For the third consecutive year, 888poker proudly returns as the official sponsor of the event. World Series of Poker .
As part of our sponsorship agreement, our brand will be prominently showcased in the live updates and the official website of the WSOP, in addition to being featured in all WSOP live streams and ESPN's coverage of the Main Event. This deal also grants us the exclusive rights to host online satellites for the WSOP.
With the 2017 WSOP approaching, we wanted to take the opportunity to share some fascinating trivia from the remarkable 48-year journey of poker's premier tournament series. Instead of overwhelming you with 888 facts, we've narrowed it down to just 88.
- The 2006 WSOP Main Event set the record as the largest ever, with a staggering total of 8,773 entrants. The runner-up was the 2010 event, which attracted 7,319 players.
- In 2008, the WSOP innovatively introduced the 'November Nine' concept, which was discontinued following the 2016 tournament.
- During the 2016 WSOP Main Event, the average age of contestants was around 40 years old.
- The inaugural television airing of the WSOP took place in 1973, featuring a CBS documentary narrated by the renowned Jimmy \"The Greek\" Snyder.
- Since the launch of the November Nine in 2008, only Mark Newhouse has achieved the distinction of reaching it twice, finishing in ninth place both times in 2013 and 2014.
- In earlier tournaments, players received chips equivalent to their buy-in amount, such as 10,000 chips for a $10,000 Main Event entry fee. Nowadays, players receive a quintupled amount, totaling 50,000 chips for the same buy-in.
- Historically, the least expensive buy-in for a bracelet event was $500, but in 2017, participants can enter a $333 online event and the $365 The Giant, both of which come with a bracelet.
- The WSOP was first hosted at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in 2005, marking that year as the last time the Main Event final table was held downtown at Binion's.
- Joe McKeehen, the 2015 Main Event champion, made history by being the first player to win the title while sporting an 888poker patch on his attire.
- Carlos Mortensen, who triumphed in the 2001 Main Event, narrowly missed the 2013 November Nine cutoff, finishing in 10th place.th
- Bob Hooks, who worked as the poker room manager at Binion's in the early '70s, was the runner-up in the 1975 WSOP Main Event, which featured a mere 21 participants in a winner-take-all format for a $210,000 prize. Interestingly, he and Brian 'Sailor' Roberts, the winner, were roommates who coordinated a plan to split the winnings.
- Since 2004, four champions of the WSOP Main Event have completed their final hands holding a pocket pair: Greg Raymer, Jerry Yang, Joe Cada, and Martin Jacobson.
- In the entire history of the WSOP, only Pius Heinz and Ryan Riess have captured the Main Event while holding the Big Slick (Ace-King) in their final hand.
- The Five-Card Stud game, once a staple and famously featured in 'The Cincinnati Kid,' has not seen action in the WSOP since 1974. It was only played four times, with Bill Boyd clinching the bracelet on every occasion!
- Speaking of bracelets, they were not awarded until 1975. Brian 'Sailor' Roberts was the inaugural recipient of a physical gold bracelet.
- The WSOP schedule has not included a team or 'mixed doubles' event since its last appearance in 1983 until their recent return in 2016.
- In 1982, the WSOP opted to reward gold wristwatches instead of bracelets.
- Pot-Limit Omaha made its debut at the WSOP in 1984.
- Phil Hellmuth is the only individual to hold both the WSOP Main Event title from 1989 and the WSOP Europe Main Event title from 2012.
- Johnny Chan achieved victory in the Main Event in both 1987 and 1988, coming close to a three-peat in 1989 but finishing as the runner-up to Phil Hellmuth.
- Doyle Brunson clinched the WSOP title in consecutive years, 1976 and 1977, famously doing so while holding a 10-2, a combination that has since been dubbed 'the Brunson.'
- In 2016, two players sponsored by 888poker made it to the final table of the Main Event: Fernando Pons from Spain secured ninth place, earning $1 million, and Canadian Griffin Benger placed seventh, taking home $1,250,190.
- Pius Heinz, the champion of the WSOP in 2011, largely stepped back from the poker scene after his victory but made a comeback in March 2016, triumphing in the Eureka Poker Tour €5,300 Super High Roller event at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic.
- Only a handful of players have achieved double-digit gold bracelet wins, including Phil Hellmuth (14), Phil Ivey (10), Johnny Chan (10), and Doyle Brunson (10).
- Six exceptional players have secured three gold bracelets in a single year: Puggy Pearson (1973), Phil Hellmuth (1993), Ted Forrest (1993), Phil Ivey (2002), Jeff Lisandro (2009), and George Danzer (2014).
