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WSOP History:

WSOP in the Seventies

The first WSOP event began as a series of cash games featuring 5-card stud, 7-card stud, Texas Hold'em, razz, and deuce to seven low-ball draw. In that event, the players collectively voted who the best player was, choosing Johnny Moss. In the next year, 1971, the WSOP adopted its freez-out formula, and began the elimination format it still uses today.

The number of preliminary events in the WSOP has also evolved considerably since its inception. In 1972, there was only one preliminary event in the WSOP, a $10,000 5-Card Stud tournament, before the main event. Over the course of the next ten years, the series began to take on more events. The more preliminary events, the more the occasion truly began to resemble a series. In 1975, the WSOP hosted four tournaments prior to the main event. The preliminary events have always been a variety of poker variants, while the main event has always been Texas Holdem. By the end of the decade, in 1979, the WSOP had 11 preliminary tournaments before the main event, including a ladies only event.

The Seventies saw the making of many poker stars, including Johnny Moss, Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston, Crandall Addington, and Doyle Brunson.

The WSOP was firmly established, if only for the poker elite. The WSOP would remain a counter-culture of the gambling community until the Internet boom. Still, by the end of the Seventies, the WSOP was poised to continue its success into the 80's.

Year by year: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979.

WSOP in the Eighties

The WSOP in the Eighties experienced a steady development. The poker world was definitely operating below the radar, but the WSOP continued to grow in the amount of players, number of preliminary tournaments, and television coverage. In 1981, the WSOP consisted of twelve preliminary tournaments, plus the main event with 75 entrants. By 1989, there were thirteen tournaments, plus the main event with 178 entrants.

The WSOP was covered on television only five times in the Eighties, mostly as network specials. The creation of the ESPN network in the 80's changed all of that forever.

It is safe to say that during the Eighties, the WSOP was consistent, to say the least. There were some memorable moments, like in 1982 when Jack Strauss came back to win the main event after being down to a single chip. The legend says that Strauss, after losing, found a single $500 chip under a napkin. That single chip kept him in the game and eventually lead him to a main event bracelet. The Eighties also saw the rise of Johnny Chan, who became the only player in modern times to win the main event two years in a row, an accomplishment that will very unlikely never be repeated. He almost won three years in a row, if it wasn't for Phil Helmuth who played the spoiler.

Year by year: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989.

WSOP in the Nineties

The Nineties saw the rise of the Internet Age, an event that would change the WSOP forever. The dawn of the online poker boom was right around the corner, but prior to that the WSOP held its own. The series continued to slowly grow in the number of entrants attracted to the main event, and stay steady as to the amount of preliminary tournaments it hosted.

In 1991, the series hosted 16 tournaments, plus the main event which attracted 215 players. By 1999, the WSOP actually decreased a little by only hosting 15 tournaments, but the main event grew to attract 393 entrants. The decade, from 1991 on, saw the WSOP main event winner clear a one million dollar paycheck, but again, like in the 80's, the WSOP seemed to retain the status quo.

Each year the event was held at the same place, Binion's Horsehoe, with pretty much the same players. Same faces, same places. The WSOP was an event that attracted little attention from the mainstream, despite the annual coverage from ESPN. These were the golden years of the WSOP. A time many veterans can look back on and appreciate. A by-gone era of poker a new player can look at and appreciate it for what it was, a time when the pros ruled the tables.

Year by year: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999.

WSOP 2000-2003

The turn of the century saw the world survive the Y2K computer scare without a glitch. It was the dawn of a new day, a new century, a new millennium. An event that only happened one other time going all the way back to the birth of Jesus.

Well, the WSOP marked the new millennium, ironically enough, with its own Jesus, as Chris "Jesus" Ferguson captured the main event bracelet in 2000. A sign of the times to come? Without a doubt the WSOP was on the cusp of something big.

With online poker rooms beginning to grow and grow in popularity, it was a matter of time before the WSOP would explode to what it is today. Already, poker began to pop up on television channels across cable, and interest began to rise. The WSOP was ready, willing, and able to accommodate the new interest. In the year 2000, the WSOP hosted a record 24 preliminarily events leading up to the main event. The main event that year attracted 512 entrants, all coughing up the $10,000 buy-in.

