A
MONEYTREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN
When
Robert Varkonyi was an undergrad at MIT
in Computer Sciences, he used to play
a lot of penny ante poker with fellow
students. "We didn't even know about the
World Series of Poker then," said fellow
student J. P. Massar. This was twenty
years ago. Massar continues about Varkonyi,
"We used to play in small tournaments
at the Orleans or Union Plaza. He just
kept getting better and better." Until
today, however, Robert Varkonyi hadn't
made a penny in the WSOP. "He tried for
several years. He couldn't get in the
Big One by winning a Super or single table,"
Massar said. Now, from nothing, Robert
Varkonyi is 7th all-time on the money
list in one day. Amazing.
Only
the infamous Phil Hellmuth, Jr. could
upstage the first $2 million winner of
the most prestigious prize in poker: the
2002 World Series of Poker Championship
held at Binion's Horseshoe in downtown
Las Vegas.
"This
is Robert's (Varkonyi) day, let him have
10-15 minutes to enjoy it," Hellmuth said
to the crowd as the last hand was completed.
"Shave
Phil's head," was the crowd's immediate,
chanted response. The audience was literally
out for Hellmuth's scalp. All those years
of being the famed "Pokerbrat" had culminated
in a close shave for Phil.
The
new World Champion, Robert Varkonyi wanted
to let Phil out of the promise he'd made
to have his head shaved if Varkonyi won.
But Phil wouldn't welsh on the bet.
"If
I don't do it the crowd will kill me,"
Hellmuth said. "Besides, if you say something
stupid, you should have to pay for it."
So,
led by the Horseshoe's owner Becky Binion
Behnen, several people including the new
Champion took turns clipping away at Phil
Hellmuth. It was quite a sight.
"Next
year, we're getting Ozzie Osbourne," Becky
was overheard as saying. That should be
another zoo! But poker players worldwide
will be overjoyed to hear that there will
be a 'next year.'
This
year, all the records for entries and
prize money were broken. Yes there were
more events, but 7,323 entries and $20,810,410
in total buy-ins bodes well for the health
of the World Series of Poker. The poker
world still loves the WSOP at the Horseshoe.
But
besides the circus-like sideshow, there
really was a poker tournament today. And
it was an exciting Final Table that was
played by the least known group in WSOP
history.
You'd
send your nickel-dime playing granny against
this lineup, right? No WSOP bracelets
among them. None! Total WSOP earnings
for the group: under $450,000.
They
had a whopping seven Final Tables in all
WSOP events, with one second as the best
result. Three of them had never made a
penny in the Series before today.
For
those who like to complain, "Tournaments
are always won by the same people," they
have to be still for a while.
Thirteen
former Champions and nearly all of the
29 WSOP millionaires entered the 33rd
$10,000 Buy-In, No-Limit Championship
Event. Yet none of those famous players
even made it to the 45 who were paid.
Here is the surviving nine on Day Five.
Know any of these names?
THE
FINAL TABLE
1 hr 50 mins left of 2 hours
$3,000 ante.
The blinds are $8,000/$16,000
Player
Hometown Chip Count
Seat
1 Tony D (Tam Duong) Los Angeles CA $
231,000
Seat 2 Julian Gardner Manchester, UK $
394,000
Seat 3 Scott Gray Dublin, Ireland $ 545,000
Seat 4 Rafael Perry Las Vegas NV $ 766,000
Seat 5 Minh Ly Las Vegas NV $ 614,000
Seat 6 Rob Varkonyi Brooklyn NY $ 640,000
Seat 7 John Shipley Solihull, UK $2,033,000
Seat 8 Russ Rosenblum Bethesda MD $ 927,000
Seat 9 Harley Hall San Juan Capistrano
CA $ 161,000
The
Final Table started off with a bang as
the young, English wizard Julian Gardner
picked up pocket Aces on the first hand
and doubled up against Robert Varkonyi.
Robert was suddenly down to $250k in chips
from $640k. No way he's winning this thing.
But
Varkonyi had a secret stash of chips sitting
next to him. These chips temporarily belonged
to the prohibitive chip leader John Shipley,
but they weren't to be John's for long.
After
the first couple of hands, action subsided
for about an hour, as everyone felt each
other out. During that time, the short
stacks kept winning their hands and John
Shipley was losing his. The momentum that
had been so strongly blowing toward Shipley,
the night before, left John completely
today. The crowd buzzed, as a player with
twice the starting chips as anyone else
became defensive. Shipley could have bullied
the table with his stack, but curiously
didn't.
It
was Las Vegas pro Minh Ly that made the
first move and it cost him. Ly got all
his chips in the pot with pocket 8's against
Ralph Perry (aka Rafael Perovskin) with
A K. You have to win the 'coin-toss' hands
if you are going to stay in a tournament.
