Under the Radar
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2003 was such a pinnacle year for televised poker that those who finalled in previous years are often met with unfamiliarity from the general poker audience. One of those is Julian Gardner, who finished second to Robert Varkonyi in 2002 for $1.1 million. I once heard a rumor that he accepted his prize money in cash, and on the flight home purchased an extra seat just for his bag of money to sit on. Pretty baller for 2002.
Despite boasting over $2.5 million in live tournament winnings (including a final this year), Gardner is rarely recognized in Rio quarters, and is usually left to fly under the radar unnoticed. My prying eyes, however, have spotted him, and this year he'll be hoping to go one place better than his previous best. At the moment, he has 40,500, so will be keen to increase that figure before the end of the day.