They are like the stars of Hollywood, only they shined in the casinos. They are introduced to the Binion's Hall of Fame, starting with the year 1979. Currently there are 22 names and they are the best.
In order to enter in the hall of fame, the players must perform the following: to play poker against top poker players; to be successful in high stake games; and to have a big amount of time playing (a few years), thus receiving respect from the most influential poker players of the time.
Poker Players Hall of Fame:
- In 1979
Johnny Moss is the first WSOP winner and one of the best players of all times. He has won the main WSOP thrice in 1970, 1971 and 1974, performance equaled only by Stu Ungar.
Red Win was the best at any poker player. He is deceased.
"Nick the Greek" Dandalos was the finalist in the first edition of WSOP in 1970. He didn't get another chance of winning the WSOP but has spent most of his life in the casinos where he made and lost millions of dollars. He was nearly broke before he died.
Felton "Corky" McCorquodale introduced in 1963 the Texas Hold'em game, but his poker skill also introduced him into the Hall of Fame. He is deceased.
Sid Wyman was a big money spender. For 20 years he was the co-owner to huge gaming proprieties like Sands, Riviera, and the old Dunes. He was famous for his way of spending big money. He is deceased.
James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok is known for his army and fighting skills but also for his gambling skills. His whole life he was a fighter and one of the best shooters. There are many tales, songs and books about his adventures. In 1876 on August the 2nd he was shot dead at the poker table. He had a pair of Aces and a pair of eights in hand, and since then that combination is called the "Dead Man's Hand".
Edmond Hoyle was one of the most important poker figures. He lived in London and he dedicated his life to poker. He wrote the book about card games: "A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist" and gave card lesson to various players. He died at the age of 97 in 1769 on August 30.
In 1980- T. "Blondie" Forbes was one of the best gamblers. He is deceased.
Bill Boyd was a Las Vegas card room manager and one of the best five card stud poker players. He managed at the Golden Nugget casino the card room for 46 years (from 1946 to 1982). He was the champion at the stud game at five consecutive tournaments (from 1970 to 1974). He is described by Bobby Baldwin as a very courageous man who took enormous risks at the poker player. He is also described as a perfect gentleman. He was 91 years old when he died.
In 1982Tom Abdo spent his entire life for poker and he found his death (heart attack) at a poker table.
In 1983Joe Bernstein dedicated his entire life to gambling. He was good friends with Benny Binion, the Horseshoe owner, and Binion remembers about the good laughs he had with Bernstein.
In 1984 - Murph Harrold was one of the best deuce-to-seven draw players. He is deceased. In 1985
- Red Hodges was one of the best seven-card stud players of all time. He is deceased. In 1986
- Henry Green had skill at any poker game. He was from Alabama and was a road gambler. He is deceased. In 1987
Puggy Pearson was first to introduce the idea of poker tournaments. He was very poor, and he couldn't get an education but he managed to become successful through poker. He is one of the best players and he says he is not afraid of anyone when it comes to poker. He has a very tight playing style.
In 1988Doyle Brunson is a very important poker figure. He has won 2 WSOP tournaments in 1976 and 1977. He has written the "Poker Bible" Super System: "How I Made over 1,000,000 Playing Poker" and he is still a professional poker player.
In 1989Jack Straus had much courage at the poker table. He wasn't afraid to take any risks, mostly because he didn't consider money too important. In 1982 he won the WSOP, and six years later in 1988 he died during a high-stakes poker game after suffering a heart-attack. He was 58 years of age.
In 1990Fred "Sarge" Ferris was very poor as he was a son of Lebanese immigrants and found poker as a way to loose the poverty. In 1980 he won the deuce-to-seven draw world title. In 1983, on April 22, during a high-stake game at the Horseshoe casino the Internal Revenue Service seized $46,000 worth of chips from him. He died of a heart attack.
Benny Binion was the founder of the famous Horseshoe casino where all the WSOP tournaments are held. He found the casino in 1951, and he was a very skillful player. Since he couldn't go to school very often because he was ill very often, he spent most of his time watching horse traders playing poker. He is proud that he learned all the poker's aspects except for the cheating. He passed away in 1989.
In 1991David "Chip" Reese is a very famous poker player. He started playing the game at the age of six for baseball cards. In 1974 during one trip to Las Vegas he won 60,000$ at a poker tournament with only 400$. He helped Doyle Burton to write the "Super System" book. He was 40 years of age when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In 1992Thomas Austin "Amarillo Slim" Preston is one of the poker symbols. In 1972 he won the WSOP and he has played poker games with many celebrities such as presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon and famous drug lords like: Pablo Escobar and Jimmy Chagra. His Texas accent is one of his most famous trademarks and can be observed in his speech as well in his books. He currently resides in Texas.
In 1993Jack Keller a.k.a "Gentleman Jack" before becoming a professional poker player was a soldier in the United States Air Force. In 1984 he won the WSOP. He was 51 years old when he was inducted in the Hall of Fame. He is deceased.
In 1996Julius Oral "Little Man" Popwell was a very famous poker player and his specialty was the five card stud. He often traveled the country to participate in various poker events. In 1954 he was sentenced to 366 days in jail and fined 250$ for operating lotteries and card games from his home. He weighted over 300 pounds and was 5'6" tall, his nickname being given when he was a teenager because he often beat at billiards men twice as older as him. He is deceased.
In 1997 Roger Moore joined military service after he has quit school. He played poker for fun but then he realized he made much more money from poker than from his work. He first participated to a WSOP tournament in 1974 and since then at every one, but couldn't win it. In 1994 he won the Seven Card Stud World Championship.
In 2001Stu Ungar was 10 years old when he first started playing poker and by the time he was 25 he already won two WSOP tournaments. He was very smart and was considered by many the best poker player of all times. He won his third WSOP championship in 1997 and he died in 1998 because of drug abuse.
In 2002Lyle Berman has a degree in Business Administration and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. He is a skilled gambler and is the champion of three WSOP tournaments. He has won Limit Omaha (1989), No-Limit Hold'em (1992), and Deuce-To-Seven (1994) tournaments. He has made over 700,000$ from poker. Currently he lives in Plymouth, Minnesota.
Johnny Chan came to United Stated when he was 9. His dream was to become a poker player and immediately after he graduated college he went to Las Vegas to accomplish his dream. His first years in Vegas were rough as he lost much money, but he recovered them back. Doyle Brunson considers him one of the best poker players. Johnny won the WSOP twice (1987 and 1988.)
In 2003Bobby Baldwin was an experienced gambler and manager. He won the Seven-Card Stud Championship and Deuce-to-Seven Lowball in 1977. In 1977 he also made the NL Hold'em final. The following year he won the World Championship. He was the manager of Bellagio and Mirage and a very good billiards player.
In 2004Berry Johnston always dreamed of playing poker for a living, becoming a World Champion and having his name inducted into the Hall of Fame. His dreams come true, as in 1986 he won the World Series of Poker, and in 1982 and 1990 placed third. He has participated in many WSOP tournaments and is one of the most respected poke players.
In 2005Jack Binion is one of the most influential persons in the casino industry. He is the son of Benny Binion, and he has hosted the World Series of poker for the last 25 years. He knows every big poker player and he has worked with his father a lot. He is the founder of the most popular poker tournament of the South, the Jack Binion Poker Open.
Crandall Addington was initially a poker player but then he became a businessman. Currently he is the CEO of Phoenix Biotechnology, but late in the business he was one of the players who invented the idea of the World Series of Poker. Even if he is one of the founders he never managed to win it.
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