Poker Info Source » Sam Farha

Sam Farha beats the crap out of Phil Hellmuth

Steven — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:41:34 +0000

Phil Hellmuth obviously complains about Sammy Farha playing the hand like a genius but hey… that’s just Phil!

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Why is the World Series of Poker so successful?

Steven — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:52:27 +0000

Last year marked the first time in the past four years that the number of players in the WSOP no-limit hold‘em main event had decreased, with attendance dropping more than 2300 players, a decline of over 25%. Yet, it was still had “the richest payout in all of sports,” with a total prize pool of almost $60 million and first prize being worth $8.25 million. Despite the drop in attendance, the main event still garnered 6, 358 players, which is quite impressive when compared to the 839 entrants of the first widely televised WSOP in 2003. It is widely known that poker has exploded in popularity recently, but why is it that this event in particular has done so well? Principally, victories by amateurs Robert Varkonyi in 2002 and Chris Moneymaker (beating Sam Farha in a thriller heads up!) in 2003 showed people that anyone who paid an entry fee to the main event had a chance of capturing the championship. Even a “weaker” player like Jamie Gold proved he could win big, again motivating newcomers to the game!

Big poker tournaments have been broadcast for years but were not highly publicized until millions of people tuned in to watch the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event. Earlier tournaments did not employ the ‘card cam’, a small camera implanted in the table that allows the viewer to see a player’s cards during a hand. This change completely revolutionized televised poker, as commentators no longer had to blindly guess as to what hands the players were holding. At the same time that the ‘card cam’ technology was implemented, the two players mentioned above won back-to-back tournaments, inspiring thousands to take up the game and buy their way into the WSOP.

Yet, the no limit hold’em main event has a buy-in of $10,000, making it one of the more expensive events to enter. Even though all of the tournaments have grown in popularity, none have expanded as much as the main event. Why don’t amateurs enter into the smaller events, where the buy-in is smaller and the chance of winning greater? It’s because the main event is the pinnacle of poker competition, even if it is in name alone. The winner is named ‘World Champion’ for a year and gets his/her name emblazoned alongside past greats who have won the event. Imagine being able to buy yourself a spot in the Super Bowl and have a chance to make the winning kick at the end of the game; this is what it is like to play in the World Series of Poker Main Event, where the player really does have a chance to win it all. Although the immense swell of poker players has recently subsided, the game will retain its newfound increased popularity as long as amateurs continue to compete – and win – in the biggest tournament in the world.

Sam Farha and Oliver Hudson both flop a boat

Steven — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:40:57 +0000

World Series of Poker 2005. Sam Farha and Oliver Hudson both flop a full house. Sammy has the nuts. Oliver Hudson thinks he has the nuts. He goes out in his first hand, Sammy doubles up.

Aah the terror of No Limit Hold’em.

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Daniel Negreanu makes an excellent laydown

Steven — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:20:25 +0000

Daniel Negreanu gets a lot of respect in the poker world and that’s pretty much thanks to making laydowns like this one. Sammy Farha possibly got a little greedy on the river but hey — if you feel Daniel Negreanu has a straight you’re thinking he’ll pay you off right?

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I like the respect Sammy shows to Daniel in the end. Two top players.

Sam Farha gets sucked out on… by Phil Ivey

Steven — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:04:05 +0000

Can’t blame Phil Ivey for calling that all-in with his set. With a flushdraw + two overs Sammy Farha might have done the same — so I guess it’s the right call (i’m SURE the call was good, even with sammy’s set, the pot odds say definate call).

Anyway, Farha flips over the straight, Ivey makes runner runner boat. Go figure.

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Sammy Farha on “playing solid”

Steven — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:53:59 +0000

I love this guy — he talks about High Stakes Poker, but also about ‘playing the players’ and what playing solid means to a poker pro like Sammy Farha. Sammy is a high-action player, but he’s also a great sport. Excellent interview, he shows he knows what he’s doing here!

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You the man, Sammy!