In 1969 the best poker players of this decade met in Reno, Las Vegas to participate in a poker tournament of the Texas Gamblers Convention. However, it was no tournament in the sense of Freezouts, but it was about Cash Games of all various variants. After one week of intensive play Crandall Addington was announced the winner. Ben Binion and his son Jack recognized the great potential of this event and secured the rights of the event. They then changed the name from Texas Gamblers Convention to World Series of Poker.

The Beginning of the WSOP

In the following year, in 1970, the first World Series of Poker (WSOP) took place. With only 38 participants it was a rather small event. The games were played in the Binian`s Horsehoe in Las Vegas. As it was in the year before, various variants were played in the cash game format and a winner was announced after 1 ½ weeks of playtime. How exactly the winner was elected is passed on in various variants, but in the end Jonny Moss won the tournament. He is the first official winner of the WSOP.

The World Series of Poker was improved

Already in 1971 there were some changes: the WSOP started in freeze-out mode, five tournaments were played, and the final climax was the Main Event. Because of the high buy-in of $5000 only six players participated in the main event. Jonny Moss won the prize money of $30.000, as he had done it in the year before. To make the event more attractive, Ben Binion put additional $5000/player in the pot. Eight contestants wanted to get the money, but Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston became world champion. For the first time there was a Five Card Stud tournament as a Side Event and it was won by Billy Boyd. In 1973 there already were seven Side Events and the buy-in was $10.000. 13 participants were not afraid to pay the buy-in and participated in the event. Walter „Puppy“ Pearson was the big winner and he not only won the Main Event, but also two Side Events. For the first time the event was televised in 1973 and the media documented the action at the tables and they interviewed the players.

Introduction of the WSOP Bracelets

Since 1974 there is not only price money, but also the famous bracelets can be won at the event. Every player wants to have one of these golden bracelets and they became a status symbol in the entire poker world. In 1974 Billy Boyd won the Seven Card Stud Side Event for the fifth time in a row and he certainly would have continued his success story, if the event had not been cancelled in 1975.

The first Rebuy Events of the WSOP

The first Rebuy-Event (2-7 Draw) of the WSOP was played in 1976. The WSOP became bigger and bigger throughout time and in 1977 the players could already participate in 12 Side Events. Doyle Bronson won the Main Event, as he had done in the previous year. It was a special thing, that this year a Women`s Seven Card Stud tournament was played for the first time in history. The event was then thought to be an activity for the female companions of the “real” players, but it gained much popularity and from this point onwards it was organized every single year. Jackie McDaniels won the Ladies Event and earned a price money of $5.580.