Robert Varkonyi is an American poker palyer who won the 2002 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
Born in New York, Varkonyi graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from MIT Sloan School of Management and was an investment banker.
In 2002, he defeated Julian Gardner heads-up to win $2,000,000 and the WSOP Main Event title.
Seven years later, he was invited to compete in the first ever WSOP Champions Invitational along with 19 other former WSOP Main Event champions. He finished second to 1983 Main Event winner Tom McEvoy.
WSOP Main Event Winners 1993-2002
| YEAR | ENTRIES | CHAMPION | COUNTRY | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 631 | Robert Varkonyi | United States | $2,000,000 |
| 2001 | 613 | Carlos Mortensen | Spain | $1,500,000 |
| 2000 | 512 | Chris Ferguson | United States | $1,500,000 |
| 1999 | 393 | Noel Furlong | Ireland | $1,000,000 |
| 1998 | 350 | Scotty Nguyen | Vietnam | $1,000,000 |
| 1997 | 312 | Stu Ungar | United States | $1,000,000 |
| 1996 | 295 | Huck Seed | United States | $1,000,000 |
| 1995 | 273 | Dan Harrington | United States | $1,000,000 |
| 1994 | 268 | Russ Hamilton | United States | $1,000,000 |
| 1993 | 220 | Jim Bechtel | United States | $1,000,000 |
