Nguyen holds solid lead with three players left at World Series of Poker

No matter who ends up emerging from the World Series of Poker’s Main Event with the $8 million prize and coveted gold bracelet, it’s hard to believe Qui Nguyen won’t be the most remembered player from this year’s final table.

The only local to advance to the last nine is by far the most noteworthy personality of the group.

He is also the chip leader with three players remaining going into the final night of play.

Nguyen knocked out two players Monday and has accumulated 197.6 million chips, more than his remaining two opponents combined.

Gordon Vayo of San Francisco is in second with 89 million, while Cliff Josephy, of Muttontown, New York, is short-stacked at 50 million.

Play will continue in the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Action will continue until a winner is determined. The ESPN broadcast, which is on a 30-minute delay, will start at 6.

If the first two days of competition are any indication, expect social media to start lighting up with mentions of Nguyen about five minutes later and continue throughout the night.

Nguyen, who plays in a “Guardians of the Galaxy” Rocket Raccoon baseball cap, has been called everything from a boss to a legend on Twitter.

His fellow players have used terms like “unpredictable” and “wild card.”

The nontraditional style of play, combined with a constant smile, has made him the breakout star of the week.

Even his competitors have become fans.

“I just think he’s so enthusiastic about the game and he’s just embracing this moment so well,” Vayo said. “Every time I see him I just kind of light up. Even just the way he walks. He’s got so much swagger about him. He’s just like a cool personality that is so not the stereotypical poker player. He’s just out there holding his own. I just love him. He’s got a great personality, and it’s kind of contagious. It makes poker fun when he just gets so excited.”

Nguyen isn’t fazed by the attention, and while he’s guaranteed to pick up at least $3,453,035 for making it this far, he knows the world title is now well within his grasp if he can have one more good day at the table.

“The game is not finished yet, so I have to keep working,” he said. “I don’t want to be a star or whatever. I’m just having a lot of fun. I enjoy the game a lot.”

That’s obvious to anyone who has watched him play. So is the fact Nguyen is willing to play, or lay down, any two cards.

His poker acumen has drawn mixed reviews from analysts, but the success is difficult to ignore.

Michael Ruane, who finished in fourth place when he was knocked out by Nguyen on Monday, said he is difficult to read at the table.

“Qui is playing very unpredictably, which is hard to play against. It’s working for him,” Ruane said after he was sent to the rail when his suited king-queen didn’t improve against Nguyen’s ace-jack offsuit. “It’s tough to put him on a hand.”

Though Nguyen’s chips put him in a great position, Ruane couldn’t pick a winner.

“I think they’re all playing really well,” he said. “Gordon is a good friend of mine, so I’m kind of rooting for him. But Cliff is playing really well. I think anyone can win.”

Ruane picked up $2,576,003 for finishing fourth. Vojtech Ruzicka, who was the first player eliminated Monday, earned the $1,935,288 payout for fifth place.

The second-place finisher will take home $4,661,116.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.