- Johnny Moss was the first player to win two bracelets in a single WSOP, accomplishing this milestone in the 1971 tournament.
- Tom Schneider made history as the first player to earn multiple mixed game bracelets within the same year, winning both the $1,500 and $5,000 H.O.R.S.E. events during the 2013 WSOP.
- The late Hal Fowler defeated a pool of 54 competitors to win the 1979 WSOP Main Event, marking him as the first amateur ever to claim the title.
- The author of this piece had the honor of winning a gold bracelet after outlasting 898 opponents in the 2013 WSOP Event #1: Casino Employees, taking home $84,915.
- Wendeen Eolis was the pioneer female player to cash in the WSOP Main Event, finishing in 25th place out of 141 participants in 1986.
- From 1978 to 1988, Jesse Alto reached the final table of the WSOP Main Event five times, with his top finish being third place in 1984, earning $132,000.
- Johnny Chan, born in China, had the distinction of being the first Main Event champion born outside of the United States.
- Mansour Matloubi, the 1990 WSOP champion from Iran, was the first non-American victor of the Main Event.
- Bracelet events focused on Chinese Poker were introduced in 1995 and again in 1996.
- In 1997, the Main Event final table took place outdoors on Fremont Street, where temperatures soared to 98 degrees as Stu Ungar claimed his third WSOP Main Event title.
- At the 2015 WSOP, Kevin Boudreau made a triumphant return after enduring a traumatic brain injury two years prior. His inspiring story was captured in 888poker’s PHWAP’S BACK – A Poker Comeback Story. Rebuy tournaments, which were first introduced to the WSOP in 1986, have not been held since 2008. .
- In 2012, Greg Ostrander triumphed in Event #41: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em, winning $742,072 while also receiving the milestone 1,000th bracelet in WSOP history.
- NBC Sports provided its first coverage of the WSOP in 1981, bringing this iconic event into millions of homes across the nation.
- In 1983, satellite tournaments were innovatively introduced by tournament director Eric Drache as a way to expand participation.
- Tom McEvoy made history in 1983 as the first Main Event winner to qualify through a satellite.
- During the 1980s, Binion's did not have sufficient space to accommodate all the players in some of the larger WSOP tournaments, necessitating additional seating arrangements at the Golden Nugget and Four Queens.
- In 1991, Brad Daugherty became the recipient of the first million-dollar cash prize awarded at the WSOP for his victory in the Main Event that year.
- 490 tables will be used for the 2017 WSOP
- Due to a family dispute within the Binion family, many elite players, including Doyle Brunson, chose to boycott the WSOP from 1999 until 2002.
- Recall the iconic Oakley sunglasses that Chris Moneymaker wore as he clinched victory at the 2003 WSOP? He later lost them that same night while celebrating with loved ones.
- Nolan Dalla held the position of Media Director for the WSOP from 2002 to 2016.
- Johnny Moss holds the record for the oldest bracelet winner in WSOP history, having won the 1988 WSOP $1,500 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw event at the age of 81.
- Ronnie Bardah set the record for the most consecutive cashes in the Main Event, achieving this feat with five cashes from 2010 to 2014.st
- Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi remains the only player to have won the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship twice, with his victories occurring in both 2010 and 2012.
- Howard 'Tahoe' Andrew has participated in more WSOP Main Events than any other player, having played 41 consecutively from 1974 to 2014.
- Berry Johnston established a record by cashing in at least one event during a remarkable 29-year stretch from 1982 to 2010.
- Daniel Negreanu is unique in that he has been awarded the WSOP Player of the Year title on two occasions, first in 2004 and again in 2013.
- The WSOP Europe, marking the first time championship events were held outside of Las Vegas, launched in London during September 2007.
- From 1999 to 2001, The Discovery Channel was responsible for broadcasting the WSOP.
- The only year in which the WSOP was neither filmed nor aired was in 1996, coinciding with Huck Seed's win.
- Antonio Esfandiari leads the pack for WSOP earnings with a staggering total of $21,965,385, which includes over $18 million from his 2012 Big One for One Drop victory.
- The commentary duo of Lon McEachern and Norman Chad became well-known starting in 2003, although McEachern's first WSOP experience dates back to the previous year alongside Gabe Kaplan.
- In December 2010, the Arizona Lottery launched WSOP-themed $5 scratch-off tickets, featuring a top prize of $50,000.
- Pocket Kings, frequently regarded as the second-best starting hand in Texas Hold’em, has never emerged victorious in the Main Event's final hand.
