Robert Varkonyi

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Robert Varkonyi
Robert Varkonyi.jpg
Varkonyi playing at the 2009 World Series of Poker Champions Invitational
World Series of Poker
Bracelet 1
Final table1
Money finishes5
Highest WSOP
Main Event finish		Winner, 2002
Information last updated on 15 July 2009.

Robert Varkonyi is an American poker player, best known for winning the Main Event of the 2002 World Series of Poker.

Contents

Early life

Varkonyi first started playing poker as an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. [1]

After his graduation (with degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from the MIT School of Engineering and Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management), he was a senior technology manager in New York City for a number of years before beginning to play tournament poker.[ citation needed ]

Poker career

Varkonyi is most well known for winning the 2002 World Series of Poker Main Event, taking the $2 million prize. [2] 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. [3]

In the WSOP Main Event the following year, Varkonyi was at the televised feature table, playing in defense of his championship. Two-time world champion Doyle Brunson was also featured at the table for a while. Later in the broadcast, 1998 world champion Scotty Nguyen was also at the feature table and they played several hands together. In the 2003 World Series of Poker, Varkonyi's chance of a repeat championship was dashed when his K♥ K♦ met Nguyen's A♦ A♠.

He cashed in the main event in 2007, finishing in 177th place in a field of over six thousand players, winning $51,398. [4]

In the 2009 WSOP, Varkonyi competed with 19 other former WSOP main event world champions in the first ever Champions Invitational tournament. He finished the tournament in second place, being defeated in heads-up play by 1983 world champion Tom McEvoy. [5]

At the 2011 WSOP, Varkonyi cashed in the Main Event for the third time in his poker career. He finished in 514th place in a field of 6,865 players, earning $23,876. [6]

At the 2024 WSOP, Varkonyi cashed in the Main Event for the forth time in his poker career. He finished in 852nd place in a field of 10,112 players, earning $25,000.

As of 2025, Varkonyi's lifetime live tournament winnings exceed $2,300,000. [7] His four Main Event cashes at the WSOP total $2,100,274. [8]

World Series of Poker Bracelets

YearTournamentPrize (US$)
2002 $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship$2,000,000

References

  1. ↑ Clarke, Darren J. (August 14, 2002). "Poker-playing alum knows when to hold 'em". MIT News. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  2. ↑ "33rd World Series of Poker - WSOP 2002, Championship Event". The Hendon Mob Poker Database . Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Famous WSOP Hands Analyzed". PokerListings. July 25, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ "38th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2007, World Championship No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob Poker Database . Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  5. ↑ "40th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2009, Champions Invitational". The Hendon Mob Poker Database . Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ "42nd World Series of Poker - WSOP 2011, No Limit Hold'em - WSOP Main Event". The Hendon Mob Poker Database . Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Robert Varkonyi's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database . Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Robert Varkonyi". WSOP.com . Retrieved April 2, 2024.
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