also convinced her to compete in tournaments; until the mid-to-late 1990s she had been exclusively a side-game player. (Initially, Greenstein himself also played exclusively in side-games; now he donates his tournament winnings to charity.) In exchange for Greenstein teaching Tran how to play poker, she taught him how to speak Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
. The two have an on-going debate about who is the better teacher; Greenstein says he is the better teacher and Tran says that is only because she is the better student.
As of 2008, her total live tournament winnings exceed $1,400,000. Her 17 cashes as the WSOP account for $408,304 of those winnings. She also features highly in the list of most successful female poker players in terms of tournament earnings. Tran has two children and lives in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
At the inaugural National Heads-Up Poker Championship
National Heads-Up Poker Championship
-2006:- 2007 :-2008:In additional to the poker professionals, several poker-playing celebrities from other fields were invited: Gabe Kaplan, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Alexander and Orel Hershiser. Also invited was Alisha Kunze of Greensburg, Indiana, who won her seat...
, Tran was the only female to make the money in a field that included Annie Duke
Annie Duke
Annie Duke is a professional poker player and author who won a bracelet in the 2004 World Series of Poker $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Event and was the winner of the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, where she earned the Winner-Take-All prize of $2,000,000...
, Jennifer Harman
Jennifer Harman
Jennifer C. Harman-Traniello is an American professional poker player.-Early life:Harman was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She started playing poker in 1972 at the age of eight...
, Kathy Liebert
Kathy Liebert
Kathleen H. Liebert is an American professional poker player.- Poker :Liebert started her professional poker career as a prop player in Colorado...
, Cyndy Violette
Cyndy Violette
Cyndy Violette is an American professional poker player who won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2004.-Early life:...
and Evelyn Ng
Evelyn Ng
Evelyn Ng is a Canadian professional poker player. She currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Early Life:...
. All three of her opponents were WSOP Main Event champions: she defeated 1983
1983 World Series of Poker
The 1983 World Series of Poker was held May 9th to May 12th, 1983 at Binion's Horseshoe.-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 108 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Doyle Brunson fell just short in his attempt to win the main event for a third time when he...
champion Tom McEvoy
Tom McEvoy
Thomas K. McEvoy is a professional poker player and author. He is best known for his win in the 1983 World Series of Poker main event.-Early life:...
and 2003
2003 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time...
champion Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker
Christopher Bryan Moneymaker is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker . His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker site...
before being eliminated in the semi-finals by 2000
2000 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 512 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.Ferguson had a 10 to 1 chip lead when starting his heads-up vs Cloutier. After a see-saw battle, Ferguson decided to call Cloutier's AQ all-in with his own A9...
champion Chris Ferguson
Chris Ferguson
Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...
. She received $25,000 prize money.