2001 - A Year to Remember

This holiday season is one that I suppose will have more meaning for most of us than in years past. We are ending a year that will never be forgotten. The events of Sept. 11 are etched in history just as those of Dec. 7, 1941, are. And like it or not, our lives are changed forever. Terrorism is something we must always be aware of and continually fight. Honor those who fight this battle.

As for poker, it was an amazing year. You've heard the saying, "Youth will prevail." Well, that sure seemed to be the story for tournament poker in 2001. The youth brigade, led by John Juanda, Carlos Mortensen, Allen Cunningham, and Daniel Negreanu, certainly shot down the theory that many have about "needing years of experience to succeed at poker."

Let's salute some of the top tournament players of 2001. We'll start with the reigning World Champion of Poker Carlos Mortensen. Carlos, who is 28 years old, is from Madrid, Spain. Although virtually unknown here in the United States, he was a five-year poker pro prior to winning the world championship. He played most of his poker in Europe.

In March, Carlos played in the Bay 101's Shooting Stars $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em championship event. He defeated 150 players to capture that title. Along with his $60,000 in prize money, Carlos won a paid entry into the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker championship event at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas. He parlayed that entry into $1.5 million and poker immortality. And I sincerely thought that Carlos played the best poker at both of those final tables. The guy can play!

The next player I'll pay tribute to is the youthful, quiet, and confident John Juanda of Alhambra, California. John was leading the 2001 Player of the Year race at the time of this writing. What I like about John is that he is a versatile player who continually works on improving his game. He won numerous tournaments this past year and had more final-table finishes than any other player at the time of this writing. Congratulations, John, on an incredible year!

Former World Champion Scotty Nguyen is "The Man" in tournament poker. As he would say, "You know it, baby." What a fantastic year Scotty had! He was running second to Juanda in the Player of the Year race at the time of this writing, but for quality wins, it's hard to top Scotty. In addition to winning a number of tournaments in 2001, as well as finishing third in the Tournament of Champions, Scotty won two events at both the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods! That is quite a feat. And one of those wins at Foxwoods (for almost $160,000) was in the $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em championship event. Well done, Scotty!

It seems only fair to get away from the youth brigade for a moment and recognize someone of my generation. If I were to select an "older gentleman" for his performance in 2001, Card Player Publisher Barry Shulman would get the nod. At the top of his tournament performances this year were wins at the WSOP (stud eight-or-better – his first bracelet) and the Four Queens Poker Classic, in the $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em championship event, where he defeated Allen Cunningham, one of the youth brigade. Additionally, I would rate Barry as the most improved player for 2001, regardless of age. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Barry, you provide hope for everyone. Nice job!

Nani Dollison was the top woman player of the year – in a walk. In addition to victories at several major tournaments, she was a two-time winner at the WSOP! She not only won the ladies world championship event, she also captured the $2,000 buy-in limit hold'em tournament (with 615 entrants) and $441,440. Way to go, Nani!

I'd like to conclude with a tribute to poker standout Hemish Shah, who died in August. Hemish, who was from London, was well-liked by everyone. He loved to laugh and play jokes on friends, and had plenty of gamble in him. Whenever he was stuck in a big poker game at night's end, he would venture to the roulette wheel and make a huge bet to "get out" – which he invariably did. He always considered himself lucky.

A year ago at this time, I was at a tournament in Paris. I had dinner with Hemish one night and he said that he wanted to play more big tournaments (he was primarily a high-stakes cash-game player). He asked me what I was going to do when the tournament in Paris was over. I told him I was going to stop at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and play the last two events at the U.S. Poker Championship before returning to Vegas. He said, "That sounds good. I might go there, too." And he did, and he played the last couple of events at the Taj. He won the $1,000 buy-in hold'em tournament and finished fifth in the $7,500 buy-in no-limit hold'em championship event – amazing stuff.

Hemish then set his sights on winning an event at the WSOP. He came to the United States a week before the "big one." He wasn't feeling well the day of the $5,000 buy-in limit hold'em tournament, but decided to enter anyway. Somehow, he held himself together enough to win that event (and $312,340) and capture the bracelet he coveted. He was feeling so ill the following day that he didn't play in the championship event. In fact, he never played poker again.

Hemish returned to London, stayed in the hospital for three months, and then died of unknown causes. He was 42. It seems only fitting that the last tournament he played was the one he won at the WSOP. We miss you, Hemish. Rest in peace.

With all that's happened this year, and without knowing what the future will bring to any of us, cherish your loved ones more than ever this holiday season.

Take care.