After moving to the United States in 1982, Tran found work in the electronics industry in Silicon Valley.

She began playing poker in 1989, after an auto accident left her disabled and unable to continue working in her field.

Greenstein not only taught her how to play poker, but also convinced her to compete in tournaments; until the mid-to-late 1990s she had been exclusively a side-game player.

[7] She also features highly in the list of most successful female poker players in terms of tournament earnings.

At the inaugural National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Tran was the only female to make the money in a field that included Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, Kathy Liebert, Cyndy Violette and Evelyn Ng.