Ranking the WSOP Champions since 2002 Part 2 of 2
A look at the World Series of Poker Champions prior to 2001 shows a list that is basically made up of not just poker professionals, but some of the best poker players of that time period. Even with total entries exceeding 500 and 600 players respectively the 2000 Champion was Chris Ferguson, and the 2001 Champion was Carlos Mortensen -with two Poker Hall of Famers as the runners up in Dewey Tomko and TJ Cloutier.
Since the 2001 WSOP every Main Event Champion has been more of a mystery than a known commodity, and including the runners up, only Sam Farha in 2003 was a “known” poker player. Although these players haven’t been household names when they won the WSOP, some have gone on to prove themselves worthy of the title -while some other have not.
In this article I’ll rank the nine players who have the Main Event since 2002 in terms of their poker ability, their impact on the game as an ambassador or spokesperson will not come into play. Here is a look at #’s 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1:
#5 - Chris Moneymaker
Moneymaker’s poker ability is overshadowed by his impact on the game, and since not even Phil Ivey would be considered a success if he was viewed in the same light as Moneymaker, I think Chris has done an excellent job as the most recognized poker player who is not really a top poker pro.
#4 - Greg Raymer
Raymer is definitely not the first player who comes to mind when you start talking about skill in recent Main Event winners, but “Fossilman” definitely has the respect of his peers in the poker world when it comes to be a cagey poker player. In addition to his fairly strong tournament results since his WSOP win, Greg is also a very solid cash-game player, and he could easily be ranked in the Top 3 of this list.
#3 - Jonathan Duhamel
Even though he is the most recent Main Event winner, Duhamel doesn’t appear to be an average poker player -having already won an EPT High-Roller tournament and having a Final Four appearance in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship to his credit. Duhamel is one of only three players on this list that I think can challenge for the top spot with future results; the others being Joe Cada and Peter Eastgate -everyone else is past their prime in my opinion.
#2 - Peter Eastgate
Eastgate’s sudden retirement in 2010 was a blow to poker considering he seemed to be the first Main Event Champions since 2005 that could hold his own in the high-stakes poker world. Fortunately Eastgate is back at the tables after his 9-month Brett Favre-like retirement, and we’ll get to see which way his career goes.
#1 - Joe Hachem
Of all the recent WSOP Champions Hachem has been the most consistent player since winning the Main Event in 2005. Hachem has won over $3.5 million since his WSOP victory, including a WPT title and is a frequent guest on High Stakes Poker, The PokerStars Big Game and other televised poker shows. Overall, Hachem is my pick as the most skillful post-boom Main Event Champion.
