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The World Series of Poker (WSOP)

The WSOP: The largest poker tournament in the world

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the main meeting point for poker players. Every poker player dreams of one thing: participating in WSOP tournaments and winning a bracelet to become a legend. However, the history of this tournament, which attracts players from all over the world, had a difficult start in Las Vegas.

In the 70s, poker had a shady reputation and the gaming capital, Las Vegas, only had 70 poker tables in this state situated in the middle of the desert. Binion's Horseshoe didn't even have a poker table to offer to its players, this card game wasn't sought after by casino players. The idea of having a poker tournament was had by a group of friends in an hotel room. The thirty poker players didn't know that they were going to enter to-day's poker history.

Benny Binion, a major figure in Las Vegas casinos and a lover of poker joined up with Tom Moore and Vic Vickrey to organise a poker championship. Moore had shares in the Reno casino. Vickrey was a player with a visionary spirit, not lacking in ideas. In 1969, Moore and Vickrey invited poker players to the Reno casino for a poker tournament. Benny Binion, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder and Rudy Wanderone were present. This tournament also brought together players who have become legends like Doyle Brunson, “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Johnny Moss and Puggy Pearson.

The WSOP only attracted a handful of players in the first few years and media coverage of this event was practically non-existant. Outside of the city of Las Vegas, no one knew the World Series of Poker not to mention the results of the tournaments. The world champion, Johnny Moss hadn't even won a tournament when his peers voted him the “best player” having had the best hands over several days.

Binion decided to change his strategy and improve the tournaments so that they would become prestigious and attract a maximum of attention among poker fans. The following year, the WSOP tournament was played in “Freeze Out” ( without buying chips) and seven players paid a $5,000 entry fee (or buy in). Johnny Moss won the tournament and kept his World Champion title.

Poker has a long history and is part of legend. Certain victories are memorable like that of “Amarillo Slim” Preston which goes back to 1972. Due to a change in his situation, “Amarillo Slim” Preston won the tournament and joined the limited club of winners. He used this to publicise his victory and become the living  poker ambassador in the United States. The publicity surrounding this victory made poker become well known and brought the World Series of Poker to the fore for the first time. During this decade, Preston appeared as a guest on the famous show “The To-night Show” no less than 11 times! Poker made him so famous that he appeared in films and wrote a book which became a best seller. Preston's magic captured public attention for this card game which was just becoming known.

In 1973, poker began to gain important media attention: CBS Sports became the first television station to film poker tournaments. The images from the fourth World Poker Championship are amusing as smoking cigars give an old fashioned impression of this card game. During this tournament, Puggy Pearson well deserved his victory. The WSOP extended its types of poker to include 7 card Stud and lower entry fees for Texas Hold'em No Limit. Pearson became even better known as he won these tournaments. 1973 was an excellent year for Pearson!

Then in 1974, Johnny Moss won his third title and Doyle Brunson was also among the best poker players. In 1978 the WSOP restructured as regards rules of the games: the Main Event prize would be divided among the first five players. The Main Event (principal tournament) money would be divided for the first time in 1978 among the last five players to get to the final table. Also the WSOP welcomed its first female player this same year. Barbara Freer became the first female player to come up against men and defied the cliche that poker is a game reserved for men only.

Hal Fowler won the WSOP in 1979 and was the first amateur player to win against professional players. The latter were shocked by the results and even embarrased that an amateur beat professionals. It became a symbol. Fowler's victory inspired  amateur players notably players worldwide. Every year players from the four corners of the earth started to come to Las Vegas in April and May. Fowler wasn't able to benefit from his contribution to the WSOP and didn't participate in any more tournaments. Then after this he was forgotten.

Stu “The Kid” Ungar's electric behaviour marked him out from his fellow poker players. In 1980, Ungar won the WSOP tournament and also in 1981. His behaviour was the best way to draw the media's attention and to get more publicity for this shady game. The NBC Sports television station covered the game and introduced poker for the first time into millions of American homes.

In 1982, The WSOP offered 11 satellite tournaments. A championship reserved for females, the “Ladies World Championship” extended the range of tournaments on offer. Also the entry fee went up to $10,000 and the 13 tournaments played during the year offered the winners almost 2.6 million dollars in prizes.

In the 1980s , Jack Binion took over a number of the everyday tasks in the running of his father Benny's casino. The director of the tournaments and an associate of Benny's, Eric Drache, had the idea of giving poker a boost by increasing the satellite tournaments so that there were more players. At the time this idea was well received and it worked!

For some years the number of players entering the WSOP continued to grow. In 1987, the Horseshoe Casino was too cramped to host a poker tournament. Players had to play at tables installed in neighbouring casinos such as The Golden Nugget and Four Queens. Finally the Binion family bought the casino next to the Horseshoe Casino, the Mint Casino. A poker room entirely devoted to poker opened its doors to players. In his prime, the man who raised the profile of poker, died on Christmas night 1989. The world of poker was in mourning.

