2002 World Series of Poker
Encyclopedia
The 2002 World Series of Poker
(WSOP) was held at Binion's Horseshoe
.
This edition was historically notable for two reasons. It was the first WSOP in which pocket cams
were installed to allow broadcasters (on tape delay) to show the players' hole cards, although only for the Main Event (today, the cameras are used at most WSOP events). It was also the last WSOP before the 2003
Main Event victory of amateur Chris Moneymaker
helped launch the 2000s poker boom
.
Note: Phil Hellmuth, as part of ESPN's broadcast team, during the first hour of their final table coverage said he would shave his head if Robert Varkonyi won the tournament. At the conclusion of the tournament, Phil is seen having his head shaved.
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP) was held at Binion's Horseshoe
Binion's Horseshoe
Binion's Horseshoe, also known as the Horseshoe Casino or simply The Horseshoe, was a hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on what is now the Fremont Street Experience. The casino was named for its founder, Benny Binion and had 366 rooms, three restaurants and a rooftop pool.The...
.
This edition was historically notable for two reasons. It was the first WSOP in which pocket cams
Hole cam
In poker, a hole cam is a camera that displays a player's face-down cards to television viewers.The hole cam became popular in 1999 when the Late Night Poker program first began using it in televised tournaments shown on British Channel 4...
were installed to allow broadcasters (on tape delay) to show the players' hole cards, although only for the Main Event (today, the cameras are used at most WSOP events). It was also the last WSOP before the 2003
2003 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time...
Main Event victory of amateur Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker
Christopher Bryan Moneymaker is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker . His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker site...
helped launch the 2000s poker boom
Poker boom
The poker boom was a period between 2003 and 2006, during which poker, primarily no limit Texas hold 'em, but also other variations, became considerably more popular around the world...
.
Preliminary events
| Event | Winner | Prize | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500 Casino Employee's Limit Betting (poker) In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing... Hold'em |
David Warga David Warga (poker player) David Warga poker dealer who won a bracelet in the 2002 Casino Employees Championship event at the World Series of Poker and then at the 2010 World Series of Poker won his second bracelet in an open event in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better.... |
$47,300 | Leon Wheeler |
| $2,000 Limit Hold'em | Mike Majerus | $407,120 | David Chiu David Chiu (poker player) David Chiu is a Chinese American professional poker player, based in Rowland Heights, California, who has won four World Series of Poker bracelets. He is also the winner of the 2008 World Poker Tour's WPT World Championship, and the first winner of the Tournament of Champions of Poker.Chiu was a... |
| $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Split | Perry Friedman Perry Friedman Perry Friedman is an American professional poker player who won the 2002 World Series of Poker $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better event, a founding member of the Tiltboys and is a Full Tilt Professional.- World Series of Poker :... |
$176,860 | Greg Mascio |
| $2,000 No Limit Betting (poker) In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing... Hold'em |
Layne Flack Layne Flack Layne Flack is an American professional poker player, residing in Montana and Nevada.He met up with Johnny Chan who helped him improve his game and, following a big loss, encouraged Flack to ensure he had a lot of rest before a tournament... |
$303,880 | Tom Jacobs |
| $1,500 Seven Card Stud | Phil Ivey Phil Ivey Phillip Dennis "Phil" Ivey Jr. is an American professional poker player who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables... |
$132,000 | Toto Leonidas Toto Leonidas Alfredo C. "Toto" Leonidas is an American Poker player with over $3,200,000 in live tournament lifetime winnings. His 24 cashes as the WSOP account for $812,218 of those winnings.... |
| $1,500 Limit Omaha | John Cernuto John Cernuto "Miami" John Cernuto is an American professional poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada, specialising in Omaha hi-lo events.-Early years:... |
$73,320 | Randy Holland Randy Holland Randy Holland is a Canadian poker player.Holland has won two World Series of Poker titles: razz in 1996 and seven card stud high low in 2000. In addition he was won other events, including at the Bicycle Casino, Commerce Casino and Foxwoods casino.... |
| $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split | Paul Clark Paul Clark (poker player) Paul "Eskimo" Clark is an American professional poker player, living in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Life and career:Before turning to poker, Paul Clark was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he worked as a medic.... |
$125,200 | Andrew Prock |
| $1,500 Pot Limit Betting (poker) In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing... Omaha |
Jack Duncan | $192,560 | Lindy Chambers |
| $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Gold Bracelet Match Play | Johnny Chan Johnny Chan (poker player) Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively.... |
$34,000 | Phil Hellmuth Jr. Phil Hellmuth Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality... |
| $2,000 H.O.R.S.E. | John Hennigan John Hennigan (poker player) John Hennigan is an American professional poker player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who, in his career, has won two World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title.... |
$117,320 | Ben Tang |
| $2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em | Jay Sipelstein | $150,240 | Barny Boatman Barny Boatman Barny M. P. Boatman , is an English professional poker player and the oldest member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob... |
| $2,500 Seven Card Stud | Dan Torla | $115,600 | Bill Gibbs |
| $3,000 Limit Hold'em | John Hom | $174,840 | Benny Wan |
| $1,500 Razz Razz (poker) Razz is a form of stud poker that is normally played for ace-to-five low . The object of Razz is to make the lowest possible five-card hand from the seven cards you are dealt. In Razz, straights and flushes do not count against the player for low, and the ace usually plays low... |
Billy Baxter Billy Baxter (poker player) William E. Baxter, Jr. is an American professional poker player and sports bettor. He has won numerous tournament titles in his career as a professional poker player, including seven World Series of Poker bracelets.... |
$64,860 | Chico Flynn |
| $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha | Jan Vang Sørensen | $185,000 | Brent Carter Brent Carter Brent R. Carter is an American professional poker player from Oak Park, Illinois who has won two World Series of Poker bracelets. He now lives in Treasure Island, Florida.-Poker Career:... |
| $2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo | Phil Ivey | $118,440 | Sirous Baghchehsaraie |
| $3,000 Pot Limit Hold'em | Fred Berger | $197,400 | Chris Ferguson Chris Ferguson Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S... |
| $1,500 Ace to Five Lowball Lowball (poker) Some forms of poker, often called lowball, sometimes called low poker, reward poor poker hands . There are four common variations on this idea, differing in whether aces are treated as high cards or low cards, and whether or not straights and flushes are used. The methods are:* Ace-to-five low:... |
Thor Hansen Thor Hansen Thor Harald Hansen is a professional poker player. He was recruited by Larry Flynt to play poker for him after Hansen played against him in Las Vegas in the mid 1990s. He has two WSOP braclets, one from the 1988 WSOP in Seven-card stud, and then later in Deuce to Seven Lowball in the 2002 WSOP... |
$62,600 | Brian Nadell |
| $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | Layne Flack | $268,020 | Johnny Chan |
| $2,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Split | Eddie Fishman | $135,360 | Doug Saab |
| $1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em | John McIntosh | $177,380 | Mel Weiner |
| $5,000 Seven Card Stud | Qushqar Morad | $172,960 | Steven Banks |
| $2,000 S.H.O.E. | Phil Ivey | $107,540 | Diego Cordovez Diego Cordovez Diego Cordovez is an American poker player. He has won one World Series of Poker bracelet, and he has 16 WSOP cash finishes including 7 final tables. He has won over $1.4 Million in career tournament winnings... |
| $5,000 Limit Hold'em | Jennifer Harman Jennifer Harman Jennifer C. Harman-Traniello is an American professional poker player.-Early life:Harman was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She started playing poker in 1972 at the age of eight... |
$221,440 | Brian Green |
| $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout | Joel Chaseman | $96,400 | Gene Timberlake |
| $1,000 Ladies' Championship | Catherine Brown | $39,880 | Marie Sohn |
| $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha | Robert Williamson III Robert Williamson III Robert Williamson III is an American poker player from Dallas, Texas.Williamson grew up with three sisters and his best friend, Chris Caywood in Granbury, Texas and received B.B.A. degrees in finance and real estate from Angelo State University in San Angelo.He began playing aged 10 or 11, after... |
$201,160 | Patrick Bruel Patrick Bruel Patrick Bruel is a French singer, actor, and professional poker player of Algerian Jewish descent.-Biography:... |
| $1,500 Limit Hold'em | Meng La | $190,920 | Steve Kaufman |
