John Juanda was born and raised in Indonesia. While at grade school he began to play marbles for money. In 1990 Juanda came to the United States to study at Oklahoma State University. It was on the flight that a friend taught him how to play poker. Juanda then went to Seattle University for his MBA. There he went to the local casinos to play poker during weekends. He soon realized that he could make money playing poker professionally. Juanda utilized the bankroll that he had built up for playing poker at casinos and card rooms on the west coast. Eventually he gravitated to Los Angeles for the higher stake poker games found there.

Juanda entered his first major poker tournament in 1999. From 1999 to 2001 he not only regularly cashed at the WSOP events but also reached several final tables. In 2002 Juanda won his first WSOP bracelet. He won two more WSOP bracelets in 2003. Though he continued to do well he did not win any more bracelets till 2008 when he won his fourth bracelet at the WSOP Europe Main Event.

Juanda has excelled in other live poker tournaments as well. Some of his notable wins are the inaugural World Poker Open Championship in 2001, Professional Poker Tour win in 2004, the $100,000 Speed Poker Million Dollar Challenge in 2006 and the Monte Carlo Millions Consolation tournament. Though Juanda has made six WPT final tables, he has yet to win a WPT title. Juanda’s total live tournament earnings are at about $8.9 million. He has had 168 cashes and 21 first place finishes.

In 2002, Juanda was named Tournament Champion of the Year at WSOP. In 2001 and 2002 he was Runner-Up in the Card Player “Player of the Year” standings. He also has won three Best All-Around Player awards.

Juanda is a member of Team Full Tilt and plays exclusively at that online poker room. In addition to online poker tournaments he plays high stakes cash games. Typically he can be seen playing at the $500/$1000 No Limit Hold’em poker tables.

Juanda is a Buddhist. Through the religion he has developed a self control at the poker tables. In an article he wrote, “I try my hardest to win, but I respect everyone I play with, and when I lose, I don’t get upset.” Though a Buddhist, Juanda won awards for selling Bibles, one of the jobs that he had taken to support himself while in college.

When he came to America he did not know much English and so he had to watch the body language to understand what people were really saying. This developed his ability to read poker tells.

Juanda is concerned about the plight of children in Third World countries and at one time he was thinking of quitting his poker career to become Doctor. However the lure of winning kept him in poker. He has settled for calling his younger sister to the United States and putting her through college.

Juanda is single and lives in California. Poker professional Negreanu calls him “the most underrated and neglected superstar” in poker today.