The 10 Greatest Moments in World Series of Poker History

Certain moments stand out in every sport, whether it’s Willie Mays over the shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series; “The Catch”  in football; Michael Jordan’s shot over Craig Ehlo to win game 7; these are just a few of the moments that any sports fan can picture in their mind. Poker fans have their own list of moments that stand the test of time, and what makes some of these moments all the more impressive is that there is no video evidence! Many of these poker moments live on only as folklore, and sometimes with multiple versions of the story!

This is a list of the 10 greatest moments/accomplishments in WSOP history, of course the list is dominated by Main Event moments, but there are a few other accomplishments in preliminary events that were impressive enough that they warranted inclusion.

10.  Barbara Enright makes the final table

This moment helped debunk the myth that poker was a man’s game. Although women are still underrepresented in the poker world, their numbers -and acheivements-are on the rise.

9.      Chip Reese wins inaugural $50k HORSE Championship

Reese’s win wasn’t that big a deal when it happened, since he was considered one of, if not the, best all-around poker player in the world -Reese focused on cash games and was never a big name to casual poker fans. However, after his unfortunate passing the championship was renamed in his honor.

8.      Jack Strauss, chip and a chair

After finding a single chip under a napkin that he failed to bet, Strauss sat back down and went on to win the WSOP, thus coining the phrase “A chip and a chair”.

7.      Jeff Lisandro wins three Stud bracelets in 2009

Other players have won three bracelets at the WSOP before, but nobody has ever won a bracelet in each Stud discipline: 7-Stud, 7-Stud hi/lo, and Razz.

6.      Phil Ivey makes the final table

Ivey’s appearance at the final table in 2009 rekindled interest in the tournament after two lackluster years of final tables.

5.      Stu Ungar, the Comeback Kid

Ungar’s third WSOP title came an astonishing 16 years after he won back-to-back championships. The win helped reestablish the WSOP as a big-time event by giving the mainstream media a great storyline to cover.

4.      Chan/Brunson/Hellmuth bracelet race

The ongoing competition between three of poker’s biggest personalities really adds to the appeal of the preliminary events at the WSOP, with poker fans keeping a close eye on the “Big Three” and how they are faring at the tables.

3.      Johnny Moss wins 1^st WSOP

What would a Top Ten list be without mentioning the first WSOP champion Johnny Moss, who along with Benny Binion helped usher poker into the Las Vegas Strip.

2.      Johnny Chan wins back-to-back Main Events

The cult classic Rounders turned what was a top-ten moment in poker into a Top Two moment with its replay of the final hand of the 1988 WSOP championship between Chan and Erick Seidel. The hand went from being famous in poker circles, to being famous to the masses.

1.      Chris Moneymaker; the genesis of today’s poker climate

Moneymaker’s win gave everyone with an extra $50 to deposit on an online poker site hope that they could be the WSOP Champion! This moment changed the game of poker instantly, and was the major catalyst for the current poker explosion we are witnessing.