JC Tran Eyeing Third WPT Title, But Not Underestimating His Opponents

By Kevin Taylor

“I’ve had this phrase in my head of chasing number three, and that applies for the WPT and the WSOP bracelet, so I’ve been chasing that.”

Those are the words of two-time WPT champion JC Tran, who entered Day 4 of the Season XVI WPT Legends of Poker Main Event with the chip lead.

Tran enjoyed a steady rise throughout Day 3, including a late boost when he made a tough call on the river against Michael Rocco, who had run an aggressive bluff. Tran finished on top of the final 24 players with a commanding stack and took a few minutes to talk us through his fantastic day.

“Early in the day, I beat aces when I made a flush on the river and that kickstarted the day,” Tran said. “I moved to a really tough table, probably the toughest of the tournament, and I kind of just managed there. When that table broke I came to a new table. I thought it was easier, but apparently it wasn’t. The chips were just flying in.”

Tran continued: “I was faced with a few tough decisions. There was one hand I had to call around 350,000 on the river with ace-king on an ace-high, paired and flush board, and I was right. But other than that, I was chipping away here and there. The close calls ended up being right.“

Tran calls Northern California home, but he is a regular in the big events at The Bicycle Hotel & Casino and also down the road at Commerce Casino.

If he were to go on and triumph in this event, Tran would claim his third World Poker Tour tile. That’s something five players have gone on to do — Gus Hansen, Carlos Mortensen, Anthony Zinno, Darren Elias, and Chino Rheem — so Tran would be the sixth. Tran talked about his motivation to claim his third title in his home state, especially after a disappointing result in last season’s WPT Legends of Poker Main Event.

“It would be special to win this one,” Tran said. “I’ve made a lot of deep runs here at The Bike. I think I stone cold bubbled this one last year with a lot of chips, and the prior years I cashed and made it deep and didn’t finish. I think this is the year, and to win the tournament that paid out the billionth dollar, that would be really cool.”

Tran also said that he doesn’t plan on changing his game much now that he has the chip lead, abiding to the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mindset.

“I’m just going to go and do what I’ve been doing the last few days,” Tran said. “I’m not going to switch it up much or anything. I just have to continue to trust my instincts throughout the tournament because they’re sharp right now. I’m hitting hands, extracting value, and haven’t taken any serious beats yet. I hope that continues for a few more days.”

Despite having the lead, Tran understood he couldn’t come in for Day 4 as overconfident, because there are some tough, proven players left, including David “ODB” Baker, David “Doc” Sands, two-time WPT champion Marvin Rettenmaier, and the new host of the WPT Raw Deal, Phil Hellmuth.

“You can’t underestimate these guys,” Tran said of his competition. “They obviously did something right to still be here on Day 4, so I’m just going to come in, play, let it come to me, and not force anything.”

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