The international appeal of poker began to be reflected in the Worlds Series of Poker champions when Vietnamese born Thuan (Scotty) Nguyen took down pokers top honour in 1998, followed by Irishman Noel Furlong in 1999.
The 2000 WSOP of poker main event saw a then record 512 competitors vie for the $1.5 million first place would bring. Among the players fighting it out that year was Jim McManus, who had been sent by Harpers Magazine to report on the tournament. Not satisfied to simply watch, McManus took the advance Harper's had given him and won a satellite, giving him a ticket to play in the big game himself. A lifelong amateur player, McManus went on a terrific run and made it all the way to the final table, finishing fifth and collecting $248,000. He then wrote a book about it; Positively Fifth Street. On a personal note, I read Positively Fifth Street and was captivated by it. It was this book that got me interested in poker and I'm sure it had a similar effect on hundreds, maybe thousands, of others.
The final two players that year were T. J. Cloutier and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. The contrast between the two men made this final showdown particularly dramatic. Cloutier was an almost perfect example of the old type of Texas road gambler; a sixty-one year old Texan who had honed his skills over decades of playing in the illegal backroom games in the American south west. A professional football player in his younger days, T.J. was physically intimidating as well. The "old school" of poker players could not have a better representative.
Chris Ferguson was everything Cloutier was not: A slim young Californian who had just completed his Ph.D in computer science. With his beard and long brown hair, he bore a striking resemblance to the popular image of Christ, hence his nickname. Ferguson had none of the swagger and intimidation of the "old school", but he had a deep understanding of the mathematics and game theory. In the end, Cloutier outplayed Ferguson. Ferguson later said he knew that he couldn't beat T.J. "straight-up" and that to win he would have to get lucky - and that's exactly what happened. With Ferguson holding a slight chip lead, he got into a showdown holding A9 against Cloutiers' AQ, but a miracle 9 came on the river and Chris Ferguson won. This victory seemed to spark new interest among average people. If an egghead (albiet an egghead that looks like Jesus) can beat a tough old Texan, then it seemed like any reasonably intellegent person might be able to do allright at this game.
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The WSOP: 1992-1997
From 1991 to 1999, first prize in the main event at the World Series of poker was set at an even million dollars. The number of players entering the tournament grew steadily from 194 at the start of the decade to 393 at the end - steady growth, but nothing spectacular.
For the first half of the decade, the main event was won by names most people today would not recognize. Dan Harrington changed that with his 1995 win. Rather than slipping back into the shadows, Harrington leveraged his new profile and wrote a number of very good books on poker.
The following year a kid from California named Huckleberry Seed (Do you think his parents were hippies?) won the title, which created ripples of interest outside of the poker world.
Then in 1997 Stu Ungar shocked the poker world when he won the main event for the third time. By 1997 Stu Ungar had been battling drug addiction for over ten years and despite his poker triumphs he was deeply in debt. Few people wanted anything to do with him. Everyone remembered the 1990 WSOP, when Stu did not show up for the third day of play and was found unconscious in his hotel room after too much cocaine. Once unquestionably the best poker player in the world, Stu was now up all night before the tournament trying to convince someone to back him. Billy Baxter, an old friend, finally agreed to pay Ungar's entrance fee (in exchange for a cut of Ungar's winnings) but by the time the tournament began Stu was exhausted and began falling asleep at the table. Miraculously, he made through the first day. From his second day on, Ungar destroyed his competition. Showing up well rested each day, he quickly amassed a huge chip lead and won the tournament easily. He split the million dollars evenly with Baxter.
What could have been -should have been- the turning point in Ungars life may have been his undoing. Ungar blew his winnings in a few months, mostly on drugs and sports betting. Ungar's addiction prevented him from competing in the WSOP the following year. A year and a half after his amazing third main event win, Stuart Errol Ungar was found dead in a seedy Las Vegas hotel room. Despite having won millions at poker in his lifetime, Ungar died without assets. At his funeral a collection was taken up to pay for the service.
For the first half of the decade, the main event was won by names most people today would not recognize. Dan Harrington changed that with his 1995 win. Rather than slipping back into the shadows, Harrington leveraged his new profile and wrote a number of very good books on poker.
