Tom Vu
Encyclopedia
Tuan "Tommy" Vu is a Vietnamese-American poker
player, real estate
investor and speaker best remembered as an infomercial
personality in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
immigrant, he presented himself as the classic "rags to riches" story.
Vu's investment theory involved finding "distressed" properties: foreclosures, bankruptcies, divorces, tax liens, and selling them at a profit.
Vu's somewhat loose grasp of the English language and his use of beautiful models as backdrops made him one of the more humorous and memorable personalities of the infomercial genre.
Formerly of Longwood, Florida
and later a California
resident, Vu has retired from real estate and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada
.
poker player. As of 2010, he has won more than $1,500,000 in casino poker tournaments, including a second place finish in a no limit Texas hold 'em
event at the 2007 World Series of Poker
and a 22nd place finish at the 2005 World Series of Poker
championship event. His 4 cashes at the WSOP account for $678,633 of his lifetime tournament winnings.
In April 2006, he finished ninth in the Season Five
World Poker Tour
championship event, earning $216,585.
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, real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
investor and speaker best remembered as an infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
personality in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Infomercial career
His late night infomercial featured Vu surrounded by luxury items: mansions, yachts, expensive cars and most visibly, collections of young bikini clad women. He promoted his free 90-minute seminar to learn the same secrets he used to make millions. As a VietnameseVietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
immigrant, he presented himself as the classic "rags to riches" story.
Vu's investment theory involved finding "distressed" properties: foreclosures, bankruptcies, divorces, tax liens, and selling them at a profit.
Vu's somewhat loose grasp of the English language and his use of beautiful models as backdrops made him one of the more humorous and memorable personalities of the infomercial genre.
Formerly of Longwood, Florida
Longwood, Florida
Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, USA. The population was 13,745 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 13,491. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and later a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
resident, Vu has retired from real estate and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
.
Professional poker career
Vu continues his parallel career as a tournamentPoker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
poker player. As of 2010, he has won more than $1,500,000 in casino poker tournaments, including a second place finish in a no limit Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
event at the 2007 World Series of Poker
2007 World Series of Poker
The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18...
and a 22nd place finish at the 2005 World Series of Poker
2005 World Series of Poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...
championship event. His 4 cashes at the WSOP account for $678,633 of his lifetime tournament winnings.
In April 2006, he finished ninth in the Season Five
World Poker Tour season 5 results
- Mirage Poker Showdown:* Casino: The Mirage, Las Vegas * Buy-in: $10,000* 4-Day Event: May 14, 2006 to May 17, 2006* Number of Entries: 384* Total Prize Pool: $3,724,800* Number of Payouts: 36* Winning Hand: K-5...
World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
championship event, earning $216,585.
Quotes
- "Are you man enough to get off your lazy American ass and go to Vu’s seminars?"http://observer.bard.edu/articles/opinions/141
- "A lot of your friends will tell you, 'Don't come to the seminar. It's a get-rich-quick plan.' Well, tell them, it is a get-rich-quick plan because life is too short to get rich slow."
- "Tom Vu says his system is different than other experts'."
- "Okay. You've seen me make a lot of money. You've seen my students who are average people make a lot of money. Isn't it about time for you to go out and make a lot of money?"
- "Don't say someday you will do it. Someday may never come. Come to my free 90-minute seminar now."
- "There's two kinds of work in America: hard work and smart work. Which one are you doing now?"
- "This is not a country club! This is my house!"
- "Are you afraid to ask your Boss for the day off to come to my seminar? Well then you don't deserve to be rich"
- "Today I'm gonna show you how to drive a sports car. First, you need a lot of money!"
- "Don't listen to your friends. They're losers!"
- "Do you think these girls like me? NO, they like my money!"
- "At first I got lots of discouragement from friends and stranger who are loser! You know what these people kept telling me? They kept saying, 'Well Tom Vu, you a crazy nut, here you are, a poor immigrant, poor minority, speak no English, no contact, on and on, and you trying to be rich in America! You crazy, man! Look at people out there! They smarter than you are, they not even rich! Who are you to try?' And you know what? I have to keep telling these people every time, I kept saying, 'You are loser! Get out of my way! I make it somehow!'"http://youtube.com/watch?v=rPyrx7d1h7A
External links
- Tom Vu at tvheaven
- Video clip of classic Tom Vu infomercial at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....