Robert Varkonyi = Rodney Dangerfield

MonkeeMan · #1 03-07-2005, 07:39 PM

Poor Robert Varkonyi. He wins the WSOP the year before Chris Moneymaker but gets no respect. We see Moneymaker and Raymer everywhere we turn, but Robert is forgotten and dissed. Please, the next time you see Robert, say "Hey Champ!". MIT geeks have feelings too.

Daliman · #2 03-07-2005, 08:13 PM

RV did nothing before, nothing since, and made several horrendous plays that he got lucky on that got him the title. I give tons of respect to most anyone who wins the WSOP, as luck is always a factor, but RV is one guy I would always welcome at my tourney table, SNG's especially.

Francis Dollarhyde · #3 03-07-2005, 08:14 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Poor Robert Varkonyi. He wins the WSOP the year before Chris Moneymaker but gets no respect. We see Moneymaker and Raymer everywhere we turn, but Robert is forgotten and dissed. Please, the next time you see Robert, say "Hey Champ!". MIT geeks have feelings too.

[/ QUOTE ]

If he really wants some respect, he'd stop writing those articles for Card Player.

Bigdaddydvo · #4 03-07-2005, 08:22 PM

He's a World Champion of Poker, and as such, deserves our respect. Admittedly, he's probably the weakest player to ever win one. That doesn't matter. He has something that lots of top pros (most notably T.J. Cloutier) doesn't have.

Daliman · #5 03-07-2005, 08:35 PM

[ QUOTE ]
He's a World Champion of Poker, and as such, deserves our respect. Admittedly, he's probably the weakest player to ever win one. That doesn't matter. He has something that lots of top pros (most notably T.J. Cloutier) doesn't have.

[/ QUOTE ]

I give much more respect to a guy who runs a 2:48 marathon than a guy who cosistantly won with the worst of it or cold decked his opposition. I did not see RV make a single good play at the final table, just obvious or weak ones.

Bigdaddydvo · #6 03-07-2005, 09:43 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I give much more respect to a guy who runs a 2:48 marathon than a guy who cosistantly won with the worst of it or cold decked his opposition. I did not see RV make a single good play at the final table, just obvious or weak ones.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey thanks, that was in '98. I'm 30 lbs heavier now and a lot slower now so that's my Sup Bro-esque reference to the glory days when I could actually run. Haven't run one sub-3 hours since Boston 2000 (or run one, period, since Boston '02).

I've never watched the '02 World Series, so I don't know if he played as bad as everyone says. I can say without question that no one can win the thing without getting extraordinarily lucky. Some examples:

1) Doyle winning 2 straight years w/10-2o in hands where he was a huge statistical Dog. Make's RV's QT not look quite so bad.

2) When Chan won the '88 Series, he was won major coinflip decisions 14 of 14 times.

3) Chris Ferguson beating TJ on the final hand in 2000 w/A9 vs AQ.

4) I'm certain you watched the deck smack Moneymaker repeatedly in 2003.

I agree with the original poster that the most damning fact about RV is that he hasn't done squat since his WS win. To me that is much worse than the manner in which he won his bracelet, because as I've said, the amount of luck it takes to win one a World Championship is enormous.

BuiltToLast · #7 03-09-2005, 09:36 AM

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Admittedly, he's probably the weakest player to ever win one.

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Actually, most WSOP historians believe that Hal Fowler was the "weakest" player to ever win the WSOP championship, considering he was such a huge underdog (like everyone is nowadays!), but many of you don't know who he is because most of us weren't even born when he won (including me)! I've never met Hal, but I'm sure he's not a "weak" player, and I can assure you that Robert isn't either.

I met Robert in January 2003 through a friend, and back then I was heavy into WSOP memorabilia. If you don't know Robert (and I'm sure most of you don't), let me tell you that he is the nicest guy you could ever meet. He was very humble about his big win, and he signed chips, photos, and even his business card for me. I've never met a guy so down-to-earth with his kind of status in the poker world, and he was vastly more catering to the "little guys" (i.e. fans)than most pros. His play was perceived to be lucky, but give that man respect. He's a champion, he's a winner, and he's one hell of a nice guy.

betgo · #8 03-09-2005, 11:37 AM

Varkonyi and Furlong were decent players who were outclassed at the WSOP, but go lucky. Fowler was a fish who got lucky.

Varkonyi won his seat in a satellite at Binions rather than on Poker Stars, so he is not used in the promotions.

MyMindIsGoing · #9 03-09-2005, 11:47 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Varkonyi and Furlong were decent players who were outclassed at the WSOP, but go lucky. Fowler was a fish who got lucky.

Varkonyi won his seat in a satellite at Binions rather than on Poker Stars, so he is not used in the promotions.

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It wasn't the first time Furlong was on a final table in the main event at WSOP so he is not THAT bad. I think that Varkonoyi and Moneymaker are the two worst players to have won the main event the last 10 years or so.

Tuds75 · #10 03-09-2005, 11:53 AM

I was at Binions on the 3rd day of the WSOP championship and the tournament director annouced over the loud speaker all the former champions still alive. He mentions the obvious, Brunson, Hellmuth, Ferguson, Harrington, Baldwin and a couple more. He doesn't mention Varkonyi even though Robert is 6 feet away from him during the announcment. Varkoyni's table point out the error to Matt Savage and everyone has a small laugh, while probably Varkoyni cries a little inside.

Talk about getting "No Respect"