In the final year before the infamous ‘poker boom’ of the new millennium, a new record attendance was set, and a mammoth 35 bracelet series created a party atmosphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. Two Phils caused plenty of headlines for very different reasons, and two British players reached the final nine as the WSOP Main Event awarded $2 million to the winner for the first time in poker history.
Layne Doubles Up, Ivey Trebles Up
Before 2002, Phil Ivey had only won a single WSOP bracelet. Many considered that an anomaly, as Ivey, once nicknamed ‘No Home Jerome’ for playing so many hours in casino cash games, was clearly one of the best players around at the time. In 2002, Ivey more than laid any lingering doubts over his ability to rest.
The enigmatic Ivey won three bracelets in 2002, taking down the $1,500 Limit Seven Card Stud event #5, the $2,500 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event #16, and the $2,000 Limit S.H.O.E. event #23 for just under $358,000. Another multiple bracelet winner during the 2002 series was the late and much-missed poker pro Layne Flack. The casino worker turned poker pro, who was mentored by Johnny Chan, won the $2,000 No Limit Hold’em event #4 and the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event #19 for over $571,000. After winning two more bracelets in 2003 and another in 2008, Layne Flack tragically died from a drug overdose at the age of just 52. Flack was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame posthumously in 2022.
Also, in the preliminary events, the 1987 and 1988 world champion, Johnny ‘Orient Express’ Chan (Event #9: $2,500 Heads Up No Limit Hold’em), and Billy Baxter (Event #14: $1,500 Limit Razz), both won their seventh WSOP bracelets. Interestingly, Chan won heads-up against the man who defeated him on the way to a three-peat at the 1989 WSOP Main Event, Phil Hellmuth, who had won his seventh WSOP title the year before.
New Countries Claim Gold, Harman Breaks New Ground
In news from the female poker legends, professional Jennifer Harman, who would eventually become a pro with now defunct site Full Tilt Poker, was breaking new ground. In 2002, she underlined this by taking down the $5,000 entry Limit Hold’em event #24 for $212,440, becoming the first woman to win two open WSOP bracelet events. It was an event with some great players at the business end of the action, too, with Humberto Brenes and Allen Cunningham both making the final table.
Three players won the first WSOP bracelet for their country in 2002. Danish player Jan Sorensen won the $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha event #15 for $185,000. Indonesian player and future poker legend John Juanda earned $49,620 in the $1,500 Limit Ace to Five Triple Draw event #34. Afghanistani player Qushqar Morad topped the leaderboard in the $5,000 Seven Card Stud event #22 for a reward of $172,960.
There were a few bracelet wins for other regulars at the WSOP, such as Perry Friedman (Event #3: $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo), ‘Miami’ John Cernuto (Event #6: $1,500 Limit Omaha), John Hennigan (Event #10: $2,000 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo), Thor Hansen (Event #18: $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball), Mike Matusow (Event #29: $5,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo), Allen Cunningham (Event #32: $5,000 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw), and Catherine Brown in the Women’s Championship Event #26 which took place in both Hold’em and Stud in the same tournament.
Even More Bracelet Winners
Other players who won bracelets were David Warga (Event #1: $500 Casino Employees Limit Hold’em), Mike Majerus (Event #2: $2,000 Limit Hold’em), Paul Clark (Event #7: $1,500 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo), Jack Duncan (Event #8: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha), Jay Sipelstein (Event #11: $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’em), Daniel Torla (Event #12: $2,500 Limit Seven Card Stud), John Hom (Event #13: $3,000 Limit Hold’em), Fred Berger (Event #17: $3,000 Pot Limit Hold’em), Edward Fishman (Event #20: $2,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo), John McIntosh (Event #21: $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em), Joel Chaseman (Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout), Robert Williamson III (Event #27: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha), Meng La (Event #28: $1,500 Limit Hold’em), Randal Heeb (Event #30: $3,000 No Limit Hold’em), Dan Heimiller (Event #31: $2,000 Limit Hold’em & Seven Card Stud), and Bill Swan (Event #33: $1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold’em) all before it was time for the Main Event.
Varkonyi Victorious as Poker Brat is Cut Down to Size
With a record 631 entrants, the prize pool was the biggest in a live casino of all time. With 45 players cashing in the 2002 World Championship, plenty of big names left before the money places, including a certain P. Hellmuth. The Poker Brat was disconsolate after losing most of his chips to the unknown player Robert Varkonyi. Transitioning into his seat behind the scenes as a commentator for ESPN, Hellmuth declared that should Varkonyi win the Main Event, he’d shave his head live on air.
As players such as David Sklanksky (42nd for $20,000), Ross Boatman (34th for $30,000), and Phil Ivey (23rd for $40,000) all departed before the final table, and Varkonyi, an investment banker from New York, couldn’t seem to lose. Two British players made the final seven before John Shipley busted in seventh place for $120,000. Irishman Scott Gray left in fourth for $281,840, and Ralph Perry departed in third. Somehow, Varkonyi had made the final heads-up battle, and Hellmuth was worried.
Up against Varkonyi was another Brit, the young and talented professional Julian Gardner. Both men had entered the final table outside the top three places on the leaderboard but now found themselves heads-up for a $2 million top prize or a $1.1m runner-up prize. Down to the final duel, Varkonyi had established a 6-to-1 chip lead before raising with queen-ten offsuit. Gardner called with jack-eight of clubs and check-raised all-in on a flop of Q-4-4 with two clubs. Varkonyi called and was a 2-to-1 favorite to win the championship. A ten on the turn gave the New Yorker two pair but Gardner could still win with a club as long as it wasn’t the ten.
The river was the ten of clubs, giving Varkonyi a full house, and Gardner – who made his flush – was still beaten.
Possibly even more disappointed than Gardner, Phil Hellmuth was about to lose his hair. Varkonyi took an electric razor and trimmed the first lock before Becky Binion completed the new look for the 1989 world champion. Hellmuth’s famous locks were eventually auctioned off for charity, while Robert Varkonyi was virtually never seen again, hardly cashing again in his poker career.
A smash and grab win from an invisible winner was the polar opposite of what would happen in 2003. The poker world was about to gain a new superhero, one who would change the game forever.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Robert Varkonyi | United States | $2,000,000 |
| 2nd | Julian Gardner | United Kingdom | $1,100,000 |
| 3rd | Ralph Perry | United States | $550,000 |
| 4th | Scott Gray | Ireland | $281,480 |
| 5th | Harley Hall | United States | $195,000 |
| 6th | Russell Rosenblum | United States | $150,000 |
| 7th | John Shipley | United Kingdom | $125,000 |
| 8th | Tony Duong | United States | $100,000 |
| 9th | Minh Ly | United States | $85,000 |
2001 WSOP Main Event 2003 WSOP Main Event – Part 1
About the Author: Paul Seaton has written about poker for over 10 years, interviewing some of the best players ever to play the game such as Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth. Over the years, Paul has reported live from tournaments such as the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and the European Poker Tour. He has also written for other poker brands where he was Head of Media, as well as BLUFF magazine, where he was Editor.