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The first World Series of Poker was held in 1970 in Binion’s Horseshoes Casino in Las Vegas. 35 of America’s greatest poker players entered the tournament which was won by the legendary Johnny Moss. This original WSOP was structured in a different way than the tournament is today; five different forms of poker were played and at the end a vote were held among the players to determine the winner. Already the next year the voting was eliminated and the “freeze-out” format, in which players knock each other out until only one remain, was introduced. The winner - once again Johnny Moss.
Benny Binion, owner of the Binion’s Horseshoes Casino, is the man behind the World Series of Poker. In 1969 the top poker players at the time were invited to the Holiday Inn in Reno, NV, to participate in the first ever major poker tournament. Big names like Doyle Brunson, Amarillo “Slim” Preston and Johnny Moss showed up. Many different forms of poker, for example Texas Hold’em, Kansas City Lowball and Razz, were played in the re-buy tournament that lasted for a week. Benny and Jack Binion visited the Holiday Inn and liked what they say. When the hotel was sold the next year they purchased the rights to the tournament and named it World Series of Poker. From the start in 1970 until 2004 the WSOP stayed put in Binion’s Horseshoes Casino. But in 2005, the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino hosted the event.
For a long time the WSOP only awoke interest within the poker community - the outside world hardly noticed it. The big revolution came with the introduction of Internet poker. The game moved from the shabby poker clubs into the homes of millions of Americans. This also has had a huge effect on the number of participants in the WSOP. In 2000, when Chris Ferguson won the tournament, 519 players paid the entry fee of $ 10 000; last year (2004) the astonishing number was 2 576 players.
One person that must not be forgotten when speaking of this development is Chris Moneymaker. In 2003 this amateur player paid $39 to play in a qualifier for the WSOP. He made his way into the major tournament and ended up as the champion. Without doubt a lot of people around the world are eager to copy that amazing achievement. In fact the number of players in the WSOP tripled between 2003 and 2004.
Moneymaker won the big Texas Hold’em contest but there are many more events within the World Series of Poker. 2004, a total number of 33 WSOP tournaments were played. The types of games varied from Texas Hold’em, Seven-Card Stud and Omaha, to tournaments were all playing forms were mixed. In the early years the main tournament was the only event.
The winner in every a WSOP-event receives a solid gold bracelet. Two of the greatest poker players of all time, Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, have won a record number of ten gold bracelets. Phil Helmuth holds second place with nine WSOP victories.
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