Mansour Matloubi is an Iranian-British poker player who won the 1990 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
He was the first non-American to do so. Matloubi also made the final table of the 1993 Main Event, won by Jim Bechtel, eventually finishing fourth.
1990 WSOP Main Event
Matloubi had moved to Cardiff, Wales in 1972 and travelled with a group of his fellow countrymen to the 1990 WSOP. He entered the Main Event, eventually defeating a field of 194 entrants to win $835,000.
The 1990 WSOP Main Event is also notable as the fourth occasion that Stu Ungar made it to the final table - the only occasion where he did not then go on to win the Main Event. While holding the chip lead with ~20 players remaining, Ungar overdosed in his hotel room on Day 3 of the tournament. His chip lead was so big, that even as he was blinded out he made it to the final table and finished in ninth place.
Matloubi defeated a tough final table that included 1986 WSOP Main Event champion Berry Johnston.
"I never thought I would win it," Matloubi said, "I’ve been playing Texas Hold’Em only a short time. Although it seemed that luck was on my side, I believe I played all those hands correctly. I had the best opening cards every time I made those big bets."
Matloubi would go on to make seven more WSOP final tables, but never managed to win a second bracelet. He came closest in 1994, finishing second to Johnny Chan in a $1,500 Seven Card Stud event.
Mansour Matloubi Top Five Cashes
| Year | Event | Buy-in | Place | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1990 | WSOP Main Event | $10,000 | 1st | $835,000 |
| August 1990 | Diamond Jim Brady | $10,000 | 2nd | $160,000 |
| May 1993 | WSOP Main Event | $10,000 | 4th | $120,000 |
| December 1994 | World Poker Finals | $10,000 | 1st | $72,000 |
| May 1994 | WSOP Seven Card Stud | $1,500 | 2nd | $67,800 |
WSOP Main Event Winners 1981-90
| YEAR | ENTRIES | CHAMPION | COUNTRY | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 194 | Mansour Matloubi | Iran | $895,000 |
| 1989 | 178 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | $755,000 |
| 1988 | 167 | Johnny Chan | United States | $700,000 |
| 1987 | 152 | Johnny Chan | United States | $625,000 |
| 1986 | 141 | Berry Johnston | United States | $570,000 |
| 1985 | 140 | Bill Smith | United States | $700,000 |
| 1984 | 132 | Jack Keller | United States | $660,000 |
| 1983 | 108 | Tom McEvoy | United States | $540,000 |
| 1982 | 104 | Jack Straus | United States | $520,000 |
| 1981 | 75 | Stu Ungar | United States | $375,000 |
