In the constantly evolving world of high-stakes poker, new names and faces appear on the scene, make a big splash and then seem to just disappear without a trace. This phenomenon is not exclusive to poker; indeed, the "flash in the pan" syndrome has been found in a wide number of sports and gambling competitions throughout the decades. Yet, for some reason that only the historians can explain fully, it seems to crop up in professional poker more often than in just about any other type of competition.

The World Series of Poker has been known to attract these out-of-the-blue competitors in large quantities. The reasons for this are varied and have changed over the years as the tournament has grown, evolved and reached out to an ever larger audience.

One of the reasons why relative unknowns are able to appear almost instantaneously at the final table of the WSOP is that there are a number of ways in which amateurs or otherwise no-name players can rapidly advance from obscurity to championship status.

Perhaps there is no more dramatic example of this trend than the case of Hamid Datsmalchi. As any knowledgeable expert in the history of the WSOP can tell you, Hamid made a serious impression on the poker world in 1992, when he won the main event for a prize of $1,000,000. His approach to the game was precise and punishing to all of his opponents. It seemed without question that the poker world had found a new, lasting champion.

And yet, that blaze of glory back in' 92 was the highlight of a short career that never was able to regain such lofty heights. Hamid continued to play all around the circuit and finished in the money on a number of occasions in a range of notable events. But he never resurfaced with the same level by of mastery and dominance that he displayed at that 1992 World Series of Poker (although, three years later, he finished fourth at the final table).

So, we are left to wonder whether the victory of Hamid Datsmalchi was simply a fluke, a confluence of timing and luck that can sometimes bring about extraordinary results, or whether he had personal reasons for not wishing to continue to play at such a high level. Whatever the case, he must surely know that his accomplishments will always be remembered by poker enthusiasts.