Running 2006 World Series Of Poker Thread

All I know is this: Negraneu had better look out for MY BOY, former co-worker Johnny Kampis, who has 142K in chips -- 65th on the first Day 2! Seeing as how I own his pale ass in our home game, Touchdown Johnny is making me consider a run to the '07 WSOP.

rb

 

Raymer, yes, but Hachem? He's up to $142K or so. That guy can play poker, as much as people like to call him a fluke. Check out his finishes from this year's WSOP. I watched him play a bit when I was down there and also met him. He has a table presence that he and other pros use to their advantage.

 

Obviously, he's won the ME, but has Varkonyi done anything since then? I remember that the year the Moneymaker won, he busted out Doyle, who didn't have kind things to say.

 

I like Hachem, I think he's definitely some giddyup in his game. he really needs to retire that "pass the sugah" garbage, though.

 

No. Aside from having the personality of a fern, Varkoyni has been fortunate in that his fluke victory in '02 was swamped by Moneymaker's more media-attended fluke victory the following year.

I remember watching his post-round interview. It was like pulling teeth, watching the ESPN folks try getting words out of the monosyllabic Varkoyni.

 

Hach got lucky when he said that to Andrew Black last year, because the sugar almost got passed back to Black. If I remember correctly Black was one card away from a higher flush on that hand.

 

You will find very few tournament champions who were not one card from hitting the rail at some point. That's the game. It takes a solid player -- and a nice bankroll -- to handle those swings. Luck is indeed a huge component of poker -- but it is indeed a skill in how you handle when luck doesn't go your way.

 

No doubt. I remember the one final table last year between Robert Williamson when he needed a 10 on the river to stay alive. He got it, unbelievably, but then his opponent got him right back and went on to win with his own miracle. Great TV.

 

Point taken, but I was looking at it from the other end of the coin.

Varkonyi was as big a fluke as Moneymaker, yet his name doesn't come up nearly as often when it comes to talking about burp-in-the-universe ME champions. He's able to fly under the radar as a "legit" WSOP ME champion like many of his predecessors, while Moneymaker is regarded as you put him -- the story that sent all this in motion. . . and a flukey one at that.

And I'd be surprised if either one of them won another bracelet.

 

Remember watching the 2003 ME and at the beginning they had Varkonyi and his "coach" on there talking about how math helped them win the ME in 2002. While math helps, it does take skill and tons of luck as well. I'm betting Varkonyi had tons of luck and math in 2002.

Of course, this is coming from someone who's only one one 7-card stud Hi-Lo tourney on Poker Stars