Newbie Poker Pro Jerry Yang has a WSOP Bracelet
It was only in 2005 when Jerry Yang started to play professional poker. Moreover, he was only playing as a part-time player but nonetheless, it did not seem like he had any difficulty of winning a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 2007.
Jerry Yang qualified for the 2007 WSOP tournament after winning at a satellite tournament that was conducted at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. At the main event of WSOP, he was heads-up against poker professional Tuan Lam until he successfully defeated him in the end.
According to Jerry Yang, his playing style involves his ability to study his opponents. He says that he makes sure to take advantage of every sign of weakness that he sees. And even at times when his card says nothing at all, he just continues to raise, re-raise, and push his luck until he succeeds. He explains that during the WSOP main event, he sensed that he had to be aggressive all throughout the game and that was exactly what he did. He was also thankful to have gotten good cards. Indeed, aside from the poker skills that he carried during that game, he was also lucky enough to take hold onto some nice cards.
In the said WSOP main event, Jerry Yang was able to beat a total of six thousand three hundred fifty seven poker players. The cash prize he earned was worth US$8,250,000. He said that he would donate ten percent of his prize money to three charitable institutions, namely, the Ronald McDonald House, the Feed the Children foundation, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Jerry Yang also pledged to donate a portion of his prize money to Loma Linda University, which is his alma mater.
Born in Laos in 1968, Jerry Yang and his family moved to Thailand in the 1970s when the communists took over his home country. He and his family stayed in a refugee camp in Thailand for four years. There, he lost a sister and a brother. It was in 1979 when his parents decided to relocate to the United States with him.
In the United States, Jerry Yang had the chance to graduate from Loma Linda University where he obtained his master's degree in health psychology. After completing his degree, he found work as a social worker and therapist. Even as he ventured into the poker world in 2005, he did not quit his jobs. However, it was when he won his WSOP bracelet in 2007 that he decided to quit his job in order to play professional poker on a full time basis.
Jerry Yang owes his success to the poker giants that he respects, including Phil Ivey, Men Nguyen, Annie Duke, Mike Sexton, John Juanda, Phil Hellmuth, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Harman, Daniel Negreanu, Chris Ferguson, Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, Jonathan Natale, and Howard Lederer.
Jerry Yang is married with six children. He is an ideal family man who believes in the importance of eating meals together and spending quality time with each of his six children.