Learn Texas Holdem

If you ask most people in the poker world today who the greatest player is, you'll get a lot of different opinions. Some people enjoy the cool, calculating style of Phil Ivey, others favor the wild play of Gus Hansen. Many will point to Phil Hellmuth's ten no limit Texas hold'em World Series of Poker bracelets, others will bring up Doyle Brunson's longevity.

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WSOP Winners
H.O.R.S.E.: The Player's Championship

The Grand Old Man of Poker

Thirty years ago, if you asked those in the poker know (a much smaller number) who the greatest of the great was, you just might get a consensus, providing the people asked weren't allowed to choose themselves. Johnny Moss, "The Grand Old Man of Poker" was the player everyone wanted to stay away from, if they wanted to protect their bankroll, or go up against, if they wanted to challenge the best of the best.

Moss was voted the winner of the first World Series of Poker in 1970, and won the second one the traditional way, by taking down the no limit Texas hold'em main event. In 1974, Johnny Moss was poised to win his third World Series of Poker championship bracelet. Winning three championships in five years is impressive in itself, but even more impressive when you consider that in the nearly forty year history of the event, only one player not named Johnny Moss has ever held three WSOP main event bracelets, and with the current size of main event fields and the skills of the current players, it's not likely anyone else ever will.

Moss Wins Four-hour battle

Possibly the most amazing thing about Moss' appearance in the final stages of the 1974 World Series main event was the fact that he was there at all. After the grueling endurance test that was the 1973 main event, Moss announced his retirement from tournament poker. As we all know though, you can't keep a good poker player down, and sure enough, a sixty-eight year old Moss appeared to battle sixteen others for the right to be called World Poker Champion one more time. After a four hour battle with gentleman poker player Crandell Addington, Moss did just that, collecting $160,000 for his efforts, the highest prize awarded for the WSOP main event up to that time (back then, the event was winner take all, not the structured payout system we have today, so Moss collected the entire prize pool).

Moss vs. Ungar

Moss would reappear at the final table after that, including once in 1980 to symbolically pass the torch to Stu Ungar, who would win that year and go on to become the only other player to boast three World Series of Poker main event championships, but after the 1974 World Series of Poker, Moss would never again take the World Championship bracelet. Still, his feats in the world of poker are more than enough to make him one of the all-time poker legends.

1974 WSOP Tournaments and Winners

Event	Winner	Prize	Entrants
$10,000 Championship Event	Johnny Moss	$160,000	16
$1,000 No-Limit Hold'em	Amarillo Slim Preston	$11,100	N/A
$5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw	Sailor Roberts	$35,850	N/A
$1,000 Razz	Jimmy Casella	$25,000	N/A
$10,000 Limit Seven-Card Stud	Jimmy Casella	$41,225	N/A
$5,000 Five-Card Stud	Bill Boyd	$40,000	N/A

WSOP Year By Year

2000's	1990's	1980's	1970's
2007 WSOP	1999 WSOP	1989 WSOP	1979 WSOP
2006 WSOP	1998 WSOP	1988 WSOP	1978 WSOP
2005 WSOP	1997 WSOP	1987 WSOP	1977 WSOP
2004 WSOP	1996 WSOP	1986 WSOP	1976 WSOP
2003 WSOP	1995 WSOP	1985 WSOP	1975 WSOP
2002 WSOP	1994 WSOP	1984 WSOP	1974 WSOP
2001 WSOP	1993 WSOP	1983 WSOP	1973 WSOP
2000 WSOP	1992 WSOP	1982 WSOP	1972 WSOP
	1991 WSOP	1981 WSOP	1971 WSOP
	1990 WSOP	1980 WSOP	1970 WSOP