Ihsan "Sam" Farha

The Dominican Republic may be the breeding ground for great baseball players, but Lebanon is the land of great poker players. Farha and 2005 WSOP champ Joe Hachem are Lebanese. Farha is a very skillful poker player (though he got PUNK'd by an unknown's bluff that cost him the coveted WSOP final title). But Farha's mystique is based mostly in his very dapper dress (most poker players dress like absolute schlubs, especially when they don those hideous "Full-Tilt Poker" jerseys), that unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, and his very suave demeanor.

Really intimidating at the table with his cigar and his colorful personality.

This is the guy who really makes poker compelling to me. With the cigarette dangle and that cockeyed grin, you've GOTTA love Sammy Farha's game. Reminds me of a 40s soldier-of-fortune who dances from town to unsuspecting town, earning what he can by the skin of his teeth. "Risk" is an integral part of poker, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who takes more gut-shot chances than Farha (lures more flushes out of a deck than a man has a right to, and is a veritable "ace magnet"). Even when he's got nothing, his calm demeanor makes everyone around him nervous because of his history of blue-streak draws. Wish he'd play in more matches, but that's no doubt a part of his mystique. A "straight flush" good time whenever he turns up!