The 8's came up 'Tails' as a King hit
the flop.
Even
stranger than John Shipley's actions were
the inactions of the veteran high-stakes
player 'Tony D' (Tam Duong). No one had
ever seen Tony so passive. He's a famed
'jammer' in live action games. Yet in
this event, he hardly played a hand. Maybe
it was tournament inexperience or just
incredibly lousy cards. In any case, Tony
D played for 8th place by not gambling
and that's what he got. Basically Tony
sat out the first two levels and was forced
to play a Q J all-in when the blinds went
to $15k/$30k and the ante at $5,000. Robert
Varkonyi had most of John Shipley's chips
by then and called with A K. Bye, Tony
D. Maybe you just don't like tournaments.
The
new blind level finally brought action.
We'd sat for four hours as only one player
left. Now there was a parade to the exit.
Next,
shockingly, was John Shipley. How could
someone with over $2 million in chips
finish 7th? By a series of really bad
plays, that's how. The bad play that stands
out most is the key play of the entire
Final Table. Robert Varkonyi had rebuilt
his stack from the first hand disaster
to Julian Gardner. He was on the button
and raised all-in with pocket Jacks. John
Shipley lost the chip lead to Varkonyi
(who would never give it up) and any chance
at a significant payday by calling all-in
with A J in the small blind. That hand
alone cost Shipley nearly one million
dollars in chips. He was never a factor
again. A half hour later Shipley shipped
out when his nemesis Varkonyi called John's
all-in pair of 7's with an A 10. Of course,
an Ace hit the board.
The
Internet favorite, Russ Rosenblum, hit
the skids in 5th. He will have nightmares
about the J 6 of Diamonds as long as he
lives. After playing brilliantly for five
days, for some unimaginable reason, Russ
Rosenblum tries to steal the blinds from
the button by going all-in with his J
6 of Diamonds. A simple raise couldn't
have been enough? If you get a play back
you dump it, right? Well, Julian Gardner
found pocket Aces in his big blind and
had no trouble calling all-in. Now Russ
had only $92k and was out the next hand
with A 8 against A K to Scott Gray.
Throughout
the day the chants of "Harley, Harley"
were heard each time Harley Hall won another
all-in. Ninth in chips to start, Hall
became the crowd favorite with his survival
techniques. Harley's luck finally ran
out when his all-in A 2 from the small
blind found Julian Gardner's K 7 in the
big. The young wizard Gardner should have
a thunderbolt on his forehead. Julian
conjured up running sevens on Harley.
There
was no stopping Robert Varkonyi. First
he had half the chips on the table, then
two thirds, then at the end, all of them.
Why? Because Robert had the 'Ultimate
Weapon.' Varkonyi had Q 10!!! Gasp!!!
Not, Q 10!!!
Yes,
only Robert V. had the greatest hand in
poker. This hand not only won Varkonyi
$2 million dollars, it cost Phil Hellmuth
his hair. It was the Q 10 (suited) that
took nearly all of Phil's chips on Day
Three and prompted the hair-shaving boast.
Now the hand took Scott Gray out in 4th.
Gray only had a former great hand for
Chris Ferguson, A 9. Sure, two Queens
flopped for Varkonyi. When you are runnin'
fantastic, that's what happens.
For
simplicity probably, Rafael Perovskin
changed his poker name to Ralph Perry.
With either name, Ralph can play. But
not when you run up against someone as
hot as Robert Varkonyi. When Ralph went
all-in with pocket Jacks, Varkonyi had
the second best hand in poker to Q 10.
He had pocket Aces in the big blind. Now
there were two.
Heads
up, Varkonyi the MIT Computer Sciences
graduate, had a 4-1 chip lead on the school-of-hard-knocks
graduate Julian Gardner. Julian's wizard
powers finally were no match when faced
with the awesome Q 10. When the flop came
Q 4 4 with two clubs, Julian went all-in.
He had the J 8 of Clubs. Forget about
it! Robert Varkonyi can play Q 10 in his
sleep and win. Robert flopped a Queen.
In a bizarre finish to a great tournament,
a Club magically appeared on the river.
Gardner's still alive!
NO!
It's the 10 of Clubs! Robert Varkonyi
has a full house, 10's full of Queens.
How fitting.
This
was indeed Robert Varkonyi's day. But
forever Robert will be known in poker
not as the first $2 Million Dollar Man,
or the player who won the first 'World
Champion's' bracelet. This is a platinum
and diamond bejeweled beauty valued at
"�in excess of $10,000." He'll always
be known as the guy who put a close shave
on Phil Hellmuth.
Mike
Paulle
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