Below is Mike Paulle's report on the final day of the $10,000 buy in event!

The picture below is courtesy of Razzo at www.pokerworld.com

Andy - Las Vegas

WORLD SERIES OF POKER 2002
EVENT #35 THE CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT
NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM

Monday, May 20-24, 2002

$10,000 BUY-IN

$10,000 in chips

A MONEYTREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN

When Robert Varkonyi was an undergrad at MIT in Computer Sciences, he used to play a lot of penny ante poker with fellow students. "We didn't even know about the World Series of Poker then," said fellow student J. P. Massar. This was twenty years ago. Massar continues about Varkonyi, "We used to play in small tournaments at the Orleans or Union Plaza. He just kept getting better and better." Until today, however, Robert Varkonyi hadn't made a penny in the WSOP. "He tried for several years. He couldn't get in the Big One by winning a Super or single table," Massar said. Now, from nothing, Robert Varkonyi is 7th all-time on the money list in one day. Amazing.

Only the infamous Phil Hellmuth, Jr. could upstage the first $2 million winner of the most prestigious prize in poker: the 2002 World Series of Poker Championship held at Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas.

"This is Robert's (Varkonyi) day, let him have 10-15 minutes to enjoy it," Hellmuth said to the crowd as the last hand was completed.

"Shave Phil's head," was the crowd's immediate, chanted response. The audience was literally out for Hellmuth's scalp. All those years of being the famed "Pokerbrat" had culminated in a close shave for Phil.

The new World Champion, Robert Varkonyi wanted to let Phil out of the promise he'd made to have his head shaved if Varkonyi won. But Phil wouldn't welsh on the bet.

"If I don't do it the crowd will kill me," Hellmuth said. "Besides, if you say something stupid, you should have to pay for it."

So, led by the Horseshoe's owner Becky Binion Behnen, several people including the new Champion took turns clipping away at Phil Hellmuth. It was quite a sight.

"Next year, we're getting Ozzie Osbourne," Becky was overheard as saying. That should be another zoo! But poker players worldwide will be overjoyed to hear that there will be a 'next year.'

This year, all the records for entries and prize money were broken. Yes there were more events, but 7,323 entries and $20,810,410 in total buy-ins bodes well for the health of the World Series of Poker. The poker world still loves the WSOP at the Horseshoe.

But besides the circus-like sideshow, there really was a poker tournament today. And it was an exciting Final Table that was played by the least known group in WSOP history.

You'd send your nickel-dime playing granny against this lineup, right? No WSOP bracelets among them. None! Total WSOP earnings for the group: under $450,000. They had a whopping seven Final Tables in all WSOP events, with one second as the best result. Three of them had never made a penny in the Series before today.

For those who like to complain, "Tournaments are always won by the same people," they have to be still for a while.

Thirteen former Champions and nearly all of the 29 WSOP millionaires entered the 33rd $10,000 Buy-In, No-Limit Championship Event. Yet none of those famous players even made it to the 45 who were paid. Here is the surviving nine on Day Five. Know any of these names?

THE FINAL TABLE 1 hr 50 mins left of 2 hours. $3,000 ante. The blinds were $8,000/$16,000

Seat 1 Tony D (Tam Duong) Los Angeles CA $ 231,000

Seat 2 Julian Gardner Manchester, UK $ 394,000

Seat 3 Scott Gray Dublin, Ireland $545,000

Seat 4 Ralph Perry Las Vegas NV $ 766,000

Seat 5 Minh Ly Las Vegas NV $ 614,000

Seat 6 Robert Varkonyi Brooklyn NY $ 640,000

Seat 7 John Shipley Solihull, UK $2,033,000

Seat 8 Russell Rosenblum Bethesda MD $ 927,000

Seat 9 Harley Hall San Juan Capistrano CA $161,000

The Final Table started off with a bang as the young, English wizard Julian Gardner picked up pocket Aces on the first hand and doubled up against Robert Varkonyi. Robert was suddenly down to $250k in chips from $640k. No way he's winning this thing.

But Varkonyi had a secret stash of chips sitting next to him. These chips temporarily belonged to the prohibitive chip leader John Shipley, but they weren't to be John's for long.

After the first couple of hands, action subsided for about an hour, as everyone felt each other out. During that time, the short stacks kept winning their hands and John Shipley was losing his. The momentum that had been so strongly blowing toward Shipley, the night before, left John completely today. The crowd buzzed, as a player with twice the starting chips as anyone else became defensive. Shipley could have bullied the table with his stack, but curiously didn't.

