While the media hordes flocked around Vanessa Rousso Sunday at the European Poker Tour High Roller event in Monte Carlo, there's a pretty good story about the guy who finished second.

He's Randy Dorfman, 51, a stock trader who moved to South Florida from New York in about 2000 (I'm trying to get a picture of him). He reached the final table in the inaugural $3,000 charity event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino last year (the one with Barry Gibb) but he mainly plays all over the world, stopping at his condos in Fort Lauderdale and Coconut Grove to catch his breath.

"If I could sell everything and move to Vegas, I would," he said.

He uses the stock trader comparison to poker, which he started a few years ago.

"It's similar to how you approach opponents," he said. "On the floor people act friendly with each other. But really no one is your friend on the floor. It's the same in poker, although you're always civil."

Dorfman was up 3.5 million chips to her 500,000, but, as happens in poker, cards fell Rousso's way, she doubled up at least twice and she emerged with the win.

"I had her crushed, but the kid is unbelievable, just incredible," Dorfman said. "I call her 'The Goddess.'"

No, he's not hitting on her. Dorfman also lauds Rousso's fiance, Chad Brown: "They're both class acts," he said.

"What was amazing what that after I lost, nobody cared about me. But I think she's the greatest thing to happen to poker," he said. "I might be her biggest fan now."

The tournament included top poker names such as Phil Ivey, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Daniel Negreanu, so Dorfman thought it was interesting that two players with ties down here would make the final two.

"Kind of like South Florida tackles the world," he said.

UPDATE: You know, he's not kidding about being ignored. Check out this video on the tournament; they interview almost everybody BUT Dorfman. Barely even gets face time. But lotsa Vanessa.