{{Short description|Romanian poker player and mathematician}} {{Infobox scientist | image = Valentin Vornicu 2016wsop.jpg | caption = Valentin Vornicu at the 47th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2016 | birth_name = Valentin Vornicu {{Birth date and age|1983|06|13|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Bucharest, Romania | citizenship = Romanian | alma_mater = | doctoral_advisor = | doctoral_students = | known_for = MathLinks, Art of Problem Solving, Vornicu-Schur<nowiki> theorem </nowiki> | influences = | influenced = | signature = | ethnicity = | field = Mathematics | work_institutions = Art of Problem Solving, MathLinks | prizes = Bronze Medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad | religion = |module = {{infobox poker player |name = Valentin Vornicu |embed = yes |nickname = |image = |caption = |residence = |birth_date = |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |wsop bracelet count = ''None'' |wsop final tables = 3 |wsop money finishes = 49 |wsop main event best finish rank = 23rd |wsop main event best finish year = 2016 |updated = May 23, 2026 |module = {{infobox |subbox = yes |subheaderstyle = background-color: #eedd88; |subheader = '''World Series of Poker Circuit''' |labelstyle = width: 35% |label1 = Circuit ring(s) |data1 = 16 }} }} }} '''Valentin Vornicu''' is a mathematician, semi-professional midstakes poker player, and software engineer at Meta, formerly Google. Vornicu holds 16 World Series of Poker circuit rings. Valentin is from Romania and now resides in San Diego, California. Vornicu is the founder of MathLinks, an educational resource company. Before founding MathLinks, he worked as a full-stack engineer for Art of Problem Solving.<ref>[http://www.unl.edu/amc/a-activities/a4-for-students/weblinks.shtml Math Web Links<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Mathematics and education== Vornicu was a part of the Romanian team for the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) in 2001 and 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://imo.wolfram.com/contestants/ROM6/|title = Wolfram|Alpha: Making the world's knowledge computable}}</ref> In 2002 he earned a bronze medal at the IMO. He graduated at the University of Bucharest in 2006, and got his Master's Degree in Algebra and Number Theory at the same University in 2008.<ref>[http://www.edu.ro/index.php/pressrel/1747?theme=print www.edu.ro :: Valentin Vornicu - asistent personal al ministrului si educatiei si cercetarii pentru relatia cu olimpicii romani<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 2007, Vornicu discovered a generalized form of Schur's inequality, usually cited on online forums as "Vornicu-Schur inequality", which he published in a problem-solving book titled ''Olimpiada de Matematica''.<ref>Vornicu, Valentin; ''Olimpiada de Matematica... de la provocare la experienta''; GIL Publishing House; Zalau, Romania.</ref>
==Poker== Vornicu won 16 WSOP circuit rings, with his biggest score coming in 2015 for $197,110.<ref name="Cardplayer">{{Cite web |last=Fast |first=Erik |date=May 14, 2018 |title=Valentin Vornicu Wins Record 11th WSOP Circuit Gold Ring |url=https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/22787-valentin-vornicu-wins-record-11th-wsop-circuit-gold-ring |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=Card Player}}</ref>
In July 2016, he finished 23rd in the 2016 WSOP Main Event for $269,430. He led in chips after day 2 of that event.<ref name="g728">{{Cite web |last=Dalla |first=Nolan |date=2016-07-12 |title=WSOP NEWS: VALENTIN-VORNICU-RUSHES-TO-HEAD-OF-THE-PACK-IN-2016-WSOP-MAIN-EVENT-CHAMPIONSHIP |url=https://www.wsop.com/news/2016/Jul/7879/VALENTIN-VORNICU-RUSHES-TO-HEAD-OF-THE-PACK-IN-2016-WSOP-MAIN-EVENT-CHAMPIONSHIP.html |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=WSOP.com}}</ref><ref name="HendonMob">{{Cite web |title=47th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2016 - $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event Championship (Event #68) |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=373016 |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== *[https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-players/210062-valentin-vornicu Card Player profile] *[https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=197837 Hendon Mob profile] *[https://www.worldpokertour.com/player/valentin-vornicu/ WPT profile] *[https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=137531 WSOP profile]
{{Authority control}}
{{poker-stub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vornicu, Valentin}} Category:Living people Category:1983 births Category:International Mathematical Olympiad participants Category:American poker players Category:World Series of Poker Circuit event winners Category:University of Bucharest alumni