Pocketfives frequently has the opportunity to break the story on up and coming players who are the future stars of the poker world. I firmly believe this is the case with Xuan “x2then” Nguyen. He is currently ranked 49th on Pocketfives, so he is not exactly new to the online poker community, but at 20 years old he has yet to make his mark on the live scene. Nguyen did play in the Aruba Poker Classic and PCA this year, and has plans to play several 18+ events next year. His birthday is June 2nd, so look for out for x2then to make a splash at the 2008 World Series of Poker! <READMORE>

Just to clear things up, Nguyen’s screen name reads “X to the N” not “x 2 then”. Xuan Nguyen grew up in California and currently lives in the Bay Area with family. He started college straight out of high school, but he wasn’t really clear on what he wanted to do, and took some time off after his first year. He hasn’t been idle the past two years though. He has put a lot of time and energy into his poker game and it has taken him from a losing player to a consistent winner.

I had the chance to talk to x2then this week about how poker has been such a good influence in his life.

Lenny: You say in your player bio that you have wanted to join the tournament circuit since you were 18. How is that looking for you?

x2then: It's looking great. All I have to do now is maintain the routine I currently have. That was a goal I created before I even played a single 109r I believe. It is pretty surreal to have it almost come to fruition.

Lenny: Tell me a little bit about that routine? What works best for you?

x2then: I run in the morning, shower, eat and then play. I play all of the tournaments with buy-ins greater than $50 from 11am-6pm. If I'm not mentally ready to run in the morning then I'm not mentally ready to play tournaments.

Lenny: So you don't pull the all-nighters like most of these guys? I guess it helps being on Pacific Time. You say you take Thursday and Friday off?

x2then: Yeah, that's the time I use to recover. I used to play seven days a week, but you're just putting in too many inefficient hours that way and you're missing out on too much of what life has to offer. I am sure there are some players that are just sick 24/7 machines, but I know that I will never be happy doing that.

Lenny: Are you interested in going back to school?

x2then: Definitely, when I have the resources I'm going to look into it. I was a business major without a clear cut direction when I went the first time around.

Lenny: Would you try to complete a degree online or go for a more traditional approach?

x2then: I’d want to go traditional. I like the idea of submerging myself in a totally new environment, that sort of thing.

Lenny: How does that mesh with wanting to play live?

x2then: Horribly, they both require 40+ hours of dedication a week. I won't be able to do both.

Lenny: Are you wiling to put poker on hold for a while and finish up? How much credit do you have under your belt?

x2then:I have a good three to four years of schooling left. I am going to focus on poker for now, but if I win the Main Event or something, we’ll see.

Lenny: You mean if you win a huge prize then you would go back to school? Is that for financial reasons?

x2then: Yea, if I were to amass a large sum of money, it would free up my time. I would want to focus on the next step and I think school would help with that. I don’t want to be playing 12 hour days 5 days a week for the rest of my life, but I do want to play poker for the rest of my life.

Lenny: It sounds like you are really thinking things through and approaching it in a smart, mature way.

x2then: Thank you. It took me two years of running in a circle to find direction, but I feel good about where I am now.

Lenny: So, how did you get into poker in the first place?

x2then: I've been gambling since like I was eight. I used to play a bunch of high variance card games and shot a lot of craps in high school. It just seemed like poker was the natural transition after the money maker effect. I started out in home games with some high school friends. I still play with some of them. Then I was introduced to pokerroom.com and Partypoker. I got my first job at sears, and for the 11th months I worked there I probably lost about 90% of it to online poker.

Lenny: Wow, talk about funding the habit!

x2then: Yeah, I was a bit of a degenerate, but I am very glad I picked up poker because I learned how to be a winning risk taker. Poker has actually made me less of a gambler.

Lenny: When did poker stop being a losing venture for you and how did you make the changes necessary to become a winning player?

x2then: It was a gradual process. I just slowly picked up key concepts, then learned how and where to apply them. That’s actually the easy part. The hard part is conditioning oneself to apply those concepts consistently. It is a constant process, for sure.

Lenny: when you were a losing player, do you feel like you were playing seriously or just for fun? What was your biggest leak and how did you fix it?

x2then: It was fun, but like most beginners I overestimated my realistic edge. I've always been serious about poker. My biggest leak has been money management. That and not being aware enough of what my real edge is versus the one I create in my mind. You just can’t bring ego to the poker table if you expect to win over the long run.

I work on it by just learning investment concepts as I go along and looking at the data to find out what my realistic returns should be. That goes hand in hand with money management because you're less inclined to put too much of yourself out there at risk when you think in terms of making an investment.

Lenny: What do you feel is your biggest poker accomplishment thus far?

x2then: The growth and maturity level I have gained, not only as a poker player but as a person. Sometimes I am amazed how I am able to deal with and adapt to adverse times.

Lenny: What is a goal you have set for yourself for the next year?

x2then: Sticking with and gradually improving my routine for the better. I’d also like to free up time so that I can taste other things in life.

There seem to be a never ending supply of young, talented online poker players these days, and x2then definitely belongs in this group. Very few online players have their routine figured out as neatly as Nguyen does, however. He is succeeding in the world of online poker without giving up the other things in life he enjoys, and still maintains a healthy lifestyle. This is an example many players would be well served to follow. Pocketfives looks forward to following the continued growth of this talented young player.
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