Jack Straus, b. Travis, TX (d. 8/18/1988) 1982 WSOP Main Event winner ($520,000). Four unpaid Top 10 finishes: 1971 2nd place, 1973 4th place, 1974 3rd place, & 1984 10th place. Poker Hall of Fame 1988. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 13
Ken Smith, b. Olney, TX as Kenneth Ray Smith (d. 2/4/1999) 1981 WSOP Main Event 4th place ($37,500). 1978 WSOP Main Event 6th place (not paid). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 14
Byron Wolford, b. Barbers Hill, TX (d. 5/13/2003) 1984 WSOP Main Event 2nd place ($264,000). Won 1991 $5,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($210,000). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 1995. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1931
March 7
Sailor Roberts, b. Portland, OR as Bryan Roberts (d. 6/23/1995) 1975 WSOP Main Event winner ($210,000). 1982 WSOP Main Event 8th place ($20,800). Four other unpaid Top 6 finishes: 1973 6th, 1974 3rd, 1976 5th, & 1977 4th. Also won 1974 $5,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($35,850). Poker Hall of Fame 2012. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
Hal Kant [], b. New York, NY as Harold Sanford Kant Last Celebrity Standing in 1995 WSOP Main Event (26th for $17,300), 1996 (24th for $19,500), & 1999 (21st for $27,950). Won 1987 $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha ($174,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
David Spanier, b. London, England as David Graham Spanier (d. 4/18/2000) Wrote 1977 book, "Total Poker", which includes many stories, some about the 1973 WSOP Main Event. Wrote the first national poker column (England).
1933
January 27
Jerry Buss, b. Salt Lake City, UT as Gerald Hatten Buss (d. 2/8/2013) Los Angeles Lakers owner had four cashes, including 3rd place in 1991 $2,500 Seven-Card Stud ($33,250). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2007. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
August 10
Doyle Brunson [], b. Longworth, TX as Doyle Frank Brunson 1976 & 1977 WSOP Main Event winner ($220,000 & $340,000). Four other Main Event final tables: 1972 3rd (not officially paid), 1980 2nd ($146,000), 1982 4th ($52,000), & 1983 3rd ($108,000). Ten bracelets from 1976 $5,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw to 2005 $5,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em 6-Max for a record 29 years between first and last bracelets (tied with Phil Hellmuth). One of three players, along with Gary Berland and Layne Flack, to win multiple bracelets in consecutive years. Poker Hall of Fame 1988 & Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 1996. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 8
Dave Crunkleton [] 1990 WSOP Main Event 3rd place ($167,000) & 1992 WSOP Main Event 5th place ($60,600). 11 final tables. Seniors Poker Hall of Fame. WSOP.com | Hendon
1934
March 14
Bill Smith, b. Roswell, NM as William Paul Smith (d. 2/28/1996) 1985 WSOP Main Event winner ($700,000). Two other WSOP Main Event final tables: 1981 5th place ($37,500) & 1986 5th place ($51,300). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
August 15
Howard Andrew, b. Hollywood, CA (d. 1/13/2021) 1984 WSOP Main Event 8th place ($26,400). Two bracelets: 1976 $2,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($28,000) & 1976 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($23,600); Played in record 45 straight WSOP Main Events from 1974 to 2018. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 27
Wilford Brimley, b. Salt Lake City, UT as Anthony Wilford Brimley (d. 8/1/2020) Last Celebrity Standing in 2001 WSOP Main Event (not paid). Wikipedia
1935
August 20
Eddie Schwettman, b. Egypt Mills, MO (d. 4/30/2022) Won 1981 $1,000 Limit Hold 'Em for $90,000 (missing from both WSOP.com and Hendon database). Two runner-up finishes. WSOP.com | Hendon
September 25
Berry Johnston [], b. Bethany, OK 1986 WSOP Main Event winner ($570,000). Three other WSOP Main Event final tