Robert Varkonyi
Robert Varkonyi was born in New York on October 7, 1961. He began his illustrious poker career as an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Upon graduation in 1983, with one degree in computer science & engineering and a second degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management, Robert worked on Wall Street for many years before deciding to hang up the investment hat and try his luck in the poker world.
Robert is famous for winning the World Series of Poker in 2002, taking home a prize of $2,000,000. At the time he was considered just an amateur, or ‘dead money’. Commentator Phil Hellmuth, who promised to shave his head if Varkonyi won the tournament, lived to eat those words. Robert also won first place ($21,000) in the very next tournament that he played down in Costa Rica the following month. Robert is a regular columnist for Card Player magazine, films instructional poker videos and was profiled in the documentary “Poker Kings”. Robert currently lives with his wife Olga and daughter Victoria in Great Neck, New York.
Besides accomplishing the dream of every poker player, Robert has proven to be an excellent teacher. His wife Olga, whom he introduced to poker just a few weeks before winning the Big One, plays very competitively herself. She originated from Russia, where she worked as an educator teaching English. While residing in the United States she used to work as a Russian/English translator and interpreter. Now she is a part time mother and part time poker player. Robert is looking to see Olga enjoy the same success that he has experienced in the world of Poker. In fact Olga made her television debut in 2003 when she placed in 22nd place at the Sands Million Dollar Showdown $10K event. Olga’s story was again followed by the TV cameras when she played her first World Series of Poker Championship Event in 2005. She made it deep into the money, outlasting about 5,400 players in the record field of 5,619.
Click here for a history of Rob ’s Poker achievements and titles.
