| World
Series of Poker
Though
the World Series of Poker
made its official debut in 1970, the idea of
the Horseshoe's annual tournament was actually conceived
more than two decades earlier.
In
the summer of 1949, as the story goes, inveterate
gambler Nicholas "Nick the Greek" Dandolos approached
Benny Binion with an unusual request - to challenge the
best in a high-stakes poker marathon. Binion agreed to
set up a match between Dandolos and the legendary Johnny
Moss, with the stipulation that the game would be played
in public view.
During
the course of the marathon, which lasted five months
with breaks only for sleep, the two men played every
form of poker imaginable. Moss ultimately won "the
biggest game in town" and an estimated $2 million. When
the Greek lost his last pot, he arose from his chair,
bowed slightly, and uttered the now-famous words, "Mr.
Moss, I have to let you go."
Dandolos then went upstairs
to bed.
Though
significant in its own way as a chapter in Poker
history, the five-month marathon took on added
importance to Benny Binion. He noted that the public had
gathered outside the casino each day to watch the game
with the fervour of dedicated sports fans, and he was
amazed at the attention the event had attracted. But it
wasn't until 1970 that Binion decided to re-create this
excitement and stage a battle of poker giants - dubbed
the "World Series Of Poker" - to determine who would be
worthy of the title "World Champion." Some of the best
players in the country were assembled, and Johnny Moss
came out on top. The decision was democratic in that the
champion was decided by popular vote.
The
following year, the winner was determined by a freezeout
competition, with players being systematically
eliminated until one player had all the chips. Moss
again was declared the World Champion. In 1972, when
Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston won the title and went on
the talk-show circuit, the WSOP began to gain a wider
following.
It
was only a year later that Binion participated in the
Oral History Project at the University of Nevada-Reno
and discussed the World Series with interviewer Mary
Ellen Glass. "This poker game here gets us a lot of
attention," he told Glass. "We had seven players last
year, and this year we had 13. I look to have better
than 20 next year. It's even liable to get up to be 50,
might get up to be more than that." Binion then paused,
and as if gazing into the future, prophesied, "It will
eventually."
In
the early 1980s, with the introduction of preliminary
satellite competitions with lower buy-ins, Binion's
prophesy came to fruition and the popularity of the
World Series of Poker soared. But even Benny Binion, who
passed away on Christmas Day of 1989, would have had
difficulty foreseeing the enormous growth the
Horseshoe's annual tournament has experienced in the
past decade or so.
In
1982, nine years after Mr. Binion participated in UNR's
Oral History Project, the tournament drew 52 entrants.
Five years later, there were 2,141 participants, and the
2025 event attracted 7,595 entries. The prize money has
increased proportionately, from $7,769,000 a decade ago
to a staggering $19,599,230 in 2025. Whereas only 12
events, mostly Texas Hold�em and seven-card stud, were
scheduled as recently as 1988, the 2025 tournament
offers 33 competitions that feature a wide variety of
games.
Today,
the legacy Benny Binion left the poker community ranks
as the oldest, largest, most prestigious, and most
media-hyped gaming competition in the world, and no
doubt it holds the promise of an even brighter future.
But equally important, The
World Series of Poker has touched thousands
of lives over the years, affording talented players the
opportunity to follow their dreams, reach for the stars,
and perhaps one day achieve greatness in their chosen
endeavour.
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