Vegas Casinos - History of WSOP

The history of the World Series of Poker has always been a fascinating topic for poker lovers, no matter what kind of poker is their preference. Because there are so many different poker games and tournaments to choose from in the world series, there really is something for everyone. Basically, the history of the World Series of Poker pretty much began in 1970, even though the idea for the world series came about around 20 years earlier.

Allegedly, the history of the World Series of Poker began in 1949 when gambler Nicholas “Nick the Greek” Dandolos made a somewhat strange request to Benny Binion. He wanted to challenge the best in a high-stakes poker marathon. Binion agreed to set up a match between Dandolos and the legendary Johnny Moss, but insisted that the game be played for public viewing too. Nick the Greek delightedly agreed. Well, during the marathon (which endured for 5 months, with only sleep breaks!) Dandolos and Moss played every type of poker game there was! There couldn’t have been a poker variation that the two poker enthusiasts didn’t play in this 1949 tournament. It was Moss who won the challenge though (along with an estimated $2 million – a real of money in those days). There are legendary stories in the history of the World Series of Poker about how it ended and the conversations that ensued between the two poker enthusiasts, but it’s hard to tell exactly what words exchanged lips in this tournament.

What this 5 month game meant for the history of the World Series of Poker is significant, especially in the way Binion responded. He saw how excited the public was to view these games, just like sports fans did, but yet somewhat surprisingly, it was only in 1970 that he decided to re-create this excitement with what became known as the “World Series of Poker” to find the poker worldwide champion. The world series of poker obviously attracted some of the best poker players in the country with Moss winning again.

In 1971 a freezeout competition was needed to determine the winner and players were eliminated until one player remained with all the chips. And guess who that one player was? Yes, it was old Johnny Moss again but the following year Thomas Preston, a.k.a Amarillo Slim, beat him to the title and it was then that the history of the World Series of Poker really made its mark, gaining even more popularity among the public as Preston started doing talk shows, giving the series increased publicity.

By the time the 1980s rolled in things were really hotting up for the WSOP. It was with satellite competitions with lower buy ins that changed once again the whole history of the World Series of Poker and once again increased the series’ popularity. But no one could have predicted just how far and just how much the WSOP kept gaining in popularity – for sure not even Binion who died in 1989, even though in the five years between 1982 and 1987 the participants increased from 52 to 2,141. Yet in 2002 things were really rocking with a staggering 7,595 participants and a whopping $19,599,230 in prize money!

Things continue to get better and would for sure have Binion smiling knowingly in his grave at the thought at how successful the history of the World Series of Poker has evolved. You just have to check on line to see how many competitions there are and how much enjoyment any poker player will get from the WSOP. The latest news was that just 2 years ago, the WSOP was held outside of its regular Las Vegas spot, but keep reading up to find out all the news on the ever evolving history of the World Series of Poker.