Top 5 Greatest WSOP Champions

Bluff Magazine actually gave me a great idea to write about. They are going to list the 40 greatest WSOP Champions of all-time on their site through a series of articles leading to the beginning of the World Series of Poker. Of course, that is a great idea for a series of articles, but I do not think that many people really care about reading 40 separate articles. (I know, some of you, Greg Lewis, will read all of them, but those of you that do, Greg Lewis, will be in the minority.)

Personally, I am going to list my top five for greatest WSOP Champions of all-time. When I use the word champion, I am going to include the preliminary events at the WSOP. Winning the Main Event is many people’s litmus test of a poker champion, but there have been many great champions that have never won the Main Event.

At number 5, I have to start with Erik Seidel. Seidel is a personal favorite of mine, but his poker records, especially at the WSOP speaks volumes for his play. He has 8 WSOP bracelets in 3 different poker variants and 6 different game types. He is the only person with a realistic chance of catching Phil Hellmuth for most bracelets all-time as things stand currently. No offense to Chan or Brunson, but I think Seidel is the player to give Phil a run for the all-time lead.

At number 4, I have to give the nod to Phil Hellmuth. Many of you are probably wondering why I would even consider Phil among the greats. The answer is simple. Count his bracelets. 11 bracelets is the current measuring stick for Brunson, Chan, Seidel, Ivey, and others. He may act like a jackass at times, but the jackass can win Holdem tournaments.

At number 3, Doyle Brunson is my choice. Pick your jaw up off of the floor. Yes, I said that Doyle was #3. Yes, Doyle has 10 bracelets and his list of accomplishments are outstanding, but they could have been better. He had admitted that he skipped many years and that he would likely have the bracelet lead if the didn’t do so.

At number 2, I have Stu Ungar. Regardless of what he became, Stu Ungar was undoubted by most to be the greatest tournament poker player of all-time. He is still the only man to win three WSOP Main Events at the poker tables. (Moss’ 1970 title was awarded by vote.) That alone in my opinion should put him in any top 5 list when talking about all-time greats at the WSOP. Personally, I never met Ungar, and odds are I would not have associated with him due to his drug habit, but I cannot deny what he accomplished.

And my number 1 choice is “The Grand Old Man of Poker,” Johnny Moss. I respect Moss for a myriad of reasons. Nine WSOP bracelets and three Main Event titles obviously are among them, but the other has to do with his longevity. What many people don’t know about Moss is that he was winning WSOP bracelets into his 80’s. He won his 9th bracelet around his 81st birthday. This is after finishing runner-up in an earlier event. He also was making final tables of WSOP events when he was 84 years old. His last professional final table occurred just a few months before his death at age 88. Everyone gives Doyle Brunson props for his longevity in the game. I don’t believe anyone will come close to matching Johnny Moss’ longevity in the game, and that is why he is tops in my book.

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