Kimbo Ung celebrates his victory in the Heartland Poker Tour at Red Rock Resort. (Photo: Red Rock Resort)Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010
By Robin Leach
Las Vegas Sun (Nevada, USA)
It was a long and difficult journey from “The Killing Fields” of Cambodia for refugee Kimbo Ung, who has now settled in Las Vegas and become a full-time poker player. Kimbo recently defeated World Series of Poker bracelet winners and a Hollywood actor in the Heartland Poker Tour at Red Rock Casino to win the $125,000 pot.
Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari was there. Layne Flack was there. Lou Diamond Phillips and yours truly were there when 300 players from the Midwest invaded Las Vegas for the celebrity event. But the biggest star was a 42-year-old unknown who spent the past three years on the bubble.
Kimbo, the winner of $125,901, nearly busted out multiple times. He sat at the Final Table as the short stack, and at one point had 80,000 chips when his opponents had millions. But Kimbo is no stranger to starting over, having spent a lifetime overcoming horrifying and unbelievable odds as The Comeback Kid.
Kimbo relates his childhood to the Oscar-winning film The Killing Fields. He explained: “The movie didn’t even do justice to the horror we faced before we reached the United States as refugees.”
One of seven children, he learned English and graduated from high school on the East Coast. Without a college degree, Kimbo worked as a graphic designer in New York City. The daily grind of 14-hour days and traveling by train from Connecticut became too much, so he and his wife, Sokhim, moved to Texas to start over.
Kimbo and Sokhim, also from Cambodia, invested in the dream of owning their own business. Two years after opening a seafood restaurant, the couple realized the hard truths of the service industry and decided, having run out of money, to start over yet again. They packed their belongings in their truck and made the trek to Las Vegas.
During their drive three years ago, they had to stop to fill jugs of water for their overheating truck. Pulling up at Palace Station, the truck died for good. Kimbo and Sokhim started over a third time just as the economic recession began.
Unable to find a job, Kimbo made a living playing poker. “I never considered myself a pro, but I supported myself through poker,” he said. After 18 months of bad beats and missing the money, Kimbo gave up tournaments and played only two to five no-limit games.
On a day off from her job at a Strip casino, Sokhim and her husband were at the movies at Red Rock when she noticed a qualifier round of the Heartland Poker Tour about to start. She urged Kimbo to invest $250 of their last savings in the qualifier. Sokhim had no way of getting home 20 miles away while Kimbo played, and he didn’t want her hovering over the table. So she watched three more movies while he looked for the winning hands.
Kimbo played the qualifier and won his way into the sellout Main Event, returning to battle accomplished poker players such as Theo Tran, Mary Jo Belcore-Zogman and David Singer. Low on chips throughout, a turning point came when he beat Theo. “I reminded myself to never give up,” said Kimbo, who made it to the Final Table.
Heartland Poker Tour producers weren’t surprised when they learned of Kimbo’s honesty shortly after the set was dismantled and shipped back to the Midwest.
“Our players are good people,” HPT President Todd Anderson said. “If a stereotype exists of today’s poker players, Kimbo seems to fit it at first glance. With dark glasses and an Ed Hardy hoodie, he appears emotionless, focused, confident and aggressive.
“At one point he was dangerously low on chips and had to ask another player to make change. Kimbo was given too much and really needed the chips, but said he’d never feel good about stealing from an older man. So he returned the overpay chips, and his luck turned, and he went on to win.”
After the shock of his win started to wear off, Kimbo revealed that he doesn’t normally wear glasses or conceal his face when he plays.
“I didn’t want to embarrass myself by becoming the first player to cry at the Final Table,” he said, crying as he hugged his wife, becoming the first champion of the televised Heartland Poker Tour’s Season 6.
Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari was there. Layne Flack was there. Lou Diamond Phillips and yours truly were there when 300 players from the Midwest invaded Las Vegas for the celebrity event. But the biggest star was a 42-year-old unknown who spent the past three years on the bubble.
Kimbo, the winner of $125,901, nearly busted out multiple times. He sat at the Final Table as the short stack, and at one point had 80,000 chips when his opponents had millions. But Kimbo is no stranger to starting over, having spent a lifetime overcoming horrifying and unbelievable odds as The Comeback Kid.
Kimbo relates his childhood to the Oscar-winning film The Killing Fields. He explained: “The movie didn’t even do justice to the horror we faced before we reached the United States as refugees.”
One of seven children, he learned English and graduated from high school on the East Coast. Without a college degree, Kimbo worked as a graphic designer in New York City. The daily grind of 14-hour days and traveling by train from Connecticut became too much, so he and his wife, Sokhim, moved to Texas to start over.
Kimbo and Sokhim, also from Cambodia, invested in the dream of owning their own business. Two years after opening a seafood restaurant, the couple realized the hard truths of the service industry and decided, having run out of money, to start over yet again. They packed their belongings in their truck and made the trek to Las Vegas.
