Betting on a shave

So, I just opened my mouth and blurted it out. It seemed to be a pretty safe thing to say, especially at that time, and I wasn’t very impressed with Robert’s play, anyway. So, I said, "If Robert Varkonyi wins the World Series of Poker, I’ll shave my head."

When you talk big, sometimes you have to follow through. That's what Phil Hellmuth found out at the 2002 World Series of Poker. Phil shares his story on CardPlayer.com, wherein he made the above statement on camera. And of course, Robert Varkonyi went on to become the 2002 world champion of poker.

[...] the crowd started chanting, "Shave Phil’s head, shave Phil’s head ..."

Of course, Becky Behnen made sure that someone had some barber’s equipment on hand, and I am a man of my word. I would have loved to have avoided the head shave, but I certainly deserved what I had coming, and I knew it! Robert, then Becky Behnen, Andy Glazer, the Devilfish, and others took turns shaving my head in front of a roomful of spectators, press, and cameras.

It's always fun when someone has to follow through on a boast like Phil's.

He handled it with grace, which is good to see.