Five Greatest WSOP Main Event Champions
The WSOP Main Event is the title all poker players dream about. It not only comes with a life-changing amount of money, but it places the winner in a select group of players who are remembered as being the best in the world. Of course, some players are remembered more fondly than others.
Doyle Brunson (left) and Stu Ungar (center) are the two most storied WSOP Main Event Champions in history.
There are Main Event Champs who are considered to have won simply because of dumb luck and then there are those select few who are considered the greatest. Below are the five greatest Main Event champs.
Doyle Brunson
The fields were not as large when Doyle won his back-to-back championships, but his wins are still one of the most impressive accomplishments. He won the title in 1976 and 1977. Brunson went on to become one of the driving forces in the popularization of poker. His book Super System revolutionized the way in which people played poker. Brunson has also won bracelets in Stud 8, Razz, H.O.R.S.E., Seven Card Stud, and Lowball.
Johnny Chan
Chan won back-to-back Main Event brackets in 1987 and 1988. He got heads up against Phil Hellmuth in 1989. Chan has also won more bracelets than anyone other than Phil Hellmuth. Chan has won bracelets in PLO, Lowball, Limit Hold Em, Seven Card Stud, and Pot Limit Hold Em. Like Brunson, Chan is also a big winner in cash games.
Phil Hellmuth Jr.
Hellmuth won the title in 1989. Though he has only won the Main Event once, he is certainly one of greatest. Hellmuth himself calls himself the greatest No Limit tournament poker player in the world. His knack for self-publicity along with his 11 bracelets certainly qualifies him for inclusion in any list.
He is arguably the most famous poker player in the world. His behavior and self-aggrandizing attitude has created a huge following. People love him, hate him, and love to hate him. All of his bracelets have come in No Limit Events. Even when the game changed, and the tournament fields grew larger, Hellmuth continued to have success winning titles.
Stu Ungar
Stu Ungar is recognized as a gambling prodigy. He first made his mark in the Gin Rummy games of NYC. Then he took on poker. He won the Main Event back to back in 1980 and 1981. Unfortunately, Ungar also had a drug problem. He became addicted to cocaine and was also caught up in sports betting. He returned to win the Main Event in 1997 in what is one of the great comeback stories in poker history. Sadly, Ungar died the next year before he could win another title.
Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss is the only other player besides Stu Ungar to win 3 Main Event titles. Moss won the first two Main Events (1970,1971) and also won it in 1974. Moss went on to win 9 bracelets. This places him behind only Hellmuth, Brunson and Chan.
Moss is also remembered as one of the biggest and best cash game players in the world. The heads up match Moss had with Nick The Greek is possibly the largest one in poker history. The match took place in 1949 and lasted several months. Moss is said to have won several million dollars.
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