World Series of Poker Trivia

Here are 20 items about the first 39 years of the World Series of Poker for the “Did You Know?” file:

• The seven players who participated in the inaugural World Series of Poker, held at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in 1970, did not determine the champion by means of a tournament. Rather, for about a week-and-a-half players rotated between five different cash games -- deuce-to-seven draw, seven-card stud, razz, five-card draw, and no-limit hold’em -- after which the players voted to award Johnny Moss the title of “World Champion Poker Player.” The following year it was decided to play a no-limit hold’em freeze-out tournament to decide the champ, and Moss won again.

• Rather than a bracelet, Moss was awarded a silver cup (and no cash prize) that first year for being voted the champion. It would not be until the mid-1970s that bracelets were awarded to event winners.

• Other awards were voted upon and given at the conclusion of that first WSOP as well, such as for who was the best player in particular games. Additionally, Jack “Treetop” Straus (who would later go on to win the 1982 WSOP Main Event) was voted “Most Congenial Participant” of the 1970 WSOP.

• After it was decided to play a no-limit hold’em freeze-out tournament to determine the WSOP champion, the buy-in was initially set at $5,000 in 1971. The buy-in was again $5,000 in 1972, but Jack Binion matched the players’ entry fees with $5,000 of his own money, thus doubling the overall prize pool. The buy-in was changed to $10,000 in 1973, and has remained at that price ever since.

• The first preliminary events included on the WSOP schedule were tournaments in five-card stud, seven-card stud, razz, and ace-to-five draw in 1971. The last year five-card stud appeared on the WSOP schedule was in 1974. The first year Omaha appeared was 1983, a limit Omaha (high only) event won by David Sklansky.

• It was not until 1978 that the WSOP Main Event champion did not take home all of the prize pool. In 1977, Doyle Brunson won his second straight title, claiming the entire $340,000 for doing so. In 1978, Bobby Baldwin won $210,000 for winning the Main Event, with the next four finishers also dividing up the rest of the prize pool among them.

• In 1991, Brad Daugherty became the first WSOP Main Event champion to win $1 million. First prize remained at exactly $1 million for nearly a decade, until Chris “Jesus” Ferguson won $1.5 million for taking the title in 2000.

• When Ferguson won the title in 2000, T.J. Cloutier finished runner-up. That was the second time Cloutier had finished second in the Main Event, as in 1985 he had made it to heads up against Bill Smith and had lost.

• Many think Cloutier must have been the only player ever to have finished second twice in the history of the WSOP Main Event, but in fact he is one of three players to have done so. Walter “Puggy” Pearson was the runner-up in both 1971 and 1972, before later winning the WSOP Main Event in 1973. And Dewey Tomko finished second in the Main Event in both 1982 (to Jack Straus) and 2001 (to Carlos Mortensen).

• Tomko was holding pocket aces when he lost that final hand of the 2001 Main Event to Mortensen. (Mortensen rivered a king-high straight.) That was the second time in WSOP history a player lost the final hand of the Main Event with aces. In 1979, Bobby Hoff had his aces crushed when Hal Fowler turned a seven-high straight. No player has ever won the final hand of a World Series of Poker Main Event holding pocket aces.

• When Hal Fowler won in 1979, it marked the first time an amateur player won the WSOP Main Event. Times have changed -- since 2002, the year Robert Varkonyi won the Main Event, all seven Main Event winners were amateurs at the time they won (Varkonyi, Moneymaker, Raymer, Hachem, Gold, Yang, and Eastgate). The last professional player to win the Main Event was Carlos Mortensen in 2001.

• Each year from 1979 to 1983, the WSOP included a “Mixed Doubles” event, the only time in the WSOP’s history when players competed as teammates for bracelets. The first three years, the game played was no-limit hold’em. Doyle Brunson and Starla Brodie won the event that first year. In 1981 the game was changed to seven-card stud, and in 1982 David Sklansky and Dani Kelly won.

• Four players are tied for the record for most WSOP bracelets won in a single year with three. Walter “Puggy” Pearson won three in 1973 ($1,000 No-Limit Hold'em, $4,000 Seven-Card Stud, and the $10,000 Main Event). In 1993, two players each won three bracelets, Ted Forrest ($1,500 Razz, $1,500 Omaha 8-or-Better, and $5,000 Seven-Card Stud), and Phil Hellmuth, Jr. ($1,500 No-Limit Hold'em, $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em, and $5,000 Limit Hold'em). Then in 2002, Phil Ivey turned the hat trick as well and won three bracelets ($1,500 Seven-Card Stud, $2,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo, and $2,000 S.H.O.E.).

• One player has won two bracelets at each of the last three WSOPs: in 2006, Jeff Madsen ($2,000 No-Limit Hold'em, $5,000 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold'em); in 2007, Tom Schneider ($2,500 Omaha 8-or-Better/Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo, $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo); and in 2008, John Phan ($3,000 No-Limit Hold'em & $2,500 2-7 Limit Triple Draw).

• There are 53 players who have earned $2 million or more in WSOP cashes. Jamie Gold heads the list with his $12,064,976 career WSOP earnings.

• All but two who appear in the top ten of the all-time WSOP money list either won or finished second at a WSOP Main Event within the last five years. The exceptions are Allen Cunningham, in fifth place with $6,673,828 career WSOP earnings, and Phil Hellmuth, Jr., in eighth place with $6,020,430. Hellmuth has the record for most WSOP cashes ever with 66.

• The total number of player registrations for WSOP events more than quadrupled between 2004 and 2008. In 2004, there were 13,036 registrations; in 2008, there were a record 58,720 registrations.

• In 2008, there was a total of $180,774,427 awarded in prize money, the most ever for a single WSOP.

• In 2008, there were 124 countries represented over the course of the World Series of Poker, eclipsing the previous year’s record of 87 countries represented.

• WSOP officials plan to use 295 tables at the 2009 WSOP, most of which will be located in the Amazon Room and Brasilia Room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.