By 2003, the WSOP was up to 35 preliminary tournaments leading up to the main event, and the big game that year attracted 839 players. The difference in 2003 was Chris Moneymaker, who won entry into the event through an online satellite victory. Moneymaker did not have to pay the $10,000 entry fee. He got in for nothing, and won the top prize of two and a half million.

His performance changed the poker landscape forever as online players from around the world felt they too could qualify through WSOP satellites. With so many bracelets being offered each year, the WSOP was truly a world class event, worthy of the attention it began to receive. By 2003, it was impossible to surf through the television and not find a televised poker tournament. The boom had begun, big time, and it was only the beginning.

Year by year: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003.

WSOP 2004-2006

No other time in the history of the WSOP has the event taken off like it did from 2004-2006. In 2003, Chris Moneymaker won the main event and became an instant celebrity millionaire. His victory and rise from nowhere propelled the 2004 event, which attracted over 2,500 players, or almost 300% more than the previous year. When Greg Raymer won the main event in 2004, the Moneymaker effect was in full swing. Raymer, who cashed a $5,000,000 paycheck, also secured his entry into the event though an online satellite tournament. This was not a joke. There were millions of dollars available to anyone, not just poker pros. By 2005, the phenomenon was ballooning to high levels, with 5,619 players entering the main event, with the eventual winner Joe Hachem claimimg a $7,500,000. By the time Jaimie Gold won the event in 2006, the WSOP was out-of-control, with 45 events, and a twelve million dollar paycheck going to the winner.

From 2004-2006, the WSOP has seen itself become a brand. There are now video games promoting the series, as well as countless books and television programs. Popular culture has made celebrities out of poker players. Who would've ever thought? And what about the Internet? The Internet has afforded regular joes the chance to rise to the level of poker stardom. The Internet has made poker stars out of accountants, engineers, math wizards, and fantasy role playing gurus.

Year by year: 2004, 2005, 2006.

WSOP 2007

The 2007 World Series of Poker main event was not only an exciting one, but also a difficult one to handicap. Only two well-known pros, Lee Watkinson and Hevad Khan, made the final table, and Khan, as an internet pro, had been relatively unknown outside the online community, although his WSOP antics have since made him a familiar face to any poker enthusiast.

International House of Poker

The 2007 WSOP distinguished itself by being a true "World" Series of Poker event. Unlike prior years where the final table had been loaded with Americans, this World Series final table had a truly international flavor, featuring Jon Kalmar from England, Philip Hilm from Denmark, Tuan Lam from Canada, Alex Kravchenko from Russia and Raymond Rahme from South Africa. The Americans were represented of course, besides Watkinson and Khan, Americans Jerry Yang and Lee Childs rounded out the final table.

Handicapping the WSOP Field

Going into the final table, Hilm, with about 22 million in chips, had a slight lead over Lam and Kalmar. Even so, most pundits were not ready to count out the talented Watkinson, even though he was in the lower middle of the pack with a little less than 10 million in chips.

Very few people took notice of Jerry Yang. This amateur, whose poker strategy seemed to be relying on pictures of his kids and his faith in God to bring him the chips, and who had the second shortest stack as the final table began, seemed to be no real threat to the major players. Opponents and spectators quickly learned the merits of Yang's strategy as chip leader Hilm obligingly transferred his entire stack to Yang in only two hands.

Hilm vs. Yang

In the first, Yang raised to 2.5 million with pocket eights and Hilm called with KQ off-suit. Luck was with Yang when the flop came out 8 T A. Yang bet 3 million and Hilm called, perhaps looking to take the pot away from Yang after the flop. The turn was the 3d, Hilm checked, and Yang, who may have feared a flush draw, moved all-in, resulting in a quick fold from Hilm.

In the second hand, Yang bet 1 million with AK and Hilm called from the small blind with 8d 5d. Yang's strategy continued to hold as the flop came out Kd Jd 5c. Hilm checked, Yang bet 2 million, and Hilm called. The turn was the 2h. Hilm checked, Yang bet 4 million, and Hilm, with a pair, a flush draw and a sense that Yang might be making a move, pushed all-in. Yang called almost immediately. The river was a meaningless 6c and Yang found himself with a massive chip lead that he would carry all the way to the championship bracelet.

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