Robert Varkonyi
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| Hometown | Great Neck, New York |
|---|---|
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 1 |
| Money finishes | 2 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish |
Winner, 2002 |
| Information accurate as of 15 July 2009. | |
Robert Varkonyi (born October 7, 1961 in New York) is an American poker player best known for winning the main event of the 2002 World Series of Poker.
Varkonyi first started playing poker as an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After his graduation in 1983 (with degrees in EECS and from the MIT Sloan School of Management), he was an investment banker in Brooklyn, New York for a number of years before beginning to play tournament poker.
Varkonyi is most well known for winning the 2002 World Series of Poker main event, taking the $2 million prize. Because he was a relative newcomer and considered dead money, commentator and fellow poker player Phil Hellmuth agreed to have his hair shaved off for charity if Varkonyi won. In the final hand, Varkonyi's 'Q♦ 10♠' defeated Julian Gardner's 'J♣ 8♣' on a board of 'Q♣ 4♣ 4♠ 10♦ 10♣', resulting in Varkonyi's full house defeating Gardner's flush. Hellmuth made good on his earlier promise, and even allowed Varkonyi to shave some of his hair off.[citation needed]
In the 2003 World Series of Poker Varkonyi's chance of a repeat championship was dashed when his 'K♥ K♦' met Scotty Nguyen's 'A♦ A♠'.
Since his win Varkonyi has become a columnist for Card Player Magazine.
Varkonyi currently resides in Great Neck, New York with his wife Olga, who also plays poker, and two daughters. He named his first daughter Victoria after his World Series win. Olga made an appearance at the 2005 World Series of Poker main event. She finished in the money in 238th place.
He also cashed in the main event in 2007, finishing in 177th place in a field of over six thousand players, winning $51,398.
Varkonyi's lifetime live tournament winnings exceed $2,100,000.[1] His 2 cashes at the WSOP total $2,051,398.[2]
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Robert Varkonyi - Stats". TheHendonMob.com. http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=s&n=469. Retrieved on 2009-07-15.
- ^ World Series of Poker Earnings, worldseriesofpoker.com
[edit] External links
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