Can Kim Hua, an erstwhile fisherman from Vietnam, is a poker professional who now resides in Rosemead, California. With 15 first-place finishes under his belt, this veteran player has had a large number of money finishes.
The maiden first-place finish for Can Kim Hua came in the Limit Hold’em event of the Winnin’ O the Green Tournament held on May 7, 2000, in which he won $18,225. The Limit Seven Card Stud event of the Mini-Series of Poker Tournament held on May 10, the same year, where he bagged $4,610 marks his next first-place finish. The Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event of the Stars and Stripes 2000 (Independence week) held on July 3, 2000 is yet another instance when Can Kim Hua finished first. Unbelievable as it may sound, Can Kim Hua finished first for the fourth time in the same year on August 17, in the Limit Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo (Event 17) at the Legends of Poker. This time, he took home a large booty worth $18,800 for the first-place finish.
Quite early next year, on January 28, Can Kim Hua finished first again at the 40K Guaranteed Superbowl Weekend Tournament and took home $3,880. The next significant money finish for Can Kim Hua came on April 5, in the No-Limit Hold’em event of Jack Binion’s World Poker Open (WPO), where he finished fourth and bagged $12,454. Can Kim Hua added another $10,450 to his poker account at the Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (Event 12) of the California State Championship, in which he secured second place.
After winning an approximate total of $11,000 from different events held in the year 2002, he was to make history again on May 26. On that day, he finished first once more and earned $6,320 in the Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (Event 4) of the America’s Poker Classic tournament. A larger booty of $12,080 as well as the first place awaited Can Kim Hua on June 1, 2002 at the end of the No-Limit Hold’em (Event 10) of America’s Poker Classic. He kept adding to his bankroll steadily with many smaller cashes till he saw his next significant bout of financial gain from poker. The day was August 31, 2002 and the event was World Poker Tour (WPT) No-Limit Hold’em of the Legends of Poker WPT Season 1, from which Can Kim Hua won $29,025 by finishing in fifth-place. From various other events he took part in that very year, he potted around $17,000.
Can Kim Hua proved his prowess in poker by finishing first again in Event 16 No-Limit Hold’em of the Grand Slam of Poker held on June 27, 2003. This tournament would be all the more memorable for Can Kim Hua because he went home richer by a tidy sum of $90,000. One of his largest money finish of $33,973 came on December 1 during the No-Limit Hold’em event of the 2003 Five Diamond WPT Season 2, when he secured the fourth place.
In January, 2004 Can Kim Hua again made two first-place finishes in the 5th Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open - WPT Season 2. He won a total sum of 100, 838 from Event 3 WPO Limit Omaha Hi/Lo and Event 5 WPO Limit Seven Card Stud of that tournament. He also played in the WPT Main Event - No Limit Hold'em of the same tournament held on January 29, 2004, secured the fifth rank, and netted another $155,477. At the LA Poker Classic WPT Season 2 in Event 18 No-Limit Hold’em hosted on February 15, 2004, Can Kim Hua made waves in the poker circuit by securing first rank and walking away with $184,815. In the Limit Hold’em (Event 5) of the California State Poker Championship held on June 1, Can Kim Hua secured first place again and claimed $47,175 in prize money. Another first-place finish for the year came on September 16, when Can Kim Hua participated in the No-Limit Hold’em (event 6) of the Borgota Poker Open, from which he claimed $192,030 in prize money.
While he was in the money in 2005 on many occasions, he proved that he had a natural flair for the game by securing the first place twice during the year 2006. The first such occasion was on February 6 during the No-Limit Hold’em event of the LA Poker Classic/WPT Event Season 4, in which he won $132,432. The other occasion was on May 9, when he made $147,240 from the No-Limit Hold’em event of the Mirage Poker Showdown/WPT Event Season 5. Can Kim Hua is a living proof that perseverance and hard work can translate dreams into reality.