In 1997 the Horseshoe poker room had renovations to increase the capacity for ever increasing amounts of players. The World Series of Poker had organisational difficulties following the work and the players were on top of each other. This same year, Stu Ungar became a legend by becoming with Johnny Moss the only player to have won three WSOP championships. This championship was the last for this prestigious player who lost his life to alcohol and drugs at the age of 45. This championship gave him the opportunity to walk away with 1 million dollars which was spent in the space of a few months to pay back his debts and  on his daily use of drugs.

The Horseshoe had  problems within the Binion family and Jack was excluded from the WSOP. Jack Binion was the son of Benny Binion, founder of the Horseshoe. At 26 years of age, he became president of this famous place among casinos and transformed it into a place of “pilgrimage” for poker fans thanks to the WSOP tournaments. Following this exclusion, several major players boycotted the casino between 1999 and 2002.

Then in 2003, certain people criticised the WSOP saying this tournament didn't have value compared to its new rival: the World Poker Tour. Poker players closely follow this tournament and publicity in the media is omnipresent: the WPT is making its mark in the world of poker.

The world of poker exploded thanks to one man: Chris Moneymaker. This poker player went from being completely unknown to being an international poker icon in the space of a few weeks. This accountant by profession got the WSOP bracelet by winning a satellite tournament in a prestigious online poker room. Besides these online poker rooms have experienced an explosion in subscriptions from poker lovers of all ages and all socioeconomic groups. Everybody has taken to online poker. Titan Poker is an online poker room in which several poker players have won places to participate in prestigious tournaments.

Poker hadn't known such upheaval since an ordinary everyday player was able to go up against professional players and win. The ex-accountant walked away with 2,500,000 dollars and ESPN, a television station specialising in sport, broadcast the WSOP games. Players the world over identified with Chris Moneymaker who broke the image that poker was reserved for an elite of professional players. Everybody could now have a place in a WSOP tournament. Cinema stars, singers and others were passionate about Texas Hold'em poker, the type played in the WSOP. Poker euphoria was at an all time high.

Prizes for winners increased every year. Chris Moneymaker walked away with a suitcase of notes to the value of 2.5 million dollars. In 2004, Greg Raymer won 5 million dollars and the following year Joe Hachem won 7.5 million dollars. The prizes rose and numerous players became more and more passionate about poker. Online poker rooms experienced great growth: Pokerstars, Fulltiltpoker, Titan Poker, Everest Poker registered record inscriptions in their rooms. The WSOP was very much in the media and television stations the world over broadcast the poker games of this prestigious tournament. Patrick Bruel, famous French singer and actor, became a consultant for Canal Plus, tournaments were presented by professionals and the public and the television stations didn't lack ideas for developing programmes linked to poker. Cameras installed around the table revealing the players' game increase the adrenaline of the television spectators' who are at the centre of the action.

The WSOP represents prestige, easy money and unlimited access for players. Everyone has a place.

From the point of view of the organisers of this main event a lot has changed. The organising casino of these tournaments, Binion's Horseshoe, was sold in 2004. The broadcasting rights  for the World Series of Poker were granted to Harrah's Entertainment. With the WSOP, the the largest group in the world gained control of the greatest poker show. Larger poker rooms welcome ever more players and therefore more money into the coffers of the organisers. As for the prizes reserved for the winners, they are reaching extraordinary amounts, that is tens of millions of dollars. In 2006, Jamie Gold, winner of the WSOP, won no less than 12 million dollars. He was the best player among 8,000 players and 45 organised tournaments. More than 100 million dollars have been distributed during this WSOP which has reached the highest point in regard to money.  These prizes largely out do those which a tennis player can win at Wimbledon or a masters... not to mention Roland Garros!

The World Series of Poker opened its doors to other American cities and organises tournaments in casinos. A dozen casinos spread around the United States organise satellite tournaments to qualify for the WSOP. The WSOP travels so well that it will be set up in Europe and poker players from the “Old World” can compete to win the much sought after bracelet.

The WSOP madness is only beginning even though this tournament has existed for decades. Every player, amateur or professional, dreams of qualifying for the final table. There is no shortage of sponsors who advertise in the background at these competitions or during the commercial breaks in the programmes. Online poker rooms are snapping up rights so that their logo can be seen on the table which will be seen by millions of television viewers.

The world of poker is in a state of constant movement. The WSOP is the most reputable tournament in the world and has succeeded in shaking off the negative  image that it had acquired. The game of poker is now a sport in its own right which needs to be better known and the media is contributing to its expansion. A new page is being turned for poker.

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