Sam Angel b. in Los Angeles, California (d. 3/21/2007) Won 1973 $1,000 Razz ($32,000) & 1975 $1,000 Razz ($17,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1921
October 1
Alma McClelland b. in Ohio as Alma Hoying (d. 7/16/2000) Won 1989 WSOP Ladies Championship ($18,600). Reached two open final tables in $1,000 Limit Razz. Married WSOP Tournament Director Jack McClelland in September 1981. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1922
January 7
Harry Coyle b. in Ridgewood, New Jersey as Henry James Coyle (d. 2/21/1996) Announcer for NBC's 1976 coverage of the World Series of Poker. Sportscasting Hall of Fame 2007.
January 21
Telly Savalas b. in Garden City, New York as Aristotelis Savalas (d. 1/22/1994) Actor was Last Celebrity Standing in 1992 WSOP Main Event (21st for $8,080). 1985 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo 3rd ($14,900) & 1987 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo 5th ($11,650). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1923
October 13
Henry Orenstein b. in Hrubieszow, Poland as Henryk Orenstein (d. 12/14/2021) Invented hole card cam (and Transformers). 1995 WSOP Main Event 8th place ($51,900). Won 1996 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($130,000). Poker Hall of Fame 2008. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1924
June 3
Jimmy Casella b. in New York, New York as Fiore Casella (d. 8/10/1976) Three unpaid Top 10 WSOP Main Event finishes: 1972 8th, 1973 7th, & 1974 10th. Won 1971 $1,000 Razz ($10,000), 1974 $10,000 Seven-Card Stud ($41,225), & 1974 $1,000 Razz ($25,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
August 21
Jack Buck b. in Holyoke, Massachusetts as John Francis Buck (d. 6/18/2002) Announcer for NBC's 1976 coverage of the World Series of Poker. Wikipedia
1925
January 6
Paul McKinney b. in Princeton, West Virginia as William Paul McKinney (d. 7/6/2013) 1998 WSOP Main Event 9th place ($57,500). Won 2005 $1,000 Seniors Championship ($202,725) to become the oldest player to win his first bracelet at age 80. Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2006. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1926
1927
January 1
Jesse Alto b. in Mexico as Jesse Michael Alto (d. 5/3/1998) Eight WSOP Main Event Top 9 finishes: 1974 4th (unpaid), 1975 6th (unpaid), 1976 2nd (unpaid), 1978 5th ($21,000), 1984 2nd ($132,000), 1985 6th ($42,000), 1986 4th ($62,700), & 1988 9th ($21,000). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 1996. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
January 12
Hal Fowler b. in Vermont as Harold Arthur Fowler (d. 12/7/2000) First amateur to win the WSOP Main Event, defeating a field of 54 for $270,000 in 1979. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
April 15
Don Holt b. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 5/2/2003) 1991 WSOP Main Event 2nd place ($402,500). Won 1989 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($154,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
June 6
Jim Spain b. in Tunica, Mississippi as James Edward Spain (d. 5/22/2010) 1987 WSOP Main Event 4th place ($68,750). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame. WSOP.com | Hendon
1928
December 31
Amarillo Slim Preston b. in Johnson, Arkansas as Thomas Austin Preston, Jr. (d. 4/29/2012) 1972 WSOP Main Event winner ($80,000). Won 1974 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em, 1985 $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, & 1990 $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha. Poker Hall of Fame 1992. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
April 7
James Garner b. in Norman, Oklahoma (d. 7/19/2014) "Maverick" actor played in the 2006 WSOP Main Event. Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2007. Wikipedia
June 12
John Bonetti b. in Brooklyn, New York as John Joseph Bonetti (d. 6/27/2008) Three WSOP Main Event final tables: 1990 8th ($33,400), 1993 3rd ($210,000), & 1996 3rd ($341,250). Won 1990 $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($83,250), 1993 $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($122,400), & 1995 $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($101,250). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2011. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 1
Sarge Ferris b. in Waterville, Maine as Fred Barnard Ferris (d. 3/12/1989) Won 1980 $10,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw (preliminary event record $150,000) from which he staked Stu Ungar for his WSOP Main Event victory. Poker Hall of Fame 1989. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 9
Dick Van Patten b. in New York, New York as Richard Vincent Van Patten (d. 6/23/2015) WSOP Commentator for ESPN from 1993 to 1995. Wikipedia | Hendon
1929
January 29
Puggy Pearson b. in Adairville, Kentucky as Walter Clyde Pearson (d. 4/12/2006) 1973 WSOP Main Event winner ($130,000). Three other unpaid Top 9 finishes: 1972 2nd, 1974 9th, & 1976 7th. Won 1971 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud ($10,000), & 1973 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($17,000). Set record for most bracelets won in one year with three in 1973. Poker Hall of Fame 1987 & Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 1995. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
March 9
Bob Thompson b. in Coalinga, California (d. 12/6/2009) WSOP Tournament Director from 1999 to 2002. Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2000. Wikipedia
August 5
Al Alvarez b. in London, England (d. 9/23/2019) Wrote The Biggest Game in Town (1983), which covers the 1981 WSOP Main Event in depth and popularized the Nick Dandolas-Johnny Moss match myth, and Poker Bets, Bluffs, & Bad Beats (2001), which covers the author's 1994 WSOP and displays historical poker memorabilia. Wikipedia
August 18
Bob Hooks b. in Edgewood, Texas as Robert Roberts (d. 6/18/2016) Four unpaid WSOP Main Event final tables: 1973 5th, 1974 6th, 1975 2nd, & 1977 5th. Hendon