World Series of Poker History

Poker professionals, poker fans and even some non-poker people know and crave the excitement that surrounds major poker tournaments (a big pot doesn’t hurt either). They also know that the world’s largest, most competitive and most valuable professional poker tournaments can be found at one place every year: the World Series of Poker World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This event stretches more than a month every year and includes a series of different games: Omaha, Hold ‘em, Seven Card Stud, H.O.R.S.E., and occasionally SHOE. Each game winner gets a coveted WSOP bracelet and a sizable pot, but the real glory goes to the World Champions, specifically the No Limit Texas Hold ‘em Champion who must rise to the top through 13 days of eliminations.

In the past, the top prize has been in the hundreds of thousands, but in the last few years it has soared to several million, surpassing the prize money earned in other major sports championships.

The WSOP offers smaller tournaments all year-round on its WSOP Circuit and also has a WSOP Europe tournament in London. There’s no doubt that the World Series of Poker defines the nature of the modern game.

When and How It Started

The World Series of Poker was started by true poker professionals back when the game was still being played almost exclusively in back rooms and bars. It spawned from an event called, “The Texas Gamblers Reunion” that was organized by Tom Moore and Vic Vickrey and held in Reno in 1969. While the event didn’t last beyond that first year, it was the predecessor of what would become the biggest professional poker tournament in the world.

In 1970, many of the same gamblers gathered again, this time in Vegas for an informal series of poker games played at Binion’s Horseshoe. The first World Champion of Poker was Johnny Moss, who won the title not with the biggest pot but through an election by his peers. Benny and son Jack Binion nursed the WSOP through its early years and it was hosted at their casino, the Horseshoe, until 2005 when Harrah’s took it over and moved the tournament to the Rio where it has remained since.

The first WSOP World Champion won a silver cup. Today, professional poker players compete in the WSOP for over $100 million in prizes.

Past World Series of Poker Winners

Johnny Moss was not only the first WSOP World Champion, he shares the record for most championships won, having earned the title again in 1971 and 1974. Poker legend Stu Ungar tied Moss for the record by earning his first two World Championships in 1980 and 1981 and then returned over a decade later to take the title again in 1997, shortly before he died.

Living legend, professional poker player Doyle Brunson, has won the World Championship twice (1976 and 1977) but holds a different record for winning eleven series event bracelets. Furthermore, Brunson is still competing over 20 years after his first title and is expected to attend this year’s WSOP Championship again.

Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 World Champion, revolutionized the game by being the first amateur player to take the coveted title. Both he and the following year’s World Champion (Greg Raymer) earned their entry to the tournament through satellite qualifiers online. This would undoubtedly alter the face of WSOP forever, but would more notably alter the face of poker itself with millions of hopefuls flocking to online satellites in hopes of duplicating Moneymaker’s surprise win.

Details on the 2008 WSOP

Thousands of poker professionals will again descend on Las Vegas for this year’s World Series of Poker World Championship. The event will start on May 29 and end on July 16. Throughout the event 12,000 players competing for the World Champion Texas Hold ‘em title will be whittled down, culminating on July 14 when the final tables are decided. Those remaining players will return again in November to determine the next World Champion.

In all, 57 events are scheduled for this year’s WSOP Championships including seven $10,000 entry World Championship games, the $1000 entry Women’s World Championship, a $1000 entry Senior World Championship, and a $50,000 entry H.O.R.S.E. World Championship game (which many professionals consider to be the true determinant of the year’s best player).

Professional and amateur poker players are already online now playing in satellites that will determine this year’s competitors.

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