During their drive three years ago, they had to stop to fill jugs of water for their overheating truck. Pulling up at Palace Station, the truck died for good. Kimbo and Sokhim started over a third time just as the economic recession began.
Unable to find a job, Kimbo made a living playing poker. “I never considered myself a pro, but I supported myself through poker,” he said. After 18 months of bad beats and missing the money, Kimbo gave up tournaments and played only two to five no-limit games.
On a day off from her job at a Strip casino, Sokhim and her husband were at the movies at Red Rock when she noticed a qualifier round of the Heartland Poker Tour about to start. She urged Kimbo to invest $250 of their last savings in the qualifier. Sokhim had no way of getting home 20 miles away while Kimbo played, and he didn’t want her hovering over the table. So she watched three more movies while he looked for the winning hands.
Kimbo played the qualifier and won his way into the sellout Main Event, returning to battle accomplished poker players such as Theo Tran, Mary Jo Belcore-Zogman and David Singer. Low on chips throughout, a turning point came when he beat Theo. “I reminded myself to never give up,” said Kimbo, who made it to the Final Table.
Heartland Poker Tour producers weren’t surprised when they learned of Kimbo’s honesty shortly after the set was dismantled and shipped back to the Midwest.
“Our players are good people,” HPT President Todd Anderson said. “If a stereotype exists of today’s poker players, Kimbo seems to fit it at first glance. With dark glasses and an Ed Hardy hoodie, he appears emotionless, focused, confident and aggressive.
“At one point he was dangerously low on chips and had to ask another player to make change. Kimbo was given too much and really needed the chips, but said he’d never feel good about stealing from an older man. So he returned the overpay chips, and his luck turned, and he went on to win.”
After the shock of his win started to wear off, Kimbo revealed that he doesn’t normally wear glasses or conceal his face when he plays.
“I didn’t want to embarrass myself by becoming the first player to cry at the Final Table,” he said, crying as he hugged his wife, becoming the first champion of the televised Heartland Poker Tour’s Season 6.
20 comments:
congratulation khmer genius!!!!!
Khmer Express
Congratulation Kimbo!!!
Wow, Cambodian congratulation... This is the time I see. Maybe he is the first Cambodian who win this game.
congratulation, but don't give back to casino like me.
congratulations but ... survive through gambling??!!!?
Dang it Kimbo. Now take the money and run with it. 125,000 is a lot of money, man. Stop for a moment and now go on with your dream. Get an education or something! Buy a position with the Hun Sen government and be a governor of Cambodia or something. Lol. 125,000is nothing, fool. Remember that Cambodian dude called the Cambodian Donut King????? Listen, the Cambodian Donut King made millionss and lived in the most fancy billion dollars house. However, at the end Las Vegas, YES, let me repeat LAS VEGAS took it all away from him. So now you have been lucky, it is time to move with your life. Don't end up like that Cambodian Donut King millionaire who ended up living on the people's porch.
I think for him now it is not a game any more but become his carrer and sport
Yes take the money and run before you give it back to Casino. That is a lot of money.
Those money will be lost back soon or later. Perhaps he probably have already lost way more then that winning, $125K. Gambling is not considered real profession. Doesn't matter how much you have won it will loose back and alot more. Sometime your real job, friends, family, wife, kids and house. That's just how it is, the nature of gambling. Gambler never know when to stop until they have nothing left to gamble with.
Anyway, congratulation on this winning.
Agree with 11:11AM. Win a gambling, buy a property; when losing a gambling, sell the property to gamble again. Ever heard of that? It is in Khmer "Chneah L'beng Tinh Robos, Janh L'beng Os Louk Robos Leng L'beng Teat".
RD
Khmer families overseas have been broken up due to gambling, a major factor. I doubt if this guy will escape the habit.
Kimbo my man,
I'm happy and concerned at the same time for you.
Enjoy life with your family.
Hero could turn to Zero if the money is not invest on something.
take the money and run as far away as you can from Las Vegas and start over a decent life: why gamble your life away when you can make it productive?
SHHHHHH!!! Cognac Poke'r Player will know if he's KHMER. They will discuss with him any time sooner.
Gambling ruin people life. You may win a game today, but at end, you'll lose for sure.
It's unfortunate that after escaping a killing, and arriving in a country of freedom and opportunities, you chose to gambling as a way of life.
A half of prize goes to the IRS.
Hey Las Vegas took my last quarter coin at the airport LOL
Las Vegas airport is full of Slot Machines LOL
"think for him now it is not a game any more but become his carrer and sport
10:58 AM"
SPORT MY BUD! GROWUP FOOL!
A gambler? He will be ruined and will become a hooligan.
Why appreciate this type of degusting man?
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