About John Stolzmann

Name	John Stolzmann
Current Residence	Madison Wis.
Born	Nov. 30, 1981
Birth Place	Sheboygan Wis., US

John Stolzman was born into a blue-collar family, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where his father is a firefighter. John studied Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, all the while developing a taste for poker on the side.

He honed his skills online, and, on December 5, 2004, finished in the money in a tournament in Costa Rica, placing fourth and taking away $15,000. That in itself earned him a reputation as a respectable player given his young age, but in January of 2005 he outdid himself, and some of the fiercest pros in the game, when he won the Jack Binion World Poker Open in Tunica, Mississippi, earning $1,491,444 at a $2,599 No-Limit Hold'em event.

Stolzmann wasn't even planning on entering the Hold'em championship event, but his father, Steve, had faith in his talents and gave him $1,000 to enter a qualifying satellite event, which he won.

On his way to the title in a field of 512 players, Stolzmann whooped Phil Ivey. At the final table, he faced Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen, and Chau Giang, all of whom eyed their youthful challenger like piranhas circling a shrimp.

Stolzmann says: "When I saw those guys looking me over, I suddenly realized this was the first time I would compete head on with the best in the game and it sent a shiver down my spine. I don't think they took me seriously and perhaps this made them over confident because I was so young and inexperienced at this level of play. There was no doubt in my mind and in the minds of the members of the audience watching that I was the underdog at the table."

Looking back, Stolzmann says he believes that one of the key factors of his win was his decision to try to hang around by claiming small pots instead of larger ones, whereas the older pros were trying to squash him like a bug. The strategy worked. Stolzmann watched as Nguyen went belly-up on an all-in hand against Negreanu. When Stolzmann then knocked out Negreanu, the latter looked like a deer caught in headlights.

That left Stolzmann heads-up against Giang, the confident chip leader. The two engaged in a "let's get acquainted" phase with both claiming substantial ante and blind bets. When Stolzmann said all-in, putting his big chip stack in jeopardy, the spectators were brought to their feet. Giang called John's K-10 with A-J, making the newbie the underdog.

The first three cards of the flop found Giang pairing his jacks. On the river, Giang picked up another ace. But that ace had given Stolzmann a straight, allowing him to swoop up two million of Giang's chips. Stolzmann then had a lovely $5 million stacked up before him, and with an A-10 superior to Giang's J-3, he moved Giang's remaining $200,000 into his corner.

Stolzmann's girlfriend, Jade Tran, and his father, Steve, rushed over to hug the champion as he exclaimed, "I can't believe it." His dad said he had faith in him all along. After graduating last spring, John began playing in various tournaments in order to develop his poker skills.

Trivia

• Philosophy major at the University of Wisconsin
• Won the World Poker Open after playing poker for only four years