World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the most recognizable and sought-after of all poker tournaments. Even those people with no interest in poker or have never set foot inside a casino are familiar with the WSOP. Begun in 1970, the WSOP is shown on ESPN; it’s mentioned in major films; and it presents a cast of characters so interesting they hardly seem real.

The WSOP is about as high-profile as poker can get and its popularity and size are increasing every year. Once start following this giant tournament, you will more than likely soon find yourself hooked and devouring all the information you can. A great place to start, of course, is the official website. Visit www.worldseriesofpoker.com for information on the current tournament, including hotel reservations, winner’s profiles and how to even get yourself involved in the action. Remember, one of the biggest draws of this event is that, unlike other major sporting events like the Super Bowl or NBA championships, the WSOP is very accessible to the normal poker player. No need to be a celebrity - you just have to play well. In 2003 and 2004, the WSOP champion came from an online poker room and transformed a tiny initial buy-in into upwards of $2.5 million (2003) and $5 million (2004). The stories surrounding the WSOP are provide the type of inspiration any aspiring player would love to receive.

History

Despite making its official debut in 1970, the idea of the Horseshoe Casino’s annual tournament was actually conceived more than two decades earlier. In the summer of 1949, as the story goes, inveterate gambler Nicholas “the Greek” Dandolos approached Benny Binion with an unusual request—to challenge the best in a high-stakes poker marathon. Binion agreed to set up a match between Dandolos and the legendary Johnny Moss, on the condition that the game be played in public view.

During the course of the session, which lasted five months with breaks only for sleep, the two men played every form of poker imaginable. Moss ultimately won “the biggest game in town” and an estimated $2 million. When Dandolos lost his last pot, he got up from his chair, dropped his head a bit, and made the now-famous remark, “Mr. Moss, I have to let you go,” before retiring upstairs to bed.

Though significant as a singular chapter in poker history, the five-month marathon represented more to Benny Binion. He noted that the public, with the interest of typical sports fans, had waited outside the casino each day to watch the game. He was amazed at the spotlight the event had attracted. It wasn’t until 1970, however, that Binion decided to re-create this excitement and stage another battle of poker giants. This time, it would be dubbed the “World Series Of Poker” and would determine who would be worthy of the title “World Champion.” After assembling some of the best players in the country, Johnny Moss ultimately came out on top as the victor. The decision was democratic in that the champion was decided by popular vote.

The following year, the winner was determined by a ‘freeze-out’ competition, with players being systematically eliminated until one player had all the chips. Moss again was declared the World Champion. In 1972, Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston won the title brought even more attention to the WSOP after going on the talk-show circuit following his victory. It was only a year later that Binion participated in the Oral History Project at the University of Nevada-Reno and discussed the World Series with interviewer Mary Ellen Glass. “This poker game here gets us a lot of attention,” he told Glass. “We had seven players last year, and this year we had 13. I look to have better than 20 next year. It’s even liable to get up to be 50, might get up to be more than that.” Binion paused and, as if gazing into a crystal ball, predicted, “It will, eventually.”

In the early 1980s, with the introduction of preliminary satellite competitions with lower buy-ins, Binion’s prophesy was realized and the popularity of the WSOP soared. But even Binion, who passed away on Christmas Day of 1989, would have had difficulty foreseeing the enormous growth the Horseshoe’s annual tournament has experienced in the past decade or so.

In 1982, nine years after Mr. Binion participated in UNR’s Oral History Project, the tournament drew 52 entries. Five years later, there were 2,141 participants, and the 2002 event had 7,595 entrants. The prize money has increased exponentially from $7,769,000 a decade ago to a staggering $19,599,230 in 2002. Whereas only 12 events, mostly Texas Hold’Em and 7-Card Stud, were scheduled as recently as 1988, the 2004 WSOP offered 33 competitions that feature a wide variety of games.
Today, the legacy that Benny Binion left the poker community ranks as the oldest, largest, most prestigious, and most media-hyped gaming competition in the world. And, its future looks even more promising. Equally important however, the WSOP has touched thousands of lives over the years, affording talented players the opportunity to follow their dreams, beat the pros, and perhaps one day be placed among the great ones in their chosen endeavor.

Previous Champions

Since the first official WSOP in 1970, there have been many champions. Below is a list of all the previous winners in chronological order:

1970—Johnny Moss
1971—Johnny Moss
1972—Amarillo Slim Preston
1973—Puggy Pearson
1974—Johnny Moss
1975—Sailor Roberts
1976—Doyle Brunson
1977—Doyle Brunson
1978—Bobby Baldwin
1979—Hal Fowler
1980—Stu Ungar
1981—Stu Ungar
1982—Jack Straus
1983—Tom McEvoy
1984—Jack Keller
1985—Bill Smith
1986—Berry Johnston
1987—Johnny Chan
1988—Johnny Chan
1989—Phil Hellmuth Jr.
1990—Mansour Matloubi
1991—Brad Daugherty
1992—Hamid Datsmalchi
1993—Jim Bechtel
1994—Russ Hamilton
1995—Dan Harrington
1996—Huck Seed
1997—Stu Ungar
1998—Scotty Nguyen
1999—Noel Furlong
2000—Chris Ferguson
2001—Carlos Mortensen
2002—Robert Varkonyi
2003—Chris Moneymaker
2004—Greg Raymer
2005—Joseph Hachem