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World Series of Poker

The Challenge Heard Round the World | WSOP

In the summer of 1949, famed gambler Nicholas 'Nick the Greek' Dandolos approached gambling icon, Benny Binion, wishing to somehow challenge the reputed best poker player, the legendary Johnny Moss, in a high-stakes poker marathon.

Binion agreed to set up a match between Dandolos and Moss with the one stipulation that the event be held in public. Five months later, with breaks only for sleep, Moss won “the biggest game in town” and an estimated $2 million purse.

21 years later, in 1970, Binion decided to recreate the event — dubbed the “World Series Of Poker” — to determine who would be worthy of the title of “World Champion.” Again, Johnny Moss won.

From 1970 to 1982, the tournament had grown to 52 entries. In 2003 there were 839 entries for the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em event. In 2004 the previous year's record was smashed when 2,576 poker fanatics entered the Championship event. The prize money increased from $7,769,000 a decade ago to more than $49 million in 2004

It’s now the biggest, most famous poker event on the planet.

The 36th Annual World Series of Poker is scheduled to begin June 2, 2005 at the Rio, Las Vegas, and will run through July 15. An estimated 5,000 players are expected to participate in the $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold 'em Championship, double the number that competed in 2004.

Tournaments

In 1970, Benny Binion hosted the first World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas, establishing the world's foremost gambling tournament and laying the foundation for the poker craze that took hold decades later.

2005 promises to be a record setting year for tournaments and prize money with the introduction of the Circuit Tournaments and the biggest and best World Series of Poker yet.

This year’s 36th Annual World Series of Poker is scheduled to begin June 2, and will run through July 15. With a new schedule of over $49 million in prize money in forty five events, this year's tournament will surely set records.