The $2,000,000 Club
 

Kind of a pointless post, but with the first prize at the Five Diamond Classic today set at $2,078,185, somebody will become the 14th player in poker history to go "double platinum" in a single tournament:

Joe Hachem - $7,500,000 – 2005 WSOP, 1st Place
Greg Raymer - $5,000,000 – 2004 WSOP, 1st Place
Steve Dannenmann - $4,250,000 – 2005 WSOP, 2nd Place
David Williams - $3,500,000 – 2004 WSOP, 2nd Place
Tuan Le - $2,856,150 – 2005 WPT Championship, 1st Place
Martin De Knijff - $2,728,356 – 2004 WPT Championship, 1st Place
Chris Moneymaker - $2,500,000 – 2003 WSOP, 1st Place
Josh Arieh - $2,500,000 – 2004 WSOP, 3rd Place
John “Tex” Barch - $2,500,000 – 2005 WSOP, 3rd Place
Nick Schulman - $2,167,500 – 2005 World Poker Finals, 1st Place
Robert Varkonyi - $2,000,000 – 2002 WSOP, 1st Place
Annie Duke - $2,000,000 – 2004 WSOP TOC, 1st Place *
Aaron Kanter - $2,000,000 – 2005 WSOP, 4th Place

* Invitational Tournament

I think a $2M first prize is the new measure of a truly "huge" tournament, since it seems that there are 20 tourneys a year now with a seven figure first prize.

Some great players on there, and some that were likely one-hit-wonders. I don't think I've left anyone off, but it's possible. Only one (Duke) was the least bit famous in the public's eyes before their big tournament score, and a few (De Knijff, Le, Kanter?) still aren't. It's also amazing to think that with all Doyle Brunson has done and seen over his career, that today could be his biggest tournament payday by almost a million dollars.

I guess it's likely that this list will grow exponentially over the next five years as well. Good luck, Gigabet!!

Re: The $2,000,000 Club
 

[ QUOTE ]
Only one (Duke) was the least bit famous in the public's eyes before their big tournament score, and a few (De Knijff, Le, Kanter?) still aren't.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd like to hear your definition of "famous in the public's eyes"

Re: The $2,000,000 Club
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'd like to hear your definition of "famous in the public's eyes"

[/ QUOTE ]

My "aren't" list wasn't complete there.

And I guess "famous in the public's eyes" was a bad choice of words. I meant "known by the average TV poker viewer". By that criteria, I'd say that from the original list, Hachem, Raymer, Dannenman, Williams, Moneymaker, Arieh, and Duke would fit. Barch and Varkonyi are probably borderline.

Re: The $2,000,000 Club
 

I think Varkoyi is known well-enough. DeKniff is remarkably under-exopsed. Give it two months and you can count the entire '05 top table as famous.

G

Re: The $2,000,000 Club
 

Wasn't the 2004 TOC a single table?

Way to win a SNG Annie.

*this is partially jealousy that she has a bunch of money and I don't, and also based on the fact she's a generally nasty and overrated player.

Re: The $2,000,000 Club
 

She had to beat Chan, Hellmuth, Lederer, Negreanu, Brunson, Raymer, Ivey, Reese and Cloutier. That's a damn good day, no matter how famous your name is.

G

Re: The $2,000,000 Club
 

It's silly to use "SNG" as a derogatory term. A one-table tournament is a tournament, no matter how you slice it. People keep deriding STT tournaments as "nothing more than sit n' go's," but all of the principles of tournament poker apply.

Re: The $2,000,000 Club
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Only one (Duke) was the least bit famous in the public's eyes before their big tournament score, and a few (De Knijff, Le, Kanter?) still aren't.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd like to hear your definition of "famous in the public's eyes"

[/ QUOTE ]

probably, "barely anybody had ever heard of them before they did well in the specific poker tourament listed"

Re: The $2,000,000 Club
 

[ QUOTE ]
Kind of a pointless post, but with the first prize at the Five Diamond Classic today set at $2,078,185, somebody will become the 14th player in poker history to go "double platinum" in a single tournament:

Joe Hachem - $7,500,000 – 2005 WSOP, 1st Place
Greg Raymer - $5,000,000 – 2004 WSOP, 1st Place
Steve Dannenmann - $4,250,000 – 2005 WSOP, 2nd Place
David Williams - $3,500,000 – 2004 WSOP, 2nd Place
Tuan Le - $2,856,150 – 2005 WPT Championship, 1st Place
Martin De Knijff - $2,728,356 – 2004 WPT Championship, 1st Place
Chris Moneymaker - $2,500,000 – 2003 WSOP, 1st Place
Josh Arieh - $2,500,000 – 2004 WSOP, 3rd Place
John “Tex” Barch - $2,500,000 – 2005 WSOP, 3rd Place
Nick Schulman - $2,167,500 – 2005 World Poker Finals, 1st Place
Robert Varkonyi - $2,000,000 – 2002 WSOP, 1st Place
Annie Duke - $2,000,000 – 2004 WSOP TOC, 1st Place *
Aaron Kanter - $2,000,000 – 2005 WSOP, 4th Place

* Invitational Tournament

I think a $2M first prize is the new measure of a truly "huge" tournament, since it seems that there are 20 tourneys a year now with a seven figure first prize.

Some great players on there, and some that were likely one-hit-wonders. I don't think I've left anyone off, but it's possible. Only one (Duke) was the least bit famous in the public's eyes before their big tournament score, and a few (De Knijff, Le, Kanter?) still aren't. It's also amazing to think that with all Doyle Brunson has done and seen over his career, that today could be his biggest tournament payday by almost a million dollars.

I guess it's likely that this list will grow exponentially over the next five years as well. Good luck, Gigabet!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that John “Tex” Barch got screwed this year. 1st place was worth $2.5M more than last year, 2nd was worth $750K more, 4th in 2005 must have been worth more than in 2004 since the 3rd place finisher in '04 isn't listed and must have made less than $2M.

So only poor old 'Tex', taking 3rd, got the same amount as 3rd last year and everybody else got more than the same place the previous year.

Re: The $2,000,000 Club
 

I have absolutely no information to back this up but I think that Annie Duke chopped up most of that 2 million with Phil befere they started heads up play. They might have even cut a deal at 3 players left I dont really know.