| $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split | Mike Matusow Mike Matusow Michael Matusow is an American professional poker player, residing in Henderson, Nevada. Matusow's nickname of "The Mouth" reflects his reputation for trash-talking at the poker table... |
$148,520 | Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big... |
| $3,000 No Limit Hold'em | Randal Heeb | $367,240 | Sherman Burry |
| $2,000 1/2 Hold'em, 1/2 Stud | Dan Heimiller Dan Heimiller Daniel Heimiller in is an American professional poker player who won the ½ Hold'em - ½ Seven-Card Stud event at the 2002 World Series of Poker. His total live tournament winnings exceed $2.2 million.... |
$108,300 | Ram Vaswani Ram Vaswani Ram Vaswani is an English professional snooker player, turned professional poker player and the youngest member of The Hendon Mob... |
| $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw Draw (poker) A poker player is drawing if they have a hand that is incomplete and needs further cards to become valuable. The hand itself is called a draw or drawing hand. For example, in seven-card stud, if four of a player's first five cards are all spades, but the hand is otherwise weak, they are drawing to... No Limit |
Allen Cunningham Allen Cunningham Allen Cunningham is an American professional poker player.Cunningham studied civil engineering at UCLA before dropping out of school to play poker professionally. At the age of 18, he began playing at in Indian casinos... |
$160,200 | O'Neil Longson O'Neil Longson O'Neil Longson is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada, who has won three bracelets at the World Series of Poker.-Poker career:... |
| $1,000 Seniors' No Limit Championship | Bill Swan | $134,000 | Mike Sexton Mike Sexton Michael Richard Sexton is an American professional poker player and commentator. He is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.-Early years:... |
| $1,500 Triple Draw Lowball Ace to Five | John Juanda John Juanda Johnson "John" Juanda is a Chinese Indonesian professional poker player based in Marina del Rey, California. Juanda lives in Los Angeles.-Personal life:... |
$49,620 | Paul Phillips Paul Phillips (poker player) Paul Phillips is an American entrepreneur and poker player.-Programming:Phillips wrote the Boa web server while attending the University of California, San Diego, but no longer maintains it... |
Main Event
There were 631 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament (by prize pool) ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time.Final table
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Robert Varkonyi Robert Varkonyi Robert Varkonyi is an American poker player, best known for winning the main event of the 2002 World Series of Poker.-Early years:Varkonyi was born in and raised in New York... |
$2,000,000 |
| 2nd | Julian Gardner | $1,100,000 |
| 3rd | Ralph Perry Ralph Perry (poker player) Rafael "Ralph" Perry is a professional poker player originally from Russia. He has been playing professionally since 1992.In 2006, Perry represented Russia at the inaugural Intercontinental Poker Championship and reached the semi-finals, during which he was the target of some much-publicised... |
$550,000 |
| 4th | Scott Gray | $281,480 |
| 5th | Harley Hall | $195,000 |
| 6th | Russell Rosenblum | $150,000 |
| 7th | John Shipley John Shipley John Shipley is an English professional poker player from Solihull, West Midlands.Amongst his money finishes at the World Series of Poker are a 7th place finish in the 2002 $10,000 no limit hold'em main event, where he earned $125,000... |
$125,000 |
| 8th | Tony D | $100,000 |
| 9th | Minh Ly Minh Ly Minh Hoang Ly is a Vietnamese-American professional poker player based in Temple City, California. He is a regular in "The Big Game" and is married to Lu Binh.... |
$85,000 |
Note: Phil Hellmuth, as part of ESPN's broadcast team, during the first hour of their final table coverage said he would shave his head if Robert Varkonyi won the tournament. At the conclusion of the tournament, Phil is seen having his head shaved.
Other High Finishes
NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 13th | Martin de Knijff Martin De Knijff Martin de Knijff is a professional sports bettor and high-stakes poker player from Gothenburg, Sweden.His last name is from his Dutch father. His mother is Swedish... |
$60,000 |
| 14th | Yoshio Nakano Yoshio Nakano Yoshio Nakano is a professional poker player and entrepreneur who resides in Long Beach, California.He has played professionally for over 20 years and is a long-time regular at high stakes poker tables at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles... |
$60,000 |
| 23rd | Phil Ivey Phil Ivey Phillip Dennis "Phil" Ivey Jr. is an American professional poker player who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables... |
$40,000 |
| 24rd | Minh Nguyen Minh Nguyen Minh Nguyen is a Vietnamese American professional poker player is a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, residing in Bell Gardens, California.... |
$40,000 |