Tony Ma traveled a rough road from his native Vietnam to the United States. Here is how he explains the events of April 29, 1975, when he was only 19 and in the South Vietnamese navy.

"I was out at sea on a cargo ship. That night we heard that the South had surrendered, and so the captain told us to keep going out to sea, and that's what we did." The boat landed in the Philippines, which with American help was offering safe-haven to refugees from communist Vietnam. Tony further says: "There were about thirty people on the ship, including several civilians who had jumped on as we were pulling out of port that day. We all had to leave our families behind."

An American sponsor in Bristol, Connecticut brought Tony to the U.S. and then in 1987 Tony moved to Southern California. He became acquainted with gaming culture, cutting his teeth on Paigow and Dominoes. However, because he was establishing a family, he thought it prudent to take a regular job and so worked as a ship welder and then as a truck driver.

Unsatisfied in those positions, he returned to the casino with the idea of making $100 per day. As he tells it: "While I was watching them that day, a thought came to me. I had something like a bolt of lightning open up my brain. I felt like I had just received a message, and I was so happy. It was a miracle: Play poker!" Tony went home to his wife, told her of this occurrence, and she agreed that he should follow the omen.

With a $5,000 bankroll, he won straight away. "The more I played," he recalls, "the more I learned technical skill. I learned some techniques from the pros. I was making a good living for my family."

Ma played his first tournament at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles in 1994, placing sixth in a field of three hundred. He says: "I went home frustrated that night and wrote down what I did wrong. I made some mistakes, and I vowed that next time I wouldn't make those mistakes again."

Ma is nothing if not nervy; an illustration of that is provided by final table events from his first World Series of Poker tournament in 1996. He made the final table of the first event he played, the $5,000 buy-in Limit Hold'em game. The other finalists were T.J. Cloutier, John Bonetti, Johnny Chan, and Peter Vilandos.

Play progressed to the point where there were four players left; the other three wanted to chop, but Tony would have none of it. The resentment against him was palpable. When only three players remained, the other two again wanted a chop; Tony said no go, he wanted to win. That of course ticked them off; Tony says their irritation fanned the flames of his ambition. He then knocked out Johnny Chan and found himself heads-up with John Bonetti.

"I told him again that I didn't want to split the money. I felt like I was going to win, and seven hands later I had him beat. It was a $236,000 win. After that, my name really got out there. They had a lot of respect for me after that."

Ma's advice on how to improve one's game gains authority in the light of his great successes. "Write down all your mistakes so that they won't be repeated." Tony was named Card Player Magazine's Player of the Year in 1999, and is widely recognized as one of poker's top tournament players. He holds two WSOP gold bracelets.