John Juanda is a professional poker player from Indonesia. Although born in Indonesia, Juanda has Chinese ethnicity, and now currently lives in Los Angeles, CA. Growing up with his grandmother, being the first grand child born within his family was quite the honor for John. Juanda first came to the United States in 1990, when he went to school in Stillwater Oklahoma at Oklahoma State University. He then graduated from Seattle University with a MBA. Juanda’s common nicknames in the poker world are J.J. and Lunchbox.
He currently has four World Series of Poker bracelets and has finished in the money 49 times. His highest finish at a main event is 31st, which he did in 2005. On the World Poker Tour he has finished at the final table six times, while finishing in the money 16 times. Juanda won the Monte Carlo Millions Consolation Tournament in 2005 cashing him nearly $500,000. In 2008, Juanda won the 2008 World Series of Poker- Europe.
Juanda started playing poker on the airplane from Indonesia to the United States to begin college. One of his first jobs was selling bibles door-to-door, and also traded stocks. He then decided in 1996 that he had enough money to concentrate on playing poker full time.
Currently, Juanda is one of the most feared and respected poker players in the world. Many people consider him to be a very sweet, modest and mild-mannered; by even he himself will tell you he can be quite the feisty competitor, especially when it comes to poker. John is one of the quietest players on the tour, but can joke with the best of them. Juanda continues to state that his lifelong goal is to become a doctor in a third-world country. At one time, Juanda considered quitting poker to enroll in medical school.