WSOP
Every year in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada the WSOP is held and is currently the world’s most popular poker event. It was until the ’80s when what are known as poker satellite tournaments that the World Series of Poker really blew up in size. These tournaments gave anyone the opportunity at playing in the big event for free. By the mid-1980s, this number had grown to over 2,000.
TV footage of the game began as early as 1973 in the form of a documentary-style special narrated by Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, the legendary Las Vegas bookie and American sports commentator. CBS sometimes aired the main event in the ’70s and ’80s only showing action from the final table of the WSOP.
By the end of the ’80s ESPN had positioned themselves as the goto broadcaster of this poker event, airing continuous footage of each stage of the tournament. From the year 2000 to 2001 The Discovery Channel and Travel Channel showcased the main event of the WSOP. This was short-lived as the sports broadcaster giant ESPN then took over the spotlight.
The power of computers and the World Wide Web was redefining the poker world. This made poker available to an unlimited number of people all around the world. Thanks to numerous online bookmakers, people from all over the world could play poker for money at any time. This created a sensation that has peaked but remains very much alive today.
As this phenomenon began its ascent, interest in The World Series of Poker, highest profile Texas Hold Em Poker game, ascended with it. ESPN was ready every step of the way to increase coverage to meet demand and even orchestrated a delayed final table in 2008 in order to maximize ratings. Unfortunately, due to the need to keep players’ hole cards a secret throughout the tournament, the winner of the tournament is often known before the event is aired on tv. In 2006, the WSOP peaked with 8,773 players participating.
Although fans are likely to remember the events from 2002-2008 as the WSOP’s signature moments, the event has a long and illustrious history. Tons of attention is place on those amateur players, many who have won cheap WSOP Satellites, that make it to the final table and win the coveted braclet. In 1979 the first amateur to ever win the big World Series Of Poker Main Event, Hal Fowler, was crowned.. It is believed, though not confirmed, that the godfather of the World Series of Poker, Benny Binnion paid for his buy-in to the main event.
During the 2000 WSOP, female poker player Annie Duke made it to the final ten, just four short of the final table that year. Therefore, in 2006, when Annie Duke got as far as the final 88, ESPN celebrated her success. At the time a poker commentator stated that Annie Duke could even become the very first female to ever make it to the final table of the main event. But in 1995 a female poker player by the name of Barbara Enright actually made the final table, finishing 5th in the World Series of Poker main event that year.
Likewise, fans often believe that famous World Series of Poker participant Johnny Chan is the only player to reach the final two, three years in a row. However, Tennessee native Puggy Pearson was the first to do that back in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Eventually claiming the title in ‘73, he was the very first poker player not from the state of Texas to win the World Series of Poker.
