I'm Sorry: The Scotty Nguyen Interview

By Martin Derbyshire Sep 29, 2008 | 2 months ago

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

By now most of the poker world and beyond has seen the ESPN broadcast of Scotty Nguyen's $50k H.O.R.S.E win at the 2008 WSOP.

But instead of receiving accolades for winning the players' championship at the Series this year, Scotty has been widely criticized for his behavior. People say he was drunk, that he let his anger with young Michael DeMichele get the best of him and that he may have even tried unsuccessfully to collude with fellow final tablist Erick Lindgren.

Nguyen made the trip across the pond to London for this edition of the World Series of Poker Europe, and after he busted out of the Main Event on Day 2, PL.com figured it was time to let The Prince of Poker tell his side of this story.

So Scotty you busted during this last level - what happened, baby?

This guy tried to run over me because he had the chips, you know baby. He had 3 6 and I had A-J. I knew I had him beat so I called him and he flopped a six.

Looks like you're having a little trouble fading the two unders here Scotty, but other than that, how do you like London?

I'm enjoying myself, you know. The people here treat me real well. Sometimes winning is not everything. Winning the hearts of the fans and how you carry yourself is just as important. Then people respect you, win or lose. I want people to still look at me and say "Scotty you are the best."

They do Scotty and you are a hero to a lot of people, but your public image took a bit of a hit after the broadcast of the 2008 WSOP $50k H.O.R.S.E. event. The ESPN coverage certainly did not paint a pretty picture. Have you felt any backlash from that?

Never, never. Just a few people have asked me why? From the other players, nothing. Most of them have just comforted me. They say, "You've been so good for poker the last 20 years, you've been so good for TV the last 20 years, what is one thing?

The champ - straight up.

"You didn't cheat. You didn't tag-team. You won straight up. You didn't buy no bracelet, the trophy. You didn't cut up the money."

You know, baby, something important like that, they asked me at the end [to chop] but I didn't. Especially because it was something important like the Chip Reese trophy.

You want to win straight up. You want to go home and tell your wife and good friends, you know, I won this trophy straight up. There is no cut, there is no deal.

So that's what happened, an argument ensued over cutting a deal?

Just at the end, they asked me why don't we make a deal? Do it by chip count. But this was too important for me to make a deal.

There seemed to also be some personal problems between you and Michael DeMichele. Tell us what happened there Scotty?

You know, he's young and every time he won a pot, not from me, but from the other players, he stood up and took a bow. It's unprofessional and at one point I just got mad at the kid. He didn't act right, but that's no excuse. What I did up there, that is not me.

"That is not me."

You want to win in a pretty way, the way the fans will remember, not for the trophy, the money, the H.O.R.S.E. event, that doesn't matter. What matters is the way the fans feel about you. Now listen, this is the last thing that I'm going to say: I'm sorry about the H.O.R.S.E. event, that should never have happened, that is not Scotty Nguyen.

But what did happen Scotty? It really appeared from the coverage like you had a little too much to drink. Was alcohol a factor?

No, no, no, no.

That's not what happened?

You know what, baby, I don't need to explain anything to [ESPN] because they were the ones that broadcast that. They were the ones that made me look bad. Why should I be the one to come up to them to say I'm not that drunk, why do you guys keep saying I'm drinking too much?

If you ever, anytime, anywhere, you see me drinking beer, you would never see me drink the whole thing, ever.

You know, like I already told you, it was just the one day, time, minute I broke one of my only rules. There was a million fans watching me and I even forgot about my wife in the audience. I just wanted to win, that was it.

So really, the bottom line is that you just let your anger get the best of you?

"I'm sorry."

Yes, yes. But I came out the best didn't I?

Yes, you won the tournament, but your public image might have taken a hit. I suppose you are hoping you can say you are sorry and put it in the past?

Every day. But the only way you can fix it is in real life. You have to come out, you can't duck the fans and I don't. I come out and talk to everybody. That's how you fix things when you do something wrong. You admit it, no excuses. You don't blame the beer, or other players, that's no good.

I put the blame on myself. I saw when I watched it again, I couldn't believe it. Who was up there? That is not me.

So what's next for you Scotty?

EPT, baby. [Marco Traniello walks up] But for now, I'm going to hang out with my boy right here, all right baby.

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With all the "baby's", Scotty Nguyen can sound glib at the best of times, but here in this interview, I heard real remorse. And if his apology was as genuine as it sounded, perhaps it's time to accept it and allow one of the biggest names in the game to move on from this one lapse in judgment. Here's hoping we all can.