WSOP Main Event 'What Ifs'
Barry Carter asks 'what if' some of the most famous WSOP Main Event encounters had turned out differently; what would the game be like today?
If only Carlos Mortensen had made the November Nine final table, we would have been left with the most stacked Main Event final table since the poker boom. The Main Event is such a big occasion that it conjures up a lot of 'what if' situations; here are a few worth pondering:
What if Darvin Moon had beaten Joe Cada?
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| Darvin Moon |
The 2009 November Nine final table is actually one of the more forgettable finals, but perhaps it could have been very different.
Yes, it did feature Phil Ivey; and yes, had he won it would have been a massive story. However, the truth is that he was always low in chips and wasn't able to make a big impact.
One man who almost did win it, however, was Darvin "Everyman" Moon, who lost heads-up to Joe Cada. At a table full of pros (and of course the greatest player of all time), this tree logger from Maryland winning the gold would have had shades of the Moneymaker story.
Would it have created a second poker boom? It is doubtful it would have ever had the impact of Chris Moneymaker's victory in 2003, but I like to think it would have created a renewed interest in the game among amateurs.
What if Steve Dannenmann had beaten Joe Hachem?
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| Aussie Aussie Aussie |
Another all round everyman who lost heads-up in the Main Event was accountant Steve Dannenmann. At a table of high pressure and higher testosterone, Steve's mild manner and cheery nature was a breath of fresh air.
This match in 2005 was too near to the original poker boom for it to spark another. Here, the big question is what would have happened to Australian poker had Joe Hachem lost?
Australians love sport and they love winners, and Joe Hachem became a national hero overnight - especially after his rail deafened the Rio with chants of "Aussie Aussie Aussie".
Hachem's victory lit a fuse for a fully fledged poker boom in Australia. In fact, it was in direct thanks to his victory that the Crown Australia Poker Championships rebranded to become the Aussie Millions, more than quadrupled in size, and became one of the biggest events on the poker calendar.
Perhaps we wouldn't have seen events like the WSOP APAC and the ANZPT had it not been for Hachem's victory.
What if Johnny Chan had retained the title for a third time?
Back-to-back champion Johnny Chan was on the verge of winning the Main Event three times in a row in 1989. He was heads-up for the title and, had he won, would have become the first man to win three consecutive Main Events.
Unfortunately for Chan, a 24-year-old upstart called Phil Hellmuth stood in his way; upon defeating the reigning champion Hellmuth became the youngest player ever to win the Main Event.
The questions is not what would have happened to legacy of Johnny Chan had he retained his title. The question is whether we would still have the 'Poker Brat' today if Phil had narrowly missed out?
Phil's entire career is based on legacy (his bracelet count being the biggest way he measures it today) but no doubt that was kickstarted by becoming the youngest Main Event champion and dethroning a legend on his way to it.
We would still have Phil Hellmuth I'm sure, but the Poker Brat? Maybe not.
What if Gaelle or Elisabeth got there?
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| Elisabeth Hille & Gaelle Baumann |
Although we will almost certainly never see a boom anywhere near the size of the Moneymaker boom, the WSOP Main Event is still responsible for several 'mini booms'.
For example, there is the aforementioned Joe Hachem and his Australian boom. Likewise, Pius Heinz kickstarted a period of dominance for German professionals after his win.
The most notable thing about the 2012 November Nine is what could have been. Had either Elisabeth Hille or Gaelle Baumann made the final table, instead of coming 11th and 10th respectively, we would almost certainly have seen the first truly big boom in female interest in the game.
Don't get me wrong, women's poker is on the up - this year's WSOP has already been a testament to that with two female victories in open events. A woman making it to the November Nine, however, would have surely caused an explosion of interest.
The fact that they were both attractive girls and both European would have further added to the demographics they would appeal to. The one positive is that the entire poker world was disappointed they didn't get there and there is now a heightened awareness of how important the role of women in poker is for the game.
What if Sammy had called?
No discussion on pivotal moments in poker history can have anything but a mention of Chris Moneymaker as the final talking point.
We all know how important his victory was in creating the industry we know today, but it could have all been different if the most famous hand from the 2003 Main Event had gone the other way.
Sammy Farha knew what Moneymaker had; he even said it in fact - "you must have missed your flush". But something inside made him second guess himself, eventually fold, and go on to lose the next hand and the championship.
Had he called, it would have just been yet another pro winning the Main Event and Chris Moneymaker would have been little more than a quiz question years later.
Poker would have boomed, of that I have no doubt, because of the growth of the online game. However it would never have exploded in the way that it did, which was thanks to one of the most amazing stories in the history of any sport.
Thankfully, that is one 'what if' I am glad we will never see played out.
