Zhuang Ruan, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania native and poker prodigy, is already leaving his mark on the high roller circuit despite not even being old enough to gamble in most of the casinos in the United States, writes Steve Schult for the Card Player.

Ruan shook the world of poker in August when he won the $50,000 Super High Roller event at the Hard Rock Poker Open in Florida. He bested a 29-entry field and beat Dan Smith, one of the most decorated players in the history of the game, to earn $562,600.

However, Ruan actually got the encouragement to start playing poker from an unlikely source: his mother.

“I used to love playing Minecraft and League of Legends,” said Ruan. “And my mom actually got me into poker when she saw me playing video games.”

He started to make money quickly, which prompted him to drop out of high school and devote himself to playing. Shortly after turning 20, he began playing in multi-table tournaments.

“It’s more profitable because you can basically bet more,” said Ruan.

Most recently he played the Super High Roller Bowl in Europe, where he made the first seven-figure score of his career by winning $1.64 million.

Read more about Zhuang Ruan in the Card Player.