The following year a kid from California named Huckleberry Seed (Do you think his parents were hippies?) won the title, which created ripples of interest outside of the poker world.
Then in 1997 Stu Ungar shocked the poker world when he won the main event for the third time. By 1997 Stu Ungar had been battling drug addiction for over ten years and despite his poker triumphs he was deeply in debt. Few people wanted anything to do with him. Everyone remembered the 1990 WSOP, when Stu did not show up for the third day of play and was found unconscious in his hotel room after too much cocaine. Once unquestionably the best poker player in the world, Stu was now up all night before the tournament trying to convince someone to back him. Billy Baxter, an old friend, finally agreed to pay Ungar's entrance fee (in exchange for a cut of Ungar's winnings) but by the time the tournament began Stu was exhausted and began falling asleep at the table. Miraculously, he made through the first day. From his second day on, Ungar destroyed his competition. Showing up well rested each day, he quickly amassed a huge chip lead and won the tournament easily. He split the million dollars evenly with Baxter.
What could have been -should have been- the turning point in Ungars life may have been his undoing. Ungar blew his winnings in a few months, mostly on drugs and sports betting. Ungar's addiction prevented him from competing in the WSOP the following year. A year and a half after his amazing third main event win, Stuart Errol Ungar was found dead in a seedy Las Vegas hotel room. Despite having won millions at poker in his lifetime, Ungar died without assets. At his funeral a collection was taken up to pay for the service.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The WSOP: 1982-1991
In 1982 Jack Straus pulled off what is still regarded as the most improbable victory in the WSOP main event when he was reduced to a single $500 chip on the second day of play and then went on to win the tournament. Straus was a very likable professional, so his victory seemed like a breath of fresh air after back-to-back wins by the self-destructive Stu Unger and the 1979 win by Hal Fowler, an unknown amateur who won despite popping Valium and making horrible calls. Straus's dramatic victory seemed to many people to put the WSOP back on its proper track. 1982 also marked the first time over one hundred players entered the tournament, and was the first time the winner received more than half a million in prize money.
In 1987 Johnny Chan won his first main event. Although American, Chan had been born in China, and his success was a harbinger that poker's popularity was now reaching far beyond the United States. In 1988 Chan repeated as champion; previously only Doyle Brunson and Stu Unger had managed to win the title back-to-back, and no one has done it again since Chan. A clip from Chan's 1988 victory over Erik Seidel is featured in the movie Rounders.
Amazingly the following year Chan nearly did it again, coming in second place to a young man named Phil Hellmuth. Only 24 years old at the time, Hellmuth was the youngest player ever to win the main event (a distinction now held by Joe Cada, who was only 21 when he won in 2009). Hellmuth's youth and caustic jabbering earned him the nickname "Poker Brat" and he quickly became one of poker's most well known personalities.
In 1990 the growing international interest in poker was once again made evident when Iranian Mansour Matloubi took the main event title.
In 1991 more than 200 players entered the main event, and for the first time the winner took home more than a million dollars. Poker's growth though the 'eighties had been slow and steady.
In 1987 Johnny Chan won his first main event. Although American, Chan had been born in China, and his success was a harbinger that poker's popularity was now reaching far beyond the United States. In 1988 Chan repeated as champion; previously only Doyle Brunson and Stu Unger had managed to win the title back-to-back, and no one has done it again since Chan. A clip from Chan's 1988 victory over Erik Seidel is featured in the movie Rounders.
Amazingly the following year Chan nearly did it again, coming in second place to a young man named Phil Hellmuth. Only 24 years old at the time, Hellmuth was the youngest player ever to win the main event (a distinction now held by Joe Cada, who was only 21 when he won in 2009). Hellmuth's youth and caustic jabbering earned him the nickname "Poker Brat" and he quickly became one of poker's most well known personalities.
In 1990 the growing international interest in poker was once again made evident when Iranian Mansour Matloubi took the main event title.
In 1991 more than 200 players entered the main event, and for the first time the winner took home more than a million dollars. Poker's growth though the 'eighties had been slow and steady.
