Phong 'Turbo' Nguyen has never been one to shy away from the emotional swings and bankroll variance that come with nosebleed high-stakes cash.
Turbo rolls with the punches — and the massive pots — better than most, no matter which side of them he falls on.
We’d been trying to catch up with him for weeks to talk about the wild Hustler Casino Live lineups he’s been diving into lately. When we finally did, he was literally driving to another one.
Turbo’s love for family and poker (in that order) is apparent in our conversation as we dove into trash talking, facing off against Martin Kabrhel and Nick Palma at HCL, and staying positive no matter what obstacles life throws your way.
[Editor’s note: Turbo took a $500,000 hit the day we spoke at HCL, yet woke up the next morning smelling like roses posting on IG -- “Can’t win them all. Still living da dream. 100%”]
'I don't want the limelight'
Let’s be real. I can tell. You don’t love being interviewed.
I kind of hate doing this stuff, you know that. As much as you might think, I don’t want the limelight. But if I can provide a product that people enjoy or hate on, I'm here for you guys, within reason.
You always seem to be in the mix and having fun at the table. How do you maintain a positive vibe and mental outlook every day?
I’ve said this to you many times: wake up, count your blessings, and then you won't have any problems. Right? During the day, I count my blessings. And guess what? After I continue to count my blessings in life, I don't have any problems.
It seems a little too simple. That’s it?
That sums it up right there. It's all up to you, to each of us. If it's a good day or a bad day, it's how you make it. For me, there are no excuses. Do you want to make excuses or count your blessings? I prefer to count my blessings.
When I’ve watched you play, that positive vibe does seem contagious to everyone around you.
It's all love. I focus on the positive and keep moving forward. I continue to spread love and joy, keeping it real.
'Nobody can mess with me'
You’re attracting a lot of attention on Hustler Casino Live. Some players think you’re an easy mark who loves action.
I expect that, you know. Anybody that wants to come in and wants to clown me, joke me, and tells me they f*cking dream about playing poker against guys like me, bring it on.
Nick Palma trash talked you at the outset of that crazy game where he talked trash. He said, ‘I dream about guys like you. I would have walked here to play you.’
I replied -- ‘It could be your worst nightmare.’ I know I talk that shit, but I also know I can back that shit up.
Nobody can mess with me. That's where the positivity comes from, baby.
I walk into the Hustler casino, I’m me. I leave the casino, I'm me. Nothing that happens in between that is going to phase me. I'm going to have a lot of fun, or I'm going to learn a lot of lessons. It's all good.
You played with Martin Kabhrel and Nick Palma at HCL recently. Both very different styles of play and table talk. How did you deal with that?
At the end of the day, we can banter and mess around; it's all good, it's all fair.
But you still have to do it respectfully. And sometimes, some of the people don't know how to do that respectfully. But either way, they're going to f*ck around, they're going to find out real fast.
There definitely was some trash talk during that match-up with Nick Palma and Martin Kabrhel.
I tell everybody, if I didn't want to get dirty, I shouldn't go around in mud with a bunch of pigs, right? So, it's all good. I understand what I'm getting into in those games.
As I'm driving to the game today and talking to my brother, I said, ‘I'm about to go into a circus, right? As long as I'm not the biggest clown today, I'm all right with that.’ You can quote me on all of that, Craig.
'Everybody has an ego'
How did you approach playing Nick Palma?
I don't want to give too much away, but there’s info about the guy being tight. Then you talk about how tight he is at the table.
Everybody has an ego. Everybody thinks they have a plan. Nicky P planned to try to come in and insult me. He dreams about playing guys like me, he said. He's going to come from level one, thinking he's going to get under my skin.
He did try. You threw it right back at him, though.
I'm on level nine. I'll drop down to level one and get you to where I want you to go in the game. Eventually, it'll come out. Men lie, women lie, numbers don't.
Guess what happened? What were the numbers in that game? (Nicky P was stacked in one of the last hands by Big Mike) During the game, he got comfortable, got cocky, won a hand, and showed a bluff. It's all cute, right? But at the end of the day, we know who the players are and who are the talkers.
I can stand a couple of bad beats. He couldn't. He couldn't take a lot of pressure. Pressure breaks pipes or makes diamonds, baby. I’m on the diamond side. I'm going to focus on me. In the end, I have no problems with Nicky P.
What was your approach to Kabrhel?
Martin was in that game for different reasons. Some people want to be there for the money, and others want to be there to be likable or to be cool. I think that's Martin.
He's actually a good guy. I actually like Martin a lot. He's a great poker player. But like any player, he makes mistakes. He's still human.
You often share on social media about the happiness your family brings you. They definitely are your rock.
It’s true. I left home to play in this game at HCL today. Whatever happens, I know what I'm coming back to. Everything else in between is a blessing.
My family is my foundation. That's why I'm solid. That's why I'm not scared of anything. A lot of people fake it. Many people want you to make it seem like they’re happy. But me, I'm living my dream every day.
So, shit. Please f*cking forgive me for being so f*cking happy and positive. That's where I’m coming from, no apologies.
