Seat 5: JC Tran

By Kevin Taylor

Chip Count: 8,295,000 (104 big blinds)
Age: 40
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Twitter: @jctran23

JC Tran will be the man to beat at the Season XVI WPT Legends of Poker Main Event final table. The two-time WPT champion has the chip lead with over 100 big blinds, thanks to some massive pots that he won on Day 4, usually with a pocket pair in his hand.

“I flopped four sets at least, maybe five,” Tran told WPT.com. “That’s the most sets I’ve flopped in a day, and I got max value on all of them. There were a couple key hands that set me up for a big lead. Not only did I hit sets, but my opponents made hands and found ways to put chips in the pot. I ran good today, for sure.”

Tran ended the day in style, knocking out one of the most dangerous players left, David “Doc” Sands, on the final table bubble. Tran four-bet shoved with ace-queen, only to get called by the pocket kings of Sands. However, Tran flopped trip queens and made quads on the river, a perfect picture of his dream day of poker.

Despite the momentum he’s carrying in, Tran knows that the final table is a brand new day.

“I gotta hit the reset button,” Tran said. “Everyone is going to come in fresh tomorrow at the final table. With the cameras and stuff, some might play different. I have to pay attention to what’s going on, see what style everyone is playing, and adjust to that.”

Tran is the most successful player at the final table outside of Phil Hellmuth, having over $12 million in career live tournament earnings. This includes two WPT titles, two WSOP bracelets, and a fifth-place finish in the WSOP Main Event.

Earlier in the Season XVI WPT Legends of Poker Main Event, Tran said that he had this mindset of getting number three here, referring to his third WPT title. He has place himself in prime position to do so.

Photography by Joe Giron of PokerPhotoArchive.com.

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