Robert Varkonyi is a professional poker player who was born on October 7, 1961 in New York. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Before taking up professional poker as a full-time career, Robert Varkonyi worked as an investment banker in Wall Street for more than ten years. His wife, Olga, a Russian/English interpreter, is also a poker player who played at the 2005 World Series of Poker. Robert Varkonyi has two daughters; he named his first daughter Victoria after he won the Main Event of the World Series of Poker in 2002. He currently resides with his family in Great Neck, New York.
It was J. P. Massar, popularly known as “Mr. M,” who coached Robert Varkonyi. His mentor was notorious for founding the MIT blackjack team that used its card-counting techniques and sophisticated strategies to beat casinos. Using the knowledge he learned at MIT, Robert Varkonyi finished tenth and won $1,266 in the U. S. Poker Championship Event 7 No-Limit Hold’em in December 2000. During the 33rd Annual World Series of Poker WSOP World Championship – No-Limit Hold’em in 2002, he outplayed Julian Gardner and walked away with first place and $2,000,000. This win brought him instant fame. Though Phil Hellmuth, commentator and fellow poker player, predicted that Robert Varkonyi was an amateur and would never win the tournament, he played a brilliant game and proved him wrong.
Robert Varkonyi went on to finish first again and earn a sizeable amount of $19,585 at the 2nd Annual Linda Johnson Celebrity Challenge No-Limit Hold’em later that year. If it had not been for Scotty Nguyen, five time WSOP bracelet winner, Robert Varkonyi would have had a fair chance of repeating his victory at the 2003 WSOP. In April 2006, he made $4,015 with a sixth-place finish at the No-Limit Hold’em Tournament. He also participated in the Holiday Bonus Tournament, Event 16 No-Limit Hold’em Championship during November 2006 and bagged $3,690 by finishing 17th. In January 2007, Robert Varkonyi secured fourth place and walked away with $6,430 at the Poker Derby Event 3 No-Limit Hold’em. At the 38th Annual WSOP Event 55 – WSOP No-Limit Hold’em Championship held in 2007, he outlasted six thousand players to finish 177th and earn $51,398.
Apart from poker, Robert Varkonyi loves to play tennis and wants to become a writer. His article is a regular feature in Card Player magazine. He is also promoting a new casino card game called Hawaii Hi/Lo. Robert Varkonyi makes instructional poker videos as well. His first one was a documentary titled Poker Kings. His second poker video, Wise Guys on Texas Hold’em, became famous because the cast included actors who starred in the popular serial The Sopranos. His favorite movie is The Gods Must Be Crazy and his favorite music is from the 70s and 80s.