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Year - Winner- Prize Money (USD)-Entrants
1982-Jack Sraus-$520,000-104
1983-Tom McEvoy-$540,000-108
1984-Jack Keller-$660,000-132
1985-Bill Smith-$700,000-140
1986-Barry Johnston-$570,000-141
1987-Johnny Chan-$625,000-152
1988-Johnny Chan-$700,000-167
1989-Phil Hellmuth, Jr.-$755,000-178
1990-Mansour Matloubi-$895,000-194
1991-Brad Daugherty-$1,000,000-215
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The WSOP: 1971-1981
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) began in the early seventies when Benny Binion, owner of the Horseshoe Casino, invited six players to compete against each other with the champion to be determined by secret ballot. Obviously this voting approach was unsatisfactory and in subsequent years the winner was determined by a “freeze out” tournament.
The main event of the WSOP has, over the decades, proven pivotal in dragging poker out of the disreputable gambling dens and into the light of public acceptance. Perhaps the first big step on this journey occurred when Amarillo Slim Preston won the first tournament contested WSOP in 1972. Slim almost perfectly fit the public’s romantic ideal of a poker player; a thin, leathery cowboy with an endless supply of anecdotes, he was impossible not to like. Slim went on several talk shows, including The Tonight Show, and his charisma did wonders for the reputation of the game.
As the years passed, more “events” were added to the WSOP. Championship bracelets were given for different types of poker: Limit and No-Limit Hold ‘em, different stud games, various Omaha and even Razz tournaments all became part of the WSOP. The big championship game came to be known as the “Main Event”. When you hear so-and-so won the WSOP - it usually is referring to the main event, which is a massive No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament.
Throughout the seventies and eighties the main event drew relatively few contestants, possibly because the $10,000 entrance fee was too much for most people to pay. It was 1982 before the 100 player mark was broken and it was 1991 before the main event drew more than 200 players. As the entrance fee remained fixed, over the years it gradually became less of a barrier to professional and amateur players alike.
In 1983 Al Alvarez wrote a book called The Biggest Game in Town. It was both a history of poker and an account of the 1981 main event which was won by Stu Ungar. Alvarez was and is a great writer of both poetry and prose, and was also Sylvia Plath’s close friend and editor. He knows how to put words together. But he also knows a lot about poker, being a long-time player himself. The combination of writing ability an deep knowledge of his subject makes The Biggest Game in Town, in quite a few people’s opinion, the best book about poker. I have read it a few times and I have recommended it to people who want to understand what all the fuss is about. The game has never had a more eloquent spokesperson.
I do, however, two small quibbles. Quibble number one: historical inaccuracy.
After Benny Binion took over the Horseshoe Casino, he slowly began to develop it into the main poker place in Las Vegas. Binion achieved this in part by creating a myth - the myth of Johnny Moss and Nick the Greek. In a nutshell, the story goes that Nick the Greek, the most famous gambler in the world at the time, came to Vegas in 1949 and asked Binion to set up the highest stakes poker game possible. Binion called in Johnny Moss (who would later win the WSOP main event twice) to duel it out with The Greek. The game, according to legend, lasted five months with only short breaks for meals and rest. Binion set up the table right at the front of his casino and the epic struggle drew thousands of curious onlookers who, it is assumed, spent their money in Binion’s place. Binion even went so far as to claim Albert Einstein came to the Horseshoe and was introduced to Binion’s friends as “Little Al. He runs a lot of the action in Jersey.” After five months of fortunes sliding back and forth between the two men, Moss finally wore The Greek down, until The Greek finally stood up and uttered the famous words: “Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.”
That’s the story. Binion claimed the epic game was the inspiration for him starting the WSOP. The story quickly became accepted as truth and was given credibility when Alvarez repeated it in detail in The Biggest Game in Town. The only problem is that it almost certainly did not happen. There is no record Nick the Greek ever spoke of such a match, much less participated in it, and the story seems to have started only after Nick’s death. If such as match took place, with thousands of tourists serving as witnesses, then there must be a mountain of photos to prove it - but the fact that no one has ever brought forth a single picture of this game is a pretty strong argument that it never happened. Still a great story. One really can’t blame Alvarez, who was a poet not an historian, for perpetuating the myth.
The only other quibble I have is Alvarez’s obvious dislike for the man who won the 1981 WSOP main event, Stu Ungar. If Amarillo Slim Preston moved poker towards the light of respectability, then Ungar certainly moved it back towards the dark. Far from eloquent, Ungar is portrayed by Alvarez as barely human - communicating with monosyllabic grunts. Ungar was a terrible drug addict, which may have also fuelled Alvarez’s distaste. Still the portrait of Ungar as somehow sub-human reflects poorly on Alvarez.
People are rarely as good or as bad our snap judgements make them out to be. Ungar was almost certainly a much more complex person than Alvarez makes out and Amarillo Slim Preston would become a pariah in the poker world when in 2003 he was charged with indecency in an incident involving a 12 year old child.
The main event of the WSOP has, over the decades, proven pivotal in dragging poker out of the disreputable gambling dens and into the light of public acceptance. Perhaps the first big step on this journey occurred when Amarillo Slim Preston won the first tournament contested WSOP in 1972. Slim almost perfectly fit the public’s romantic ideal of a poker player; a thin, leathery cowboy with an endless supply of anecdotes, he was impossible not to like. Slim went on several talk shows, including The Tonight Show, and his charisma did wonders for the reputation of the game.
As the years passed, more “events” were added to the WSOP. Championship bracelets were given for different types of poker: Limit and No-Limit Hold ‘em, different stud games, various Omaha and even Razz tournaments all became part of the WSOP. The big championship game came to be known as the “Main Event”. When you hear so-and-so won the WSOP - it usually is referring to the main event, which is a massive No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament.
Throughout the seventies and eighties the main event drew relatively few contestants, possibly because the $10,000 entrance fee was too much for most people to pay. It was 1982 before the 100 player mark was broken and it was 1991 before the main event drew more than 200 players. As the entrance fee remained fixed, over the years it gradually became less of a barrier to professional and amateur players alike.
In 1983 Al Alvarez wrote a book called The Biggest Game in Town. It was both a history of poker and an account of the 1981 main event which was won by Stu Ungar. Alvarez was and is a great writer of both poetry and prose, and was also Sylvia Plath’s close friend and editor. He knows how to put words together. But he also knows a lot about poker, being a long-time player himself. The combination of writing ability an deep knowledge of his subject makes The Biggest Game in Town, in quite a few people’s opinion, the best book about poker. I have read it a few times and I have recommended it to people who want to understand what all the fuss is about. The game has never had a more eloquent spokesperson.
I do, however, two small quibbles. Quibble number one: historical inaccuracy.
After Benny Binion took over the Horseshoe Casino, he slowly began to develop it into the main poker place in Las Vegas. Binion achieved this in part by creating a myth - the myth of Johnny Moss and Nick the Greek. In a nutshell, the story goes that Nick the Greek, the most famous gambler in the world at the time, came to Vegas in 1949 and asked Binion to set up the highest stakes poker game possible. Binion called in Johnny Moss (who would later win the WSOP main event twice) to duel it out with The Greek. The game, according to legend, lasted five months with only short breaks for meals and rest. Binion set up the table right at the front of his casino and the epic struggle drew thousands of curious onlookers who, it is assumed, spent their money in Binion’s place. Binion even went so far as to claim Albert Einstein came to the Horseshoe and was introduced to Binion’s friends as “Little Al. He runs a lot of the action in Jersey.” After five months of fortunes sliding back and forth between the two men, Moss finally wore The Greek down, until The Greek finally stood up and uttered the famous words: “Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.”
That’s the story. Binion claimed the epic game was the inspiration for him starting the WSOP. The story quickly became accepted as truth and was given credibility when Alvarez repeated it in detail in The Biggest Game in Town. The only problem is that it almost certainly did not happen. There is no record Nick the Greek ever spoke of such a match, much less participated in it, and the story seems to have started only after Nick’s death. If such as match took place, with thousands of tourists serving as witnesses, then there must be a mountain of photos to prove it - but the fact that no one has ever brought forth a single picture of this game is a pretty strong argument that it never happened. Still a great story. One really can’t blame Alvarez, who was a poet not an historian, for perpetuating the myth.
The only other quibble I have is Alvarez’s obvious dislike for the man who won the 1981 WSOP main event, Stu Ungar. If Amarillo Slim Preston moved poker towards the light of respectability, then Ungar certainly moved it back towards the dark. Far from eloquent, Ungar is portrayed by Alvarez as barely human - communicating with monosyllabic grunts. Ungar was a terrible drug addict, which may have also fuelled Alvarez’s distaste. Still the portrait of Ungar as somehow sub-human reflects poorly on Alvarez.
People are rarely as good or as bad our snap judgements make them out to be. Ungar was almost certainly a much more complex person than Alvarez makes out and Amarillo Slim Preston would become a pariah in the poker world when in 2003 he was charged with indecency in an incident involving a 12 year old child.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year - Winner- Prize Money (USD)-Entrants
1971-Johnny Moss-$30,000-6
1972-"Amarillo Slim" Preston-$80,000-8
1973-Walter "Puggy" Pearson-$130,000-13
1974-Johnny Moss-$160,000sm-16
1975-Brian "Sailor" Roberts-$210,000-21
1976-Doyle Brunson-$220,000-22
1977-Doyle Brunson-$340,000-34
1978-Bobby Baldwin-$210,000-42
1979-Hal Fowler-$270,000-54
1980-Stu Ungar-$385,000-73
1981-Stu Ungar-$375,000-75
Year - Winner- Prize Money (USD)-Entrants
1971-Johnny Moss-$30,000-6
1972-"Amarillo Slim" Preston-$80,000-8
1973-Walter "Puggy" Pearson-$130,000-13
1974-Johnny Moss-$160,000sm-16
1975-Brian "Sailor" Roberts-$210,000-21
1976-Doyle Brunson-$220,000-22
1977-Doyle Brunson-$340,000-34
1978-Bobby Baldwin-$210,000-42
1979-Hal Fowler-$270,000-54
1980-Stu Ungar-$385,000-73
1981-Stu Ungar-$375,000-75
Monday, August 30, 2010
Cowboys Full
Book Review:
Cowboys Full,
By James McManus
2009, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
In Positively Fifth Street, James McManus did a three-part juggling act in relating his first-hand adventure at the World Series of Poker's main event with the trial of the accused killers of Ted Binion, while also injecting a healthy dose of poker history. Of the three themes, the poker history came off as dry in comparison to the more immediate drama found in the other threads. It comes as a very pleasant surprise then that Cowboys Full, an ambitiously large study of poker, should be such a fascinating book.
As a history, Cowboys Full is impressive. McManus goes back beyond the game -back beyond the invention of cards itself- and methodically brings us up to the game we recognize today. But as interesting as the history is, the book is most fascinating when it shows how the skills various historical figures developed at the poker table influenced their success in the business and political world. The chapters covering the Civil War are brilliant.
Unfortunately Cowboys Full weakens somewhat in its later chapters where McManus repeats much of what he wrote in Fifth Street and regurgitates what appears in other books. Two full chapters are devoted to Texas banker Andy Beal's attempts to better the best of the Vegas pros, and while interesting, this story has already been covered in great detail in Michael Craig's The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King. Yet, overall, it is the most complete book on poker I have yet read. Those who do not understand poker's appeal, or view it merely as a form of gambling, would do well to read it.
Cowboys Full,
By James McManus
2009, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
In Positively Fifth Street, James McManus did a three-part juggling act in relating his first-hand adventure at the World Series of Poker's main event with the trial of the accused killers of Ted Binion, while also injecting a healthy dose of poker history. Of the three themes, the poker history came off as dry in comparison to the more immediate drama found in the other threads. It comes as a very pleasant surprise then that Cowboys Full, an ambitiously large study of poker, should be such a fascinating book.
As a history, Cowboys Full is impressive. McManus goes back beyond the game -back beyond the invention of cards itself- and methodically brings us up to the game we recognize today. But as interesting as the history is, the book is most fascinating when it shows how the skills various historical figures developed at the poker table influenced their success in the business and political world. The chapters covering the Civil War are brilliant.
Unfortunately Cowboys Full weakens somewhat in its later chapters where McManus repeats much of what he wrote in Fifth Street and regurgitates what appears in other books. Two full chapters are devoted to Texas banker Andy Beal's attempts to better the best of the Vegas pros, and while interesting, this story has already been covered in great detail in Michael Craig's The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King. Yet, overall, it is the most complete book on poker I have yet read. Those who do not understand poker's appeal, or view it merely as a form of gambling, would do well to read it.
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