Jonathan Duhamel 2010 WSOP Champ
Well, another WSOP is in the bag and once again a no-name punk kid has won about $9 million! LOL. Jonathan Duhamel did play some decent poker going into the final few tables at the Main Event, but I wanted to give my take on the recent WSOP champions and final table participants.
Joe Cada, Jonathan Duhamel... great poker players? That remains to be seen, but a trend that started years ago is continuing, in that no-name your kids are winning the WSOP Main Event. Does that mean it is just luck? Hardly. However, in a tournament with a field the size of the Main Event, luck does play a large part. Why do you think more top pros are not at the Final table?
Amazing showings by the likes of Mizrachi and Ivey have bucked the trend somewhat, but by and large, the guys pulling down enormous paydays at the Main Event are players who do not have a large back catalog of winning poker tournaments. This is probably good news for the average Joe, (pun intended, Cada!) but all it really means is that one poker tournament is just a snapshot in time.
Much like one at-bat does not make a great baseball player, or one good tournament does not make a Tiger Woods, so it is the same with poker and I think that is what everyone needs to remember. Anyone (literally) can win the WSOP Main Event one time. Showing up big and cashing in tournament after tournament is another feat entirely.
I thought John Racener probably played the best poker at this years Final Table and leading up to it, but he didn't win. By the same token, Joe Cada consistently got in with the worst hands and sucked out to win last years event, so I just don't buy making these kids poker kings because they get lucky and rode a wave of bad beats to win one tournament. This is not said out of spite or jealousy, but in all seriousness, once you have the WSOP record of Ivey or Hellmuth, then lets talk about it.
I forget. How did Joe Cada do this year?
Well, another WSOP is in the bag and once again a no-name punk kid has won about $9 million! LOL. Jonathan Duhamel did play some decent poker going into the final few tables at the Main Event, but I wanted to give my take on the recent WSOP champions and final table participants.
Joe Cada, Jonathan Duhamel... great poker players? That remains to be seen, but a trend that started years ago is continuing, in that no-name your kids are winning the WSOP Main Event. Does that mean it is just luck? Hardly. However, in a tournament with a field the size of the Main Event, luck does play a large part. Why do you think more top pros are not at the Final table?
Amazing showings by the likes of Mizrachi and Ivey have bucked the trend somewhat, but by and large, the guys pulling down enormous paydays at the Main Event are players who do not have a large back catalog of winning poker tournaments. This is probably good news for the average Joe, (pun intended, Cada!) but all it really means is that one poker tournament is just a snapshot in time.
Much like one at-bat does not make a great baseball player, or one good tournament does not make a Tiger Woods, so it is the same with poker and I think that is what everyone needs to remember. Anyone (literally) can win the WSOP Main Event one time. Showing up big and cashing in tournament after tournament is another feat entirely.
I thought John Racener probably played the best poker at this years Final Table and leading up to it, but he didn't win. By the same token, Joe Cada consistently got in with the worst hands and sucked out to win last years event, so I just don't buy making these kids poker kings because they get lucky and rode a wave of bad beats to win one tournament. This is not said out of spite or jealousy, but in all seriousness, once you have the WSOP record of Ivey or Hellmuth, then lets talk about it.
I forget. How did Joe Cada do this year?
