Learn Texas Holdem

If you go to Las Vegas to play poker, you'll probably find yourself at the Bellagio sooner or later. While enjoying one of the most popular poker rooms in the world, you may notice a private room where some of the legends of the game are butting heads. You may also have heard this room referred to as "Bobby's Room." Bobby in this case, is Bobby Baldwin, who in addition to being one of the most well known poker room managers in Las Vegas, is a contributor to Doyle Brunson's Super/System and was also the champion of the 1978 World Series of Poker.

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Bobby Baldwin

Baldwin was only 27 in 1978, in a pre-Internet whiz kid time when players under the age of 40 with any talent where virtually unheard of. But he was far from an unknown. Two years earlier, Baldwin had finished 8th in the 1976 World Series of Poker main event, the following year, in 1977, he came in 7th. Sitting at the final table with Doyle Brunson twice in a row got the poker master's attention. He invited Baldwin to write the limit Texas hold'em section of his famous poker volume Super/System, and prepared to take on Baldwin as a dangerous opponent in 1978.

A Kid From Oklahoma

It was not to be for Doyle, whose two pair lost to pocket aces when a pair on the board counterfeited him, knocking him out in the first round. Baldwin, on the other hand, lived up to his billing and found himself at the final table with a huge chip lead. A kid from Oklahoma facing five tough Texan gamblers.

Baldwin was unfazed. He wielded his big stack like the champion he knew he was, destroying the competition until only Crandall Addington, a WSOP regular, remained, with a paltry 50,000 in chips to Baldwin's $370,000. Still heads-up poker can change swiftly, three quick double ups by Addington and Baldwin would have been the one crippled.

However it was not to be. On a flop of Q 9 K, with Baldwin holding QQ and Addington looking at 99, the end was inevitable. The money went in and the set over set held up. Bobby Baldwin was the 1978 World Series of Poker Champion.

First WSOP With Structured Payouts

The 1978 World Series of Poker was unique in that it was the first WSOP with structured payouts, rather than being a winner take all event. Since it was known in poker circles that players made deals before the final table anyway to protect their investment, World Series of Poker management decided to bring it above board and pay out prize money to the top five finishers. This decision was another contributor to the eventual explosion of the popularity of the World Series of Poker, since there was now a much greater incentive to risk a $10,000 buy in and sign up. In 1978, there were 42 entrants to the main event. Just four years after the structured payout system was implemented, there were over 100, with more and more every year following.

1978 WSOP Tournaments and Winners

Event	Winner	Prize	Entrants
$10,000 Championship Event	Bobby Baldwin	$210,000	42
$10,000 2-7 Draw	Bill Baxter	$90,000	N/A
$1,000 Razz	Gary Berland	$19,200	N/A
$500 Seven-Card Stud	Gary Berland	$17,100	N/A
$5,000 Seven-Card Stud	Doyle Brunson	$68,000	N/A
$1,000 No-Limit Hold'em	Aubrey Day	$42,600	N/A
$200 Women's 7-Card Stud	Terry King	$10,080	N/A
$5,000 Draw High	Lakewood Louie	$21,000	N/A
$1,500 No-Limit Holdem	Hans "Tuna" Lund	$46,800	N/A
$1,000 Seven-Card Stud Split	David "Chip" Reese	$19,200	N/A
$1,000 A-5 Draw	Henry Young	$19,200	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