The World Series of Poker is now a popular poker tournament that takes place annually in Las Vegas. However, the first in 1970 involved only seven entrants and it was not until the early 1980s, when the World Series Of Poker introduced satellite tournaments, that the event attracted in excess of 50 people. By the mid-1980s, this number had grown to over 2,000.
TV footage of the series 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. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, CBS continued to provide light broadcasts of the event, which included time delayed broadcast of the final table some years.
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 Internet was changing the poker landscape. 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 has led to a desire for the game that many believe has now plateued but nonetheless continues to live on.
The World Series of Poker then grew much attention and interest from the public and media, with Texas Hold Em Poker becoming the most popular form of poker being played worldwide. 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. Most years viewers will have knowledge of the winner ahead of time, sapping some of the drama from broadcast. It was in the year of 2006 that the number of entrants reached an outstanding 8,773.
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. For instance, we pay great attention to the non-professionals who have won or come close to winning the final table. 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.
Sister of professional poker player Howard Ledrer, Annie Duke, made history in 2000 when she just missed making it to the final table of the main event. 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. However, the truth is that Barbara Enright had already become a legend, earning that distinction in 1995.
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. But the first player to ever win consecutive WSOP main events was Puggy Pearson, winning in ’71, ’72 and ’73. 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.
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