A look at the 40 Poker Hall of Fame members Part 4 of 5
The Poker Hall of Fame was created in 1979 by Benny Binion, who also created the World Series of Poker. The Hall of Fame was like anything else Binion decided to do aimed at bringing tourists to the Horseshoe Casino.
The inaugural class of the Poker Hall of Fame contained seven inductees including posthumous inductees “Wild Bill” Hickock and Sir Edmund Hoyle. Since 1979 the Poker Hall of Fame has been one of the hardest nuts to crack with no more than two players being honored with induction in any single year (sometimes zero).
While many of the early players inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame are almost completely unknown their contributions to the game when poker was in its infancy helped blaze the trail for what poker has become today.
This 5-Part series will take a quick look at the 40 members of the Poker Hall of Fame continuing on with the players inducted between 2001 and 2006:
Stu “The Kid” Ungar -2001: Stuey was considered one of the greatest poker players in the history of the game, but his self-destructive lifestyle -that likely led to his success in poker-proved to be his undoing. “The Kid” as he was known won the WSOP Main Event in 1980 and 1981, and then again in 1997. In all Ungar won 10 of the 30 $10,000 buy-in tournaments he entered in his life. Ungar’s life and exploits are so amazing that Nolan Dalla wrote a biography of Stuey titled, One of a Kind.
Lyle Berman -2002: Berman is a 3-time WSOP bracelet winner but is perhaps best known for his poker-related business ventures. Berman was initial investor in Grand Casinos inc. which helped usher in Native American Casinos across the US. Berman has also served as CEO for the World Poker Tour and Pokertek -Berman was also the CEO of the highly popular restaurant chain The Rainforest Café. Berman is also one of the most prolific backers in poker, bankrolling numerous players into major poker tournaments.
Johnny Chan -2002: Chan is a poker icon on par with any other player. Perhaps only Doyle Brunson or Phil Ivey can match the resume of Johnny Chan who has dominated tournaments, cash games, and every aspect of poker for decades. One of the first successful Asian poker players Chan won back-to-back WSOP Main Event titles in 1987 and 1988, and missed out on a three-peat when he lost to Phil Hellmuth heads-up. Chan has 10 total WSOP bracelets, and is considered to be one of the all-time-greats.
Bobby Baldwin -2003: Baldwin, much like Lyle Berman before him, is better known for his off the table accomplishments even though his poker resume is awfully impressive. Baldwin has four WSOP bracelets to his credit including the 1978 Main Event Championship. Baldwin’s lasting legacy will likely be his work as a casino executive, where he has been so successful that the entrance to the high-stakes Poker Room at the Bellagio bears his name: Bobby’s Room.
Berry Johnston -2004: Johnston has quietly amassed six WSOP bracelets over his long career, including the 1986 Main Event Championship. Johnston’s consistency is unparalleled in hew poker world considering he has cashed in every WSOP tournament series since 1982.
Jack Binion -2005: Jack Binion joined his father in the Poker Hall of Fame in 2005 due to his efforts to keep poker as an integral part of the Binion gaming empire. Jack Binion also managed to spread the major tournament bug all the way to Tunica Mississippi where he created the Jack Binion World Poker Open.
Crandall Addington -2005: Addington is one of the original group of WSOP competitors, but unlike the other players Addington was a self-made millionaire who played poker primarily for fun. Addington was the winner of the first ever gathering of the top poker players, known as the Texas Gambling Reunion in 1969. Addington made the WSOP Main Event final table an impressive seven times -still a record– and finished second on two occasions.
TJ Cloutier -2006: Cloutier is one of the most prolific tournament poker players in the history of the game. Cloutier bridged the gap between the original Texas Road Gamblers and the next generation of Poker Pros who based themselves in Las Vegas. Cloutier’s name is near the top of virtually every poker record for tournaments, and his accomplishments include six WSOP bracelets and two runner-up finishes in the Main Event.
Billy Baxter -2006: Baxter is perhaps the least known of any player with seven World Series of Poker bracelets - amazingly all seven have come in lowball events: five in 2-7draw lowball, one in A-5 draw lowball, and one in Razz. Baxter also fought the IRS in a landmark case, Baxter v. United States, where he won the right to declare poker winnings as income instead of gambling winnings (which is taxed at a higher rate).