It was Las Vegas pro Minh Ly that made the first move and it cost him. Ly got all his chips in the pot with pocket 8's against Ralph Perry (aka Rafael Perovskin) with A K. You have to win the 'coin-toss' hands if you are going to stay in a tournament. The 8's came up 'Tails' as a King hit the flop.

Even stranger than John Shipley's actions were the inactions of the veteran high-stakes player 'Tony D' (Tam Duong). No one had ever seen Tony so passive. He's a famed 'jammer' in live action games. Yet in this event, he hardly played a hand. Maybe it was tournament inexperience or just incredibly lousy cards. In any case, Tony D played for 8th place by not gambling and that's what he got. Basically Tony sat out the first two levels and was forced to play a Q J all-in when the blinds went to $15k/$30k and the ante at $5,000. Robert Varkonyi had most of John Shipley's chips by then and called with A K. Bye, Tony D. Maybe you just don't like tournaments.

The new blind level finally brought action. We'd sat for four hours as only one player left. Now there was a parade to the exit.

Next, shockingly, was John Shipley. How could someone with over $2 million in chips finish 7th? By a series of really bad plays, that's how. The bad play that stands out most is the key play of the entire Final Table. Robert Varkonyi had rebuilt his stack from the first hand disaster to Julian Gardner. He was on the button and raised all-in with pocket Jacks. John Shipley lost the chip lead to Varkonyi (who would never give it up) and any chance at a significant payday by calling all-in with A J in the small blind. That hand alone cost Shipley nearly one million dollars in chips. He was never a factor again. A half hour later Shipley shipped out when his nemesis Varkonyi called John's all-in pair of 7's with an A 10. Of course, an Ace hit the board.

The Internet favorite, Russ Rosenblum, hit the skids in 5th. He will have nightmares about the J 6 of Diamonds as long as he lives. After playing brilliantly for five days, for some unimaginable reason, Russ Rosenblum tries to steal the blinds from the button by going all-in with his J 6 of Diamonds. A simple raise couldn't have been enough? If you get a play back you dump it, right? Well, Julian Gardner found pocket Aces in his big blind and had no trouble calling all-in. Now Russ had only $92k and was out the next hand with A 8 against A K to Scott Gray.

Throughout the day the chants of "Harley, Harley" were heard each time Harley Hall won another all-in. Ninth in chips to start, Hall became the crowd favorite with his survival techniques. Harley's luck finally ran out when his all-in A 2 from the small blind found Julian Gardner's K 7 in the big. The young wizard Gardner should have a thunderbolt on his forehead. Julian conjured up running sevens on Harley.

There was no stopping Robert Varkonyi. First he had half the chips on the table, then two thirds, then at the end, all of them. Why? Because Robert had the 'Ultimate Weapon.' Varkonyi had Q 10!!! Gasp!!! Not, Q 10!!!

Yes, only Robert V. had the greatest hand in poker. This hand not only won Varkonyi $2 million dollars, it cost Phil Hellmuth his hair. It was the Q 10 (suited) that took nearly all of Phil's chips on Day Three and prompted the hair-shaving boast. Now the hand took Scott Gray out in 4th. Gray only had a former great hand for Chris Ferguson, A 9. Sure, two Queens flopped for Varkonyi. When you are runnin' fantastic, that's what happens.

For simplicity probably, Rafael Perovskin changed his poker name to Ralph Perry. With either name, Ralph can play. But not when you run up against someone as hot as Robert Varkonyi. When Ralph went all-in with pocket Jacks, Varkonyi had the second best hand in poker to Q 10. He had pocket Aces in the big blind. Now there were two.

Heads up, Varkonyi the MIT Computer Sciences graduate, had a 4-1 chip lead on the school-of-hard-knocks graduate Julian Gardner. Julian's wizard powers finally were no match when faced with the awesome Q 10. When the flop came Q 4 4 with two clubs, Julian went all-in. He had the J 8 of Clubs. Forget about it! Robert Varkonyi can play Q 10 in his sleep and win. Robert flopped a Queen. In a bizarre finish to a great tournament, a Club magically appeared on the river. Gardner's still alive!

NO! It's the 10 of Clubs! Robert Varkonyi has a full house, 10's full of Queens. How fitting.

This was indeed Robert Varkonyi's day. But forever Robert will be known in poker not as the first $2 Million Dollar Man, or the player who won the first 'World Champion's' bracelet. This is a platinum and diamond bejeweled beauty valued at "…in excess of $10,000." He'll always be known as the guy who put a close shave on Phil Hellmuth.