The complexion of no-limit hold-em changes dramatically when games go short-handed, which is typically what is being televised on WPT. Making plays becomes essential when you get down to two or three people and you are playing every hand, because only very rarely will a flop actually hit someone's hand.
For ring games with a full table, playing the odds is the much safer approach because with nine other opponents, it is much more likely for one of your opponents to be holding an actual hand.
The great players are the ones who are able to change gears according to game conditions.
FWIW Varkonyi did not necessarily "get the crap kicked out of him" in the 2003 Series. And it certainly did not have anything to do with his "playing style".
He had the extreme misfortune of pocket kings on the same hand that Scotty Nguyen picked up pocket aces. There are very few circumstances where ANY player is going to get away from that hand without losing all their chips.
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Not to detract from Hansen because he certainly plays his hands well enough when he does get them.
But is pretty easy to bully a table when you are catching the kind of cards he has been catching.
While poker is ultimately a game of skill and knowledge in the long run, luck has certainly played an important role in Hansen's victories.
The complexion of no-limit hold-em changes dramatically when games go short-handed, which is typically what is being televised on WPT. Making plays becomes essential when you get down to two or three people and you are playing every hand, because only very rarely will a flop actually hit someone's hand.
For ring games with a full table, playing the odds is the much safer approach because with nine other opponents, it is much more likely for one of your opponents to be holding an actual hand.
The great players are the ones who are able to change gears according to game conditions.
FWIW Varkonyi did not necessarily "get the crap kicked out of him" in the 2003 Series. And it certainly did not have anything to do with his "playing style". He had the extreme misfortune of pocket kings on the same hand that Scotty Nguyen picked up pocket aces. There are very few circumstances where ANY player is going to get away from that hand without losing all their chips.