World Series of Poker Champions – The 1980's
The 1980’s was a decade that saw new legends rise from the pack to take their place in poker history. Three of those champions would go on to shape the face of poker history forever.
1980 – Stu Ungar: Stu Ungar was a well known Gin Rummy player that had moved out to Las Vegas to find action. This led him to transition into poker and he entered the 1980 WSOP looking for high stakes action. This was the first time he had ever played Texas Holdem and early in the event, his lack of experience showed. Over the course of the tournament, he began to catch on and finally he wound up heads-up with Doyle Brunson. The final hand saw his 5s-4s outrun Brunson’s Ah-7s to make him the new World Champion of Poker. At the time, Ungar was just 26 years old, but he looked a lot younger. As a result, Ungar became known as “The Kid.”
1981- Stu Ungar: Ungar quickly established himself as one of the greats in poker and he returned to the 1981 World Series of Poker to defend his title. Ungar had taken the $10,000 2 to 7 Lowball bracelet earlier in the series and was poised to take his third WSOP bracelet. Ungar would eventually make the final table of the event and then take the title after outlasting Perry Green heads-up. Ungar became the first back-to-back champion since Doyle Brunson in 1976 and 1977. This second title would establish Ungar as one of the greatest tournament players in the world.
1982 – Jack Straus: No champion had a greater comeback in the history of the Main Event than Jack Strauss. During Day 1, Strauss had pushed all of his chips into play during a pot and subsequently lost the hand. When getting ready to leave, he discovered one $500 chip under a napkin. The tournament officials ruled that since Strauss had not officially declared that he was all-in, he could continue playing. He would then go on a rush and rebuild his stack. He would eventually make the final table of the Main Event where he would defeat Dewey Tomko heads-up to take down the title. As a result of his remarkable comeback, the phrase “a chip and a chair” was coined.
1983 – Tom McEvoy: The 1983 World Series of Poker was the first time that satellites were held for the Main Event. Tom McEvoy was the winner of the very first Main Event satellite ever run. He would then go on to turn that satellite win into his second WSOP bracelet and his only Main Event title. McEvoy’s Main Event win was also famous for his heads-up match with Rod Peate lasting over 7 hours. At the time, this was the longest heads-up match in WSOP history.
1984 – Jack Keller: Fresh off of the $5,000 Seven Card Stud event at the 1984 WSOP, Jack Keller entered the 1984 Main Event. Keller used his normally quite demeanor to slowly build his chips through the event until he made the final table. Once play was three handed, Jesse Alto held 70% of the chips in play and was assumed to be the clear favorite to win. The other player at the table, “Cowboy” Byron Wolford ran a successful bluff against Alto and Alto then began to tilt off his chips. At this point, Keller went on a rush and consistently caught big hands when Alto pushed in blind. Eventually, Alto would bust out third and Keller held a massive chip lead. He would then go on to finish off Cowboy Wolford and take home his second WSOP bracelet of the year and only Main Event title.
1985 – Bill Smith: According to T.J. Cloutier, Bill Smith was a player who could only play poker well when half drunk. Whether or not this is true, Smith did have tremendous success in the Main Event in the 80’s, making the final table three times and winning the 1985 Main Event. When he entered the final table, it was reported that Smith was sober and let players knock each other around. Once he had a few drinks in him, he began to play and built up a massive stack. Eventually, he would face T.J. Cloutier heads-up for the bracelet. Cloutier held the chip lead going into heads-up play. He would quickly lose his lead when his pocket nines ran into Smith’s pocket kings. Later, Clouter was all-in with A-3 and Smith held pocket threes. The three held and Smith won his first and only WSOP Main Event title.
1986 – Berry Johnston: Berry Johnston started out his professional poker career as a Pot Limit Omaha player. However, he would move on to learn Texas Holdem in order to give himself a shot at a world title. He would finish 3rd in the 1983 Main Event but it was the 1986 Main Event that saw him take his first title. The only player he had to worry about at the final table was Bill Smith, who was the reigning World Champion. Smith would be eliminated in 5th place and Johnston proceeded to assert his will on the table. He would eventually face Mike Hathcock heads-up and subsequently defeat him for Johnston’s first and only WSOP Main Event title.
1987 – Johnny Chan: Johnny Chan was an up and coming poker player in 1987 when he entered the WSOP Main Event. He won a bracelet in Limit Holdem in 1985 but this would be his opportunity to shine to the poker world. The final table of the Main Event is a current who’s who of poker. Jack Keller, Mickey Appleman, Dan Harrington, Howard Lederer, and Bob Ciaffone all made the final table of the Main Event. Eventually, Chan would face Frank Henderson heads-up and his A-9 would outrun Henderson’s pocket fours to give Chan his first WSOP title.
1988: Johnny Chan: The 1988 Main Event made Chan famous for two reasons. First, he became only the fourth back-to-back winner in history. Next, his Main Event win was featured in the hit movie Rounders. Chan made the final table of the Main Event as the current World Champion, but he still had and incredibly tough field to beat. Jesse Alto, Jim Bechtel, T.J. Cloutier, Humberto Brenes, and a young Erik Seidel would make the final table. Eventually, Erik Seidel would fall to Chan in the classic heads-up hand that was immortalized on film. After his second Main Event win, Chan has went on to win 7 more WSOP bracelets to put him at 10 bracelets lifetime, tying him for second on the all-time bracelet list with Doyle Brunson.
1989: Phil Hellmuth: The 1989 Main Event saw Johnny Chan make the final table for the third straight year. It looked like he was destined to win his third WSOP Main Event title, but one man stood in his way, Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth was a brash young poker player that was good and let you know it. When asked how it felt to play with Johnny Chan, he replied, “you should ask him how it fells to play with me.” Eventually, Hellmuth and Chan faced each other for the bracelet. Chan would move in with As-7s against the pocket nines of Hellmuth. The nines would hold and Phil Hellmuth would become the youngest Main Event winner in history to that point. He was 24 when he won his Main Event title. This record would stand until 2008 when Peter Eastgate won the Main Event at age 22. Since his Main Event win, Hellmuth has proceeded to become arguably the greatest Texas Holdem tournament player in history, winning 11 WSOP gold bracelets. All of his bracelets have been in Holdem.
