Former Main Event Champion in the House
We don’t get many poker legends on the World Series of Poker Circuit, and even less former Main Event champions. That isn’t the case here in Choctaw as Berry Johnston meets both those benchmarks. That’s right, the five-time WSOP bracelet winner is in action today and looking for his second WSOP Circuit cash and first gold ring.
Seeing Johnston isn’t too much of a surprise considering he resides in Bethany, Oklahoma, but even so, it’s pretty cool to see a living legend in action. For those who don’t know, Johnston won the WSOP Main Event back in 1986 for $570,000. He defeated a field of 141 players including a final table that featured Bill Smith, Jesse Alto and Gary Berland.
Johnston’s other bracelets have come in 1983 Event #8 $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Heads-Up for $40,000; 1990 Event #12 $2,500 Limit Hold’em for $254,000; 1995 Event #3 $1,500 Limit Omaha for $91,200; and 2001 Event #13 $1,500 Limit Razz for $83,810. All told, Johnston has 62 WSOP cashes—7th on the all-time list—and $2,094,697 in earnings.