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Terrence Chan is a Canadian professional poker player and professional mixed martial artist from Vancouver, British Columbia - one of the more genuinely unusual dual-career stories in poker history. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, Chan has spent more than two decades at the intersection of high-stakes card play and combat sports, winning WCOOP and SCOOP titles online, maintaining a presence on the live circuit since 2004, and competing professionally in MMA bouts trained in BJJ, Muay Thai, boxing, and wrestling across multiple continents.
Career Earnings & Biggest Results
With total live tournament earnings surpassing $1,387,399 (according to The Hendon Mob), Chan’s live record across 69 cashes has been supplemented by significant online results throughout his career.
His standout results include:
- 2009: Won two limit hold’em events on the same day at the PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) - the $500 event for $51,300 and the $5,000 event for $134,887.
- 2009: Won the $1,000 Limit Hold’em World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) event for $83,030.
- 2010: Two final table appearances at the WSOP in a career-best live summer.
- Continued WSOP appearances with his most recent cash recorded in June 2025.
His estimated poker net worth exceeds $1.5 million combined live and online.
Biography & Poker Background
Chan was born December 8, 1980, in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver by immigrant parents who expected from him the things most parents expect. He discovered poker in the early 2000s boom and quit his job in December 2004 to play professionally - a decision he has never reversed. “I started grinding this thing for real,” he wrote in his blog at the time.
His online results in 2009 were exceptional. Winning two SCOOP titles in a single day - one at $500 buy-in, one at $5,000 - remains one of the more remarkable days an online player has had in tournament history. His WCOOP limit hold’em title the same year added to a year that established him as a genuine multi-format online specialist.
He took a sharp turn in 2010, however, when he developed an interest in MMA. What started as amateur grappling quickly became a serious commitment: he trained in BJJ in Argentina, Muay Thai in Thailand, boxing in multiple countries, and wrestling in Australia. He has since competed professionally in MMA in various promotions including the World Series of Fighting (now Professional Fighters League), competing in the flyweight division.
Chan has spoken openly about not considering himself a professional poker player or a professional fighter - but rather a person with genuinely diverse interests who takes both seriously. His blog, active since 2004 as “tchanpoker,” documented both pursuits with characteristic candour.
Play Style & Strategy
Chan is a technically disciplined, limit game specialist whose online successes were concentrated in fixed-limit formats - an area requiring precision, pattern recognition, and the kind of analytical thinking that also underpins his MMA game planning.
His approach includes:
- Limit game expertise: His WCOOP and SCOOP wins came in limit hold’em formats - a discipline that rewards tight, technical play over wide-variance aggression.
- Diverse mental frameworks: Chan has cited the balance provided by his MMA training as a key factor in his longevity in poker - cross-training the competitive mind.
Social Media & Online Presence
Originally from the Lake District, UK, I’ve spent the last few years living and breathing the Southeast Asian poker circuit. Since 2025, I’ve been a fixture on the floor at the APT, PokerStars, and WSOP events, serving as a lead reporter and media specialist for Somuchpoker. My work is about more than just recording action; I manage the social media and digital content that brings action rail to the fans. By combining a business education and creative background, I aim to look past the technical hand histories to capture the actual human grit and drama that happens during a deep run.