- Two former runners-up experienced the heartbreak of losing the Main Event despite having pocket aces, with Hal Fowler's 7-6 defeating Bobby Hoff's aces in 1979, and Dewey Tomko's aces falling to Carlos Mortensen's K-8 in 2001.
- An amateur player, defined as someone who earned their living through a profession other than poker at the time of their victory, has captured the WSOP Main Event title 15 times.
- Barbara Enright holds the distinction of being the only woman to have advanced to the WSOP Main Event final table, where she placed fifth out of 273 competitors in 1995.
- Marsha Waggoner, Annie Duke, and Maria Ho are the only three women who have achieved the status of 'Last Woman Standing' in the WSOP Main Event on two separate occasions.
- Dive into 88 intriguing insights about the illustrious history of the WSOP, featuring renowned poker figures such as Doyle Brunson and Antonio Esfandiari, and uncovering unparalleled milestones from the premier poker tournament series in the world.
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- Unraveling WSOP History and Interesting Tidbits: 48 Years of Legendary Poker Players and Remarkable Records
- A collection of 88 fascinating insights regarding the World Series of Poker.
- 107 countries participated in the 2016 WSOP
- For the third consecutive year, 888poker is thrilled to once again serve as the official sponsor of the
- As part of our sponsorship arrangement, we will enjoy significant visibility across various platforms, including the live updates and website of WSOP, alongside every live stream and ESPN's broadcast of the Main Event. Moreover, we hold exclusive rights to host official WSOP satellite tournaments online.
- With the start of the 2017 WSOP fast approaching, we thought it would be entertaining to share 88 engaging facts drawn from the remarkable 48-year journey of poker's most distinguished tournament series, condensing a potentially overwhelming number of insights into a manageable list of 88.
- The 2006 WSOP Main Event set a record for being the largest ever, attracting a staggering 8,773 participants. Closely following this was the 2010 Main Event, which saw 7,319 contenders.
- In 2008, the WSOP launched the November Nine concept, which was utilized until its retirement following the 2016 event.
- During the 2016 WSOP Main Event, the average age of the competitors was approximately 40 years and 1 month.
- The first television broadcast of the WSOP took place in 1973 through a CBS documentary narrated by Jimmy 'The Greek' Snyder.
- Since the inception of the November Nine in 2008, only one player has made it to this coveted position twice (including back-to-back appearances in 2013 and 2014), and that player is Mark Newhouse, who placed ninth both times.
- In earlier years, participants received tournament chips equivalent to the buy-in amount (for example, a $10,000 buy-in granted 10,000 in chips). Nowadays, players are awarded five times more, receiving 50,000 in chips for the same buy-in.
- Historically, the lowest buy-in for bracelet events was set at $500. However, in 2017, there were two events with lower buy-ins: the $333 online event and the $365 The Giant, both of which are bracelet events.
- The inaugural WSOP hosted at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino occurred in 2005, marking the last time the Main Event final table was held at Binion's downtown.
- Joe McKeehen, crowned the Main Event champion in 2015, was the first player to win the title wearing an 888poker patch.
- Carlos Mortensen, who took home the Main Event title in 2001, narrowly missed being part of the 2013 November Nine, finishing in 10th place.
- Bob Hooks, who was the poker room manager at Binion's during the early 1970s, finished second to Brian 'Sailor' Roberts in the 1975 WSOP Main Event. With only 21 entrants, the pot was winner-take-all for a $210,000 prize. Interestingly, Roberts and Hooks were roommates and discreetly organized to split the winnings.
- Since 2004, there have been four instances where players have snagged the WSOP Main Event holding a pocket pair in their final hand: Greg Raymer, Jerry Yang, Joe Cada, and Martin Jacobson.
- In the entire history of the WSOP, only two individuals have clinched the Main Event while holding Big Slick as their final hand: Pius Heinz and Ryan Riess.
- Five-Card Stud, a game once celebrated and notable in the film The Cincinnati Kid, has not been featured in the WSOP since 1974. Curiously, it was played only four times, with Bill Boyd emerging victorious each time.
- To clarify on the topic of bracelets, they were not given out at the WSOP until 1975; the first-ever gold bracelet was awarded to Brian 'Sailor' Roberts.
- There hasn't been a team event, or 'mixed doubles' event, on the WSOP schedule since 1983, although they made a return in 2016.
- In 1982, the WSOP opted to present gold wristwatches instead of bracelets as prizes.
- Pot-Limit Omaha events made their debut at the WSOP in 1984.