The World Series of Poker
It's one of the greatest sporting spectacles on the planet, poker's marquis event, the World Series of Poker. Ever since 1970, when the legendary Benny Binion invited seven of the best known poker players to his Horseshoe Casino, Binon's, to play an extended cash game with the winner being voted on by the other players. Naturally, they all cast a ballot for themselves and on the second vote Johnny Moss was named world champion. Moss went on to win the championship two more times to cement himself as one of the all-time card playing greats.
From its humble origins, just seven players, the WSOP has grown into a goliath, a series of poker tournaments, 69 in 2016, from the end of May to mid July, that attracts thousands of players from more than 110 countries vying for the millions of dollars up for grabs, the winner's gold bracelet and poker stardom.
Everything, of course, culminates in the $10,000 world championship main event. Starting in 2008, play has been halted when the final table is reached in mid-July with players returning a few months later for the so-called 'November Nine' to play things out live on ESPN. Last year, 20-something Joseph McKeehan won the crown, bragging rights and $7.7 million. His larger-than-life portrait banner, like those of other past world champs and 'Player's of the Year', will be on display for all to see at the RIO All Suites Hotel & Casino for all to see this year.
“From the first year I came to the WSOP in 2005, I made it a goal to win a bracelet. I thought I was a great player and that it would happen for me. I found out quickly that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was, but that just made me want it more.”
- George Danzer, 2014 WSOP 'Player of the Year'
High Roller Radio
Chad Holloway
In 2013, this former managing editor of PokerNews captured his first WSOP bracelet in Event #1, the Casino Employees Championship.
WSOP Flashback
2004 was the year the world was introduced to the 'Fossilman.' High Roller Radio spoke to Greg Raymer about his winning hand against David Williams. It was good enough for $5 million and poker celebrity.
WSOP Player of the Year
2004: Daniel Negreanu
2005: Allen Cunningham
2006: Jeff Madsen
2007: Tom Schneider
2008: Erick Lindgren
2009: Jeffrey Lissandro
2010: Frank Kassela
2011: Ben Lamb
2012: Greg Merson
2013: Daniel Negreanu
2014: George Danzer
2015: Mike Gorodinsky
Hall of Famer
1984 world champion Jack Keller won three WSOP bracelets in all and more than $3 million in his career. He also captured two main events at Amarillo Slim’s Superbowl of Poker, which was the world’s second most prestigious poker tournament at the time.
2-to-1 you'll LOVE it!
WSOP APAC Champions
2013: Daniel Negreanu
2014: Scott Davies
The Colossus
The ante to start the final table of the 2016 Colossus was equivalent to 10 starting stacks in the Colossus. There were slightly less than 22,000 runners in 2016. The year before, the inaugural, the Colossus attracted 22,374 people making it the largest poker tournament ever!
He's a Stud!
In capturing the 10k world championship of Seven Card Stud in 2016, Robert Mizrachi joined two very select groups; those with four WSOP bracelets and those with bracelet victories in three consecutive years. His brother, Michael, has won the 50k Players Championship twice.
Hachem's a Homer!
Australian Joe Hachem was the last player to win the title at its original home, Binion’s, in 2005. He beat Steve Dannenmann heads-up and collected $7.5 million for his efforts.
Poker Quotes
“I have only a limited amount of time on this earth, and I want to live every second of it. That’s why I’m willing to play anyone in the world for any amount. It doesn’t matter who they are. Once they have a hundred or two hundred thousand dollars, worth of chips in front of them, they all look the same. They all look like dragons to me, and I want to slay them.”
- Jack Strauss
Amarillo Slim
A name synonymous with poker, gambling and extravagant prop bets. One of the greatest gamblers of all-time, Amarillo Slim was one of the first ‘known’ players to take the game mainstream; from underground, and sometimes shady, card rooms to the masses. After winning the 1972 World Championship, he appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He also guested on other television shows, like 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder and he was in the movie California Split, which was directed by Robert Altman and starred George Segal and Elliot Gould.
World Series of Poker Records
Phil Hellmuth Leads the Way!
* Most bracelets: Phil Hellmuth (14)
* Most earnings: Antonio Esfandiari ($21.2 million)
* Most cashes: Phil Hellmuth (109)
* Most final tables: Phil Hellmuth (53)
World Champions
1970 - Johnny Moss
1971 - Johnny Moss
1972 - Amarillo Slim Preston
1973 - Walter “Puggy” Pearson
1974 - Johnny Moss
1975 - Brian “Sailor” Roberts
1976 - Doyle Brunson
1977 - Doyle Brunson
1978 - Bobby Baldwin
1979 - Hal Fowler
1980 - Stu Ungar
1981 - Stu Ungar
1982 - Jack Strauss
1983 - Tom McEvoy
1984 - Jack Keller
1985 - Bill Smith
1986 - Berry Johnston
1987 - Johnny Chan
1988 - Johnny Chan
1989 - Phil Hellmuth
1990 - Mansour Matloubi
1991 - Brad Daugherty
1992 - Hamid Dastmalchi
1993 - Jim Bectal
1994 - Russ Hamilton
1995 - Dan Harrington
1996 - Huck Seed
1997 - Stu Ungar
1998 - Scotty Nguyen
1999 - Noel Furlong
2000 - Chris Ferguson
2001 - Carlos Mortenson
2002 - Robert Varkonyi
2003 - Chris Moneymaker
2004 - Greg Raymer
2005 - Joe Hachem
2006 - Jamie Gold
2007 - Jerry Yang
2008 - Peter Eastgate
2009 - Joe Cada
2010 - Jonathan Duhamel
2011 - Pius Heinz
2012 - Greg Merson
2013 - Ryan Reiss
2014 - Martin Jacobsen
2015 - Joseph McKeehan
WSOPE Champions
2007: Annette Obrestad
2008: John Juanda
2009: Barry Schulman
2010: James Bord
2011: Elio Fox
2012: Phil Hellmuth
2013: Adrian Mateos
2015: Kevin MacPhee
* Youngest bracelet winner: Annette Obrestad (2007 main event; 18 years, 364 days)
* Oldest bracelet winner: Johnny Moss (81)
* Most bracelets in one year: Puggy Pearson (1973), Ted Forrest and Phil Hellmuth (1993), Phil Iey (2002), Jeff Lissandro (2009), George Danzer (2015) (3 bracelest each)
* Most cashes in one year: Konstantin Puchkov (2012) (12)
* Most final tables in one year: An Tran (1992) (6)
* Most consecutive years with at least one bracelet: Bill Boyd (1971-1974), Doyle Brunson (1976-1979) (4)
* Most consecutive years with at least one cash: Berry Johnston (29, 1982-2010)
* Most 'Player of the Year' Awards: Daniel Negreanu (2) (2004, 2013)
* Most Main Event wins: Johnny Moss (1970 (by vote), 1971, 1974), Stu Ungar (1980, 1981, 1997) (3)
* Most Main Event wins in consecutive years: Johnny Moss (1970 (by vote) - 1971), Doyle Brunson (1976 - 1977), Stu Ungar (1980 - 1981), Johnny Chan (1987 - 1988) (2)
* Most Main Event earnings: Jamie Gold ($12,000,000)
* Most Main Event cashes: Berry Johnston (10)
* Most consecutive Main Event cashes: Ronnie Bardah (2010–2014) (5)[21]
* Most Main Event final tables: Doyle Brunson, Jesse Alto (5)
* Youngest Main Event Champion: Joe Cada (2009; 21 years, 357 days)
* Oldest Main Event Champion: Johnny Moss (1974; 66 years, 358 days)
* Most Main Events played: Howard Andrew (1974–2014) (41)
* Oldest Main Event participant: Jack Ury (2010; age 97)
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