It's All Over Baby: Scotty Nguyen on Day 6

Scotty Nguyen playing in Day 6 of Event 55, World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold'em at the 2007 WSOP

With the field narrowed down to just seventeen players going into the dinner break, things are starting to get serious. It's not exactly an amateur field, but one man stands head and shoulders above the rest. The 1998 world champion, Scotty Nguyen, is alive and going strong, looking to relive the glory from close to a decade past.

Playing at the feature table in front of a large audience of fans, Nguyen was focused on the game, giving us less of the fanfare than we're used to. As the dinner break began, Scotty was gracious enough to give us a few quick words. Leading a procession of admirers, supporters, and other players, I spoke with the Prince of Poker as we walked down the halls of the Rio Convention Center.

The Prince.

Everyone's really excited to see you doing well in this tournament so tell us how it's gone for you.

My day started out, you know, rough. And I'm just going to keep my cool and be patient. It's so focused in the game. There were so many hands I could go out on but you know, I hold back and try to find the right spots and the right hand. And I've had some here and there that keep me in it until now. I had a big one, nine-full, about an hour ago.

You called a bet on the flop with pocket nines and ended up turning a full house but you were ahead even on the flop; he just had two overcards. Did you feel confident that you had the best hand even before hitting the nine on the turn?

Oh yeah, I felt good. But when you make your full house on the turn it makes me more secure. This kind of play here, when there's seventeen people left, you need to make a couple of nut hands.

Baby!

You just can't come in for the draw, don't matter how big the draw is. If the hand is not made, you know baby, it's played. You just can't take chances. If I was sitting with $15 million or more I would take some chances to call all-ins and try to catch a bluff but now I have to try to make a hand.

Tell us about how you've been playing.

I've played just beautifully baby!

What about the other players at your table. Are there any players you're staying away from or going after?

Beam me up.

The one I'm going after is Tuan Lam, the chip leader. He think he walk on water but he gets lucky. He's crazy baby, you know? You know baby, if I'm still in there I'll make sure nobody wins but me!

Thanks Scotty, good luck.

Few are more emblematic of the professional card player than Scotty Nguyen. A favorite of both fans and cameras alike, Nguyen shows a lot of personality on the felt while still showing respect to his fellow players. It remains to be seen if he will survive to make the final table but one thing's for sure, he has a lot of people pulling for him.