Raymond Wu’s ascent to the apex of the Asian poker scene has been nothing short of stellar. The Taipei-born poker pro has certainly come a long way from sitting in front of his TV screen while still at college, watching the likes of Gus Hansen outplay his opponents with outrageously unplayable starting hands. “I remember watching Gus back in the day, he would always outmanoeuvre his opponents with really bad hands. I wanted to be just like him,” said Raymond in an exclusive interview with Baller.

It would not be long before Raymond started making an impact at the tables himself, surging to a 7th place finish in last year’s European Poker Tour (EPT) in London and a £87,000 ($138,500) windfall.

“The result at the EPT was monumental for me, and this could be an understatement,” Raymond tells us. “Coming into 2009, I wasn’t really recognised as a tournament player. Because I was new and inexperienced in live tournaments, my results were sub-par, and many people doubted my ability to make the transition from online to live play. (PokerStars Asia Director) David Jung (PokerStars Asia Director) was one of the few people who believed in me. I wanted to prove that he didn’t pick a ‘bust’.”

Raymond’s stunning run at the EPT London is proof enough that he has well and truly emerged from the shadows, and is in prime position to enter the limelight as a leading star of the future. Despite serving as an inspirational model to young players, Raymond is under no illusions and is fully aware that the game has a long way to go in Asia.

“I think a very important hurdle in Asia is the fact that there are pretty strict legal boundaries in most Asian countries regarding the game,” he admits. These days, he still attracts curious stares whenever he tells people what he does for a living, due to the social stigma and poker’s (often unfair) association with gambling. “Most people think I am a gambler who plays all day in casinos, in games like blackjack or baccarat. Some others think I am a card magician.”

In spite of these hurdles, however, Raymond is still optimistic about the future of poker in the region. “I honestly believe that poker will continue to grow in Asia in the coming years,” he says. “What Asia needs is for poker to be shown on TV, that will really help more people understand the game and realise that this is a game of skill. In the near future, Asia will produce a lot of up and coming players, and perhaps the next world champion – hopefully me!”