John Juanda
born on July 8, 1971, was raised in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Juanda lived with his grandparents for several years while his parents began a new business venture. His father, a gambler himself, often warned him of the dangerous consequences of gambling, but Juanda did not seem to take his father's warning to heart, having already begun gambling in elementary school by shooting marbles for money. During high school, Juanda showed his athletic prowess by excelling on the track, especially the 200 meter sprint and the 5000 meter race. In 1990, Juanda boarded a flight bound for the United States where he planned to attend college. It was during this flight that Juanda was taught the game of poker by a friend. Once in the U.S., Juanda began college at Oklahoma State University, where he graduated with degrees in marketing and management. He went on to earn an MBA from Seattle University. Juanda worked as a bible salesman and traded stocks until 1996 when he had built an adequate bankroll to play poker full-time.
