Walter “Puggy” Pearson was known as one of the all time greats of the poker world. He picked up poker and other forms of gambling while serving in the United States Navy. In the early days of poker, most every poker game was a cash game. Pearson would change that in 1949 when he shared the idea of a freezeout tournament with a fellow player known as “Nick the Greek” Dandalos. Dandalos eventually approached Benny Binion of Binion’s Horseshoe and the freezeout tournament was born.
Pearson won one of the first WSOP preliminary events in 1971 when he won the Limit Seven Card Stud event. This win won him $10,000. His greatest achievement happened in the 1973 World Series of Poker Main Event. The Main Event that year drew 13 players who put up $10,000 each to try and capture the world championship. The final table of six came down to Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss, Jack Straus, Bobby Brazil, Bob Hooks, and Sailor Roberts. The final table worked its way down until Pearson and Moss was heads up for the title. The final hand of the event put Johnny Moss all in with Kh-Js against Pearson’s As-7s. Pearson’s hand held up and the 1973 World Title and $130,000 in cash went his way.
Puggy Pearson won four WSOP bracelets. Three of his bracelets came in 1973. Besides his main event win, Pearson won the $1,000 no limit holdem event and the $4,000 Limit Seven Card Stud titles. He took home $17,000 for the nl holdem win and $32,000 for the stud win. After 1973, Pearson made three other final tables. Two were in 1981 and one in 1982. Two of the final tables were in razz and the other in seven card stud. Stud was considered Pearson’s best game. In addition to his final tables, Pearson cashed in the 1987 and 1989 Main Event.
Pearson is the only player to play in every World Series of Poker from 1970 to 2005. One reason is that for a few years, several of the top poker players considered tournament poker a waste of their time and focused on cash games. Later in life, Pearson bought a tour bus with “Puggy Pearson – Roving Gambler” painted on the side. Up until the time of his death in 2006, Pearson traveled around the country playing poker. Pearson was also remembered by many people to be a man that gave a lot back to people. It was said that if someone was ill or had a death in the family, Pearson would be one of the first people to help them.
Puggy Pearson started out as a high stakes gambler, but over time became a legend of the game. His idea of the freezeout tournament was a contribution to poker that will likely be remembered as long as tournament poker is played. While his heyday in poker may have been in the early years of the World Series of Poker, his legend will continue for many years to come.
Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston is known as much for his gambling and prop betting as he is for his prowess in poker. Throughout the years, Slim has bet on everything from playing pool with a broom to betting on presidential elections. In fact, this year at the 2008 WSOP, I personally witnessed him prop bet one of my coworkers as to who could make more free throws in basketball. My coworker is over 6’4” tall and Slim is 79.
Amarillo Slim was one of the first seven original players that started the World Series of Poker in 1970. However, it wasn’t until 1972 that Slim took down his first title. The 1972 World Series of Poker Main Even had eight entrants that year. $5,000 per player was added to the prize pool. This was done as a publicity stunt to try and draw spectators into the Horseshoe.
Puggy Pearson, Doyle Brunson, Crandall Addington, Jack Straus, Johnny Moss, Roger Van Ausdall, Jimmy Casella, and Preston battled it out for the $80,000 top prize. Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, and Slim were the last three remaining in the event when Brunson struck a deal to “cash out” his chips for $20,000. Then Puggy Pearson and Amarillo Slim battled it out for the adjusted top prize of $60,000. Pearson held a 2 to 1 chip lead, but Slim was able to battle back and win his first Main Event title.
According to Barry Greenstein, the Main Event went down slightly differently than history portrays it. Apparently Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, and Amarillo Slim struck a deal to where they would throw the event and let Slim have the win. In exchange for the win, Slim agreed to let them have the prize money. After winning the Main Event, Amarillo Slim went on various talk shows to talk about his win at the World Series of Poker. He garnered a lot of fame and even picked up a part in a Robert Altman movie entitled California Split. If Greenstein’s story about the 1972 Series being thrown is true, then Slim made a very wise business decision. Giving up $80,000 was well worth the publicity he received as a result of his win.
In all, Amarillo Slim won 4 bracelets at the World Series of Poker. Two were in Pot Limit Omaha and two were in No Limit Holdem. Even at 79, Slim is still playing at a high level. He has cashed in the Seniors event at the 2007 and 2008 World Series of Poker. He also plays in a few selected events. Whenever he is at the table, players take note. It is still a big thrill for a player to be able to say that they took a pot of Amarillo Slim.
Amarillo Slim is a classic example of an old school gambler. He bets on anything that you can wager on and likes the thrill of chasing the dollar. If the story of how he won the 1972 World Series of Poker is true, than that just adds one more legend to the man that has so many legendary tales. Play online poker on Titan Poker.
The “Grand old man of poker” was the first ever World Series of Poker Champion. The first World Series of Poker champion was determined in 1970 by a vote. Benny Binion gathered the seven best poker players in the world and held a series of cash games. At the end of the event, he put the vote to the players to determine who the best player was. The players in attendance were Johnny Moss, Carl Cannon, Doyle Brunson, “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Sailor Roberts, and Puggy Pearson.
According to legend, there were two votes conducted to determine the world champion. The first time they voted, each player cast a vote for themselves, which naturally resulted in a 7 way tie. Players were then asked to cast a vote for the second best player and the results of the voting placed Johnny Moss as the World Champion of poker. The prize for being elected the World Champion of Poker was a silver cup. Bracelets were not awarded as the top prize until 1976.
The following year, the World Series of Poker was expanded to a set of tournaments and the World Champion was decided by a freeze out tournament. Six players entered the Main Event in 1971. Each player put up $5,000 of their own money. The top prize was $30,000 and was a winner takes all prize. Head up saw Johnny Moss face Walter “Puggy” Pearson. In the end, Moss emerged the victor and took the $30,000 prize and his second straight world title.
By the time 1974 came around, the World Series of Poker was not at 5 preliminary events and the Main Event. The Main Event saw 16 people put up $10,000 to take a shot at the world title. The top prize for this event was $160,000 and was again a winner take all prize. Johnny Moss and Crandell Addington faced each other heads up for the title. Addington put up a fight but in the end Johnny Moss took his third World Series of Poker World Championship.
Johnny Moss would make three more final tables in the Main Event after his win in 1974 but the best he would finish is 4th in 1980. Moss finished his career with 9 bracelets in all and is still only one of two players to win the Main Event three times.
For the first 25 years of the World Series of Poker’s existence, Johnny Moss was a staple of the games. He played all the games well and was a respected man at the poker tables. In addition, Moss’ nickname of the “Grand Old Man of Poker” was not just a term of endearment, but also a fact. Moss was 63 years old when he won his first main event title and was 81 years of age when he won his last bracelet in 1988. The ace-ten is typically referred to as the Johnny Moss. Moss was one of the original members of the Poker Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1979.
Yesterday we started reviewing the top 10 bracelet winners in WSOP history. Today we continue our countdown to #1.
Coming in at #5 is Erik Seidel. Erik Seidel is probably best known from his appearance in the movie Rounders when he was shown finishing second to Johnny Chan in the 1988 World Series of Poker. Since then, Seidel has put together a bracelet run that has him on pace to make a serious challenge at the all time lead. He holds two No Limit Holdem bracelets, 2 Limit Holdem bracelets, 2 Lowball bracelets, 1 Omaha Hi-Lo bracelet, and a Pot Limit Omaha bracelet. His last bracelet win was in 2007 for the No Limit 2-7 Lowball event. Erik is well known for his solid play and quiet demeanor at the table. I have actually had opportunity to play with Erik and he is the consummate professional.
The “Grand Old Man of Poker” comes in at #4. Johnny Moss was the first ever Main Event winner of the World Series of Poker in 1970. That year he was voted in as champion by his pears. Moss also won the 1971 and 1974 Main event. Besides Stu Ungar, Johnny Moss is the only person to ever win the Main Event three times. Overall, Moss held 9 bracelets. He held 3 in No Limit Holdem (all Main Event wins), 3 in Seven Card Stud, 2 in Ace to Five Lowball, and 1 in Stud 8 or better. Moss’s legend was made long before the World Series ever existed. 1949 he played a 5 month marathon session with Nick the Greek. At the end of the marathon, Nick the Greek simply told Moss, “Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.” Moss played professionally all the way up to his death. Johnny Moss passed away in 1995 at the age of 88.
Third and Second place are held by two men that really need no introduction to many in the poker world. Both men hold 10 bracelets at present.
Johnny Chan is the last man to win back to back Main Events, winning both the 1987 and 1988 Main Event. He almost made it three in a row but lost in 1989 to Phil Hellmuth. Chan can always be seen with his signature orange at the table. He started carrying it back in the days were smoking were allowed in poker rooms. He would use it to try and freshen the air a bit. Chan bracelets include 3 in No Limit Holdem, 2 in Pot Limit Omaha, 1 in Limit Holdem, 1 in 2 to 7 Lowball, 1 in Pot Limit Holdem, 1 in 7 card Stud, and 1 in Heads-up Match Play.
Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson is considered both the Godfather of Poker and the greatest poker player alive today. He is legendary for winning both the 1976 and 1977 World Series of Poker holding 10-2 for the final hand. Doyle Brunson’s book Super System and follow up book Super System II have taught millions of player around the world how to play poker of all types. Doyle holds four bracelets in No Limit Holdem, 1 in Seven Card Stud, 1 in Stud 8 or Better, 1 in Razz, 1 in 2-7 Lowball, 1 in H.O.R.S.E., and 1 in Mixed Doubles. His last bracelet was in 2005 for the $5,000 No Limit Holdem event. He won the event with 10-3 offsuit. At 75 Brunson is still a forced to be reckoned with. At this year’s WSOP he finished twice in the money, including the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. #1 on the list of all-time bracelet holders at the World Series of Poker is none other than Phil Hellmuth. Phil is commonly known as the “poker brat” for his antics and attitude at the poker table. He won the 1989 Main Event against Johnny Chan and for nearly the last 20 years has been referred to by many, including himself, to be the best Holdem player ever. All of Hellmuth’s eleven bracelets are in Holdem. Seven are in No Limit Holdem, three are in Limit Holdem, and one is in Pot Limit Holdem. To quote Norman Chad, “He is referred to as a one trick pony. But what a trick it is.” Phil will be first to tell you that it is very possible that his 11 bracelets could have very well been at least 14. In 2006, besides winning his 10th bracelet, he finished 2nd and 3rd in two other events. At this year’s WSOP, Hellmuth finished third in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event and made the final table of another event.
With the size of the massive fields in the Main Event and other No Limit Holdem events, many pros are fining it tougher to win a bracelet. Many are turning to mixed events and higher buy-in No Limit events to give themselves a better chance at another bracelet. Also, the number of tournaments held at the World Series of Poker makes for many long days and a long six weeks. Doyle Brunson has admitted that it is a very tough task on him physically to compete for so long. Brunson and I spoke about this in 2006 when he told me that he has to pick his spots now and plays events he feels he has the best shot of doing well.
One thing that you will notice with all the players on this list is that they play multiple games well. While Hellmuth does have 11 Holdem bracelets, you will notice that he has cashes and deep runs in most poker variants. One thing to remember with any of these pros is that no matter how old they are, they still have the experience that years of play has given them. This type of experience is the type you cannot learn by playing online poker only.
Before leaving the Amazon Room, take a look around at the banners hanging from the walls. The banners are all the past Main Event winners and the past Player of the Year winners. Starting with Johnny Moss through the eventually winner of this year’s Main Event, you can see the history of the Main Event with a quick glance.
Now, let’s exit out the doors between the blue and green sections. When you walk out, you may notice a few more booth or poker displays. You will then notice two other things. One is a sign for Registration and one is a sign for Satellites. You will want to remember the registration room location as you will go there for all registrations for both bracelet events and nightly tournaments. Nightly tournaments start at 7 pm and cost $330. These tournaments are setup as normal freezeouts and usually only pay out cash. This year, players playing in these events earned Player of the Year points towards titles such as Bluff, Card Player, and Pokerpages. The WSOP Player of Year points can only be earned through qualifying bracelet events.
Now let’s enter the satellite room. The satellite area is located in the Tropical room. Much like Brasilia, there are dozens of poker tables in this room as well. The main difference is that these are all single table satellites of all varying sizes and games. The predominant game is naturally No-Limit Holdem, but the staff will run satellites for other bracelet events depending on demand and also if there is a bracelet event in a mixed game that day or the next day. Satellites run from $125 to $1,000. The only satellites that are not held in the Tropical room are Mega Satellites and satellites to the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Those are held either in Brasilia or the Amazon room. The locations of those two satellites vary, so you will want to ask when registering.
After leaving the Tropical room, turn left and you will arrive back to the cross section that includes the Total Rewards desk. Take a right and enter the first door to check out the gift shop. Unlike the stands you see in the hallway, this shop is exclusively WSOP merchandise. You will find items in here you will not see in other areas including key chains, mugs, specialized poker sets, and various WSOP clothing. You can also purchase snacks, food, and beverages in this shop. For those of you that play at other Harrahs properties and have built up comp money on your Total Rewards card, you can use that card in this shop to purchase items. I personally had $200 in comps from another property and was able to use it to purchase WSOP merchandise.
Once you leave the gift shop, hang a left and walk all the way to the end of the hall and head outside. This is the location of the poker kitchen. Here you can buy burgers, subs, pizza, fruit, and other items. The food can be a little pricey, but you can usually buy a meal for around $10 to $15. If you play in a WSOP event, you will get a $10 comp towards the poker kitchen.
At this point you have been around to the major areas at the World Series of Poker. Of course, if you get lost, you can always ask someone to point you in the right direction. Another trick is to follow the masses of people walking around. Eventually you will end up where you want to be. Now go out and try and win yourself an entry into an event. Good luck at the tables.
