Hypothetical Tourney of WSOP Main Event Winners

[Tom Bayes]

Suppose your job was to put together a 10-person table for an invitational NLHE tourney (similar to ESPN's recent TOC), but a tourney that only living past winners of the main event could play in. Which 10 players would you pick to play (assume that any player asked will play)? Here's who I would pick-I think the top 6 are no-brainers and the bottom 4 (especially the last 2) are very debatable.

1. Doyle Brunson
2. Johnny Chan
3. Phil Hellmuth
4. Dan Harrington
5. Chris Ferguson
6. Scotty Nguyen
7. Greg Raymer
8. Chris Moneymaker
9. Carlos Mortensen
10. Tom McEvoy

The first six are obvious choices; Stuey and Johnny Moss would also be easy choices if still alive. Raymer and Moneymaker were picked because they are the 2 most recent winners, the first two winners who qualified via online satellite, and because they came through the biggest fields. The last 2 were very hard-I took Mortensen because he is still young, has an aggressive style, and is the most recent non-amateur to win. I took McEvoy because he has some notoriety because of the books he has written and because he was the first winner who qualified in a satellite. The close calls for me were Huck Seed (still young, but haven't heard much from recnetly), Robert Varkonyi (didn't think we needed a 3rd amateur), Bobby Baldwin (known because of SuperSystem but probably unknown to casual followers of poker), Amarillo Slim & Puggy Pearson (old-timers but probably past their prime).

[cowpie]

[ QUOTE ]
Suppose your job was to put together a 10-person table for an invitational NLHE tourney (similar to ESPN's recent TOC), but a tourney that only living past winners of the main event could play in.

[/ QUOTE ]

So you're saying I can't pick a future living WSOP main event winner?

[kidpokerguru]

1.Doyle Brunson: no explanation needed
2.Johnny Chan: still shows signs of being the master
3.Amarillo Slim: His B.S. would make great entertainment
4.Phil Hellmuth: (see amarillo slim) and u cant help but love him
5.Chris Ferguson: he's just plain scary with numbers
6.Carlos Mortenson: Ultra aggresive style is exciting
7.Bobby Baldwin: hes the real reason behind the poker boom, but most of all because he's from my home town of Tulsa, OKlahoma
8.Chris Moneymaker: believe it or not he is a great player
9.Tom Mcevoy: i dunno I just love his books
10.Huck Seed: perhaps the best proposition gambler of all time besides Slim and is sure fun to watch

[Tyler Durden]

[ QUOTE ]
The close calls for me were Huck Seed (still young, but haven't heard much from recnetly)

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I played in the $300 NL event at the Taj on Friday and Huck played in it also. Apparently he's gone broke at least once since he won the big one. Rumor has it that he's being backed by Howard Lederer.

[Matt24]

I read that Huck Seed bet Phil Hellmuth 25K that he could float in the ocean for 24 hours. Phil won as Huck never even got into the water. I think I read that in the Man with the $100,000 breasts. I think that said Huck also went broke.

[housenuts]

as you said i think the top 6 are no brainers.

1. Doyle Brunson
2. Johnny Chan
3. Phil Hellmuth
4. Dan Harrington
5. Chris Ferguson
6. Scotty Nguyen

i would then round out the field with
7.Mansour Matloubi
8.Huck Seed
9.Chris Moneymaker
10.Greg Raymer

[Zinzan]

There aren't really that many living champions. Why not just have a three table event for all past champions of the main event. It would be quite interesting if Varkonyi, Moneymaker, and Hal Fowler finished at the top! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

-Z

[Justin A]

Amarillo Slim and Bobby Baldwin have to be included.

Justin A

[Daliman]

[ QUOTE ]
10.Huck Seed: perhaps the best proposition gambler of all time besides Slim and is sure fun to watch



[/ QUOTE ]

He's likely not even top 10 as far as prop gamblers, and Titanic Thompson EASILY heads up this list.

[Justin A]

[ QUOTE ]
He's likely not even top 10 as far as prop gamblers, and Titanic Thompson EASILY heads up this list.

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Completely agreed. Who do you think Slim learned from?

Justin A

[betgo]

If you had such a tournament, I think it would only be fair to invite all the living winners, including Fowler, Furlong, and Varkonyi. You would only need to televise the final table.