World Series of Poker History
The Main Event began as an idea hatched in Texas gambler Benny Binion’s mind to promote his casino.
In 1970, a small group of Texas rounders gathered at Binion’s for 10 days playing for high stakes in games like five-card draw, 2-7 lowball, seven-card stud, razz, and no-limit hold’em. Players voted on the winner at the end — Texan and future Poker Hall of Fame member Johnny Moss.
By 1972, no-limit hold’em became the premier game and the $10,000 buy-in tournament that players now know as the Main Event was introduced.
In the intervening 48 years, the event has grown to mammoth proportions with numerous preliminary events. The championship bracelet was introduced by Binion in 1976 and has become the ultimate trophy in poker. Owning one has become the litmus test for poker greatness. The series has even expanded beyond Las Vegas with numerous circuit and bracelet events around the country and the world.
Binion surely couldn’t have imagined the scope that the game would become since his showcase began in 1970. The World Series of Poker is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, having awarded more than $2.6 billion in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize.
Here's a look at all the winners since the tournament's inception:
| Year | Entries | Champion | Country | Winning Hand | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7 | Johnny Moss | United States | - | - | |
| 1971 | 6 | Johnny Moss | United States | - | $30,000 | |
| 1972 | 8 | Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston | United States |   | $80,000 | |
| 1973 | 13 | Walter "Puggy" Pearson | United States |   | $130,000 | |
| 1974 | 16 | Johnny Moss | United States |   | $160,000 | |
| 1975 | 21 | Brian "Sailor" Roberts | United States |   | $210,000 | |
| 1976 | 22 | Doyle Brunson | United States |   | $220,000 | |
| 1977 | 34 | Doyle Brunson | United States |  | $340,000 | |
| 1978 | 42 | Bobby Baldwin | United States |   | $210,000 | |
| 1979 | 54 | Hal Fowler | United States |  | $270,000 | |
| 1980 | 73 | Stu Ungar | United States |   | $385,000 | |
| 1981 | 75 | Stu Ungar | United States |   | $375,000 | |
| 1982 | 104 | Jack Straus | United States | | $520,000 | |
| 1983 | 108 | Tom McEvoy | United States |  | $540,000 | |
| 1984 | 132 | Jack Keller | United States |  | $660,000 | |
| 1985 | 140 | Bill Smith | United States | | $700,000 | |
| 1986 | 141 | Berry Johnston | United States | | $570,000 | |
| 1987 | 152 | Johnny Chan | United States | (born in China) |  | $625,000 |
| 1988 | 167 | Johnny Chan | United States | (born in China) |  | $700,000 |
| 1989 | 178 | Phil Hellmuth | United States |  | $755,000 | |
| 1990 | 194 | Mansour Matloubi | Iran |   | $895,000 | |
| 1991 | 215 | Brad Daugherty | United States |  | $1,000,000 | |
| 1992 | 201 | Hamid Dastmalchi | Iran |   | $1,000,000 | |
| 1993 | 220 | Jim Bechtel | United States | | $1,000,000 | |
| 1994 | 268 | Russ Hamilton | United States | | $1,000,000 | |
| 1995 | 273 | Dan Harrington | United States |   | $1,000,000 | |
| 1996 | 295 | Huck Seed | United States | | $1,000,000 | |
| 1997 | 312 | Stu Ungar | United States | | $1,000,000 | |
| 1998 | 350 | Scotty Nguyen | United States | (born in Vietnam) | | $1,000,000 |
| 1999 | 393 | Noel Furlong | Ireland |   | $1,000,000 | |
| 2000 | 512 | Chris Ferguson | United States | | $1,500,000 | |
| 2001 | 613 | Carlos Mortensen | Spain | (born in Ecuador) |  | $1,500,000 |
| 2002 | 631 | Robert Varkonyi | United States | | $2,000,000 | |
| 2003 | 839 | Chris Moneymaker | United States | | $2,500,000 | |
| 2004 | 2,576 | Greg Raymer | United States |  | $5,000,000 | |
| 2005 | 5,619 | Joe Hachem | Australia |  | $7,500,000 | |
| 2006 | 8,773 | Jamie Gold | United States | | $12,000,000 | |
| 2007 | 6,358 | Jerry Yang | United States | (born in Laos) |  | $8,250,000 |
| 2008 | 6,844 | Peter Eastgate | Denmark |  | $9,152,416 | |
| 2009 | 6,494 | Joe Cada | United States | | $8,547,042 | |
| 2010 | 7,319 | Jonathan Duhamel | Canada | | $8,944,310 | |
| 2011 | 6,865 | Pius Heinz | Germany | | $8,715,638 | |
| 2012 | 6,598 | Greg Merson | United States |  | $8,531,853 | |
| 2013 | 6,352 | Ryan Riess | United States | | $8,361,570 | |
| 2014 | 6,683 | Martin Jacobson | Sweden |  | $10,000,000 | |
| 2015 | 6,420 | Joe McKeehen | United States | | $7,683,346 | |
| 2016 | 6,737 | Qui Nguyen | United States | (born in Vietnam) |  | $8,005,310 |
| 2017 | 7,221 | Scott Blumstein | United States |  | $8,150,000 |
