The God of Gamblers Gao Jin played by Chow Yun-fat in the popular God of Gamblers movie series in the 1980s and 1990s is actually based on Johnny Chan. It is not true that he bet on winning an aircraft carrier and donated it to the country. Some of Chow Yun-fat's actions in the
film also borrowed from Chan's usual actions at the gambling table, such as touching the ring, holding toothpicks, etc. Of course, the gambler likes to eat chocolate, which is added to the plot.
Chan has also guest appearances in several movies. The video of the 1988 WSOP final was adopted by the movie "Rounders", in which Chan played a cameo. In 1999, Chen Qiangni made a cameo appearance in the movie "The King of Gambling", playing himself in a duel with Matt Damon and lost to Damon. In 2009, Chen Qiangni made a cameo in the movie "Poker King", playing the role of Louis Koo's master.
Johnny Chan, Chen Qiangni, born in Guangzhou, China in 1957, is a professional poker player of Chinese American descent. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including two consecutive World Series of Poker Main Event titles in 1987 and 1988. Chan entered the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002.
His original name is Chen Jinhai, "陈强尼" is just a Chinese literal translation of Johnny Chan's English name by Chinese poker lovers and Chinese media. Chan and his family moved from Guangzhou to Hong Kong in 1962, then moved to Phoenix in 1968, and settled in Houston in 1973. His family ran their own restaurant in Houston.
He originally planned to inherit the family business, but after visiting Las Vegas at the age of 16, he decided to drop out of the University of Houston’s hotel management major and move to Las Vegas to become a professional gambler. He was only 21 years old that year. In 1981, Chan won Bob Stupak's American Cup Poker Championship. He defeated all the other 9 players at the final table in less than an hour. Therefore, Stupak gave Chan the nickname "Orient Express".
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Chen Qiangni attributed some of his early success to many players who did not practice against Asian players. In the late 1980s, after winning two consecutive World Poker Tour titles (1987 and 1988), his name spread throughout the world. The video of the 1988 World Poker Tour final was also used in the movie "Rounders", and Chen also ran a series of tricks.
was about to win three consecutive championships in the subsequent 1989 World Poker Tour. Unfortunately, he lost to Phil Hellmuth in the final and only finished second. He was the last player to win major events on the World Poker Tour in a row, and many predictors believe that he might keep this honor forever. Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers who loves poker, once promised that as long as Chen could win three consecutive championships, he would get an NBA championship ring.
He likes to put a "lucky" orange in front of him when gambling. After he won two consecutive championships, other players also began to bring various fruits to the gaming table, hoping to get good luck. He said that he brought oranges because the scent of oranges can mask the smell of smoke that bothers him, because smoking is usually allowed in many games. Interestingly, he used to be a smoker, but he neither smokes nor drinks.
