Such actions might reduce a normal person to a gelatinous mess. For both Lam and Yang, it seems but a trifle considering the odds they have already beaten outside the casino. They both have a refugee’s nerve: Yang, of Hmong descent, is from Laos. Lam hails from South Vietnam.

The two cards they hold in their hand are nothing compared to the small boats they clung to as young boys, fleeing their homeland and crossing the ocean to find the safety of a refugee camp.

Little wonder then that Yang takes a scant ten seconds to make the call.

That courageous move helped Yang become king of the poker world, winning this year’s World Series of Poker main event and $8.25 million, the largest individual prize in all of sport.

To win, Yang outlasted 6,358 competitors, who paid $10,000 each to compete for a total prize pool worth $60 million. For second place, Lam received $4.84 million.

It was a staggering but fitting payout for two men who know how to beat high odds, and who turned this year’s final into the battle of the refugees.

REFUGEE TALES

As Yang triumphantly held his hands high, his mother, Youa Hang, dressed in traditional Hmong clothes, and father Youa Vang, cried with joy.

The road to riches has not been easy. The family almost didn’t make it out of Laos in 1979. Yang’s father fought alongside the CIA in the so-called "Secret War" against the North Vietnamese. Yang remembered how at age seven he thought he had no future. "We got caught by the communists," Yang said.

But the family was released back to the village, where they made another escape attempt.

"We made it to Thailand," Yang said. "At that point I knew I had a life."

The family settled in Fresno, Calif. Yang discovered poker just two years ago, after watching it on TV. He considers himself a "rookie," who won a $225 tournament at the Pechanga Casino to qualify for the World Series.

Lam’s journey began in 1985 in Bao Trinh. At age 17, he left his family behind to board a small boat to a refugee camp. "It was ten meters long and had 37 people," Lam said. "We spent three days crossing the ocean to Indonesia."

Lam has one word for what got him there and, ultimately, to Canada: "luck."

He was lucky again this year. A planned trip to Vietnam had meant missing the World Series.

But Lam cancelled at the last minute, paid his $10,000 tournament entry fee and wound up playing for $8.25 million.

BATTLE OF THE REFUGEES

In the 38-year history of the World Series of Poker main event, Asian Americans have won three times before.

Johnny Chan, 50, an immigrant from Canton, China, who worked in his family’s restaurant in Houston, Texas, won an unprecedented two World Series titles in a row in 1987 and 1988, then finished second in 1989.

In 1998, Scotty Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee from Nha Trang, won the final table and a million dollars, as he beat Kevin McBride and coined his trademark phrase, "You call this one, and it’s all over, baby."

Both Chan and Nguyen have since become Asian poker icons in the relatively small poker world, legends in a sport where the only color that matters is that of your chips.

But now more top quality Asian Americans have emerged.

This year, of the top 18 players in the tournament, nearly a third were Southeast Asian.

Along with Yang and Lam were Kenny Tran, David Tran, as well as the veteran Nguyen.

"It was a little bit scary to play him," Lam said referring to Nguyen. "I’ve got to keep my eye on him."

In one key hand, Lam did. In the face of a massive $3.5 million raise from Nguyen, Lam should have folded — especially with a K-5-4-K-J showing in the community cards. But Lam called in a move that perhaps only a refugee could make.

Nguyen showed a four to make two pair, kings and fours. Lam had kings and tens to win an 11.4 million pot, become the chip leader and crush Nguyen’s hopes of victory.

REFUGEE ADVANTAGE?

Chris Ferguson, winner of the 2000 main event and $1.5 million, said the difference with refugees may boil down to a comfort in risk-taking.

"If you’re a refugee, you’re really pushing your luck," said Ferguson, known in the poker world as "Jesus" because of his long hair and beard. "You get into a little boat, row to the middle of the ocean until a bigger boat picks you up — that’s a pretty big gamble. But to these guys it’s worth it."

That experience transferred to the table makes for a kind of fearlessness.

"We not scared," Lam said. "We play."

In the final hands, both Lam and Yang applied maximum pressure.

But Yang, the aggressor from the beginning, was more consistent and amassed over 107 million chips to Lam’s 20 million.

Lam, who dipped to below 10 million in chips at one point, was forced to go all-in on every hand to try to catch up.

REFUGEE VS. REFUGEE

In what would be the tournament’s final hand, Yang’s quick call revealed a pair: 8 diamonds, 8 clubs. Lam showed an A diamonds, Q diamonds.

Yang held a slight 52 percent to 47 percent edge to win.

But when the flop — the first three community cards — came up 5 spades, Q clubs, 9 clubs, Lam with a pair of qqueens turned into an overwhelming favorite to double his stack to 40 million. That made Yang the underdog.

With two cards to go, the crowd sensed a comeback for Lam.

But the fourth card was a 7 diamonds, giving Yang a chance for a straight.

The fifth and final card sealed the deal: 6 of hearts. Yang scored a 9-high straight to win it all.

Incredibly, with one card to go, Yang had just a 13 percent chance to win.

But those are odds only a refugee can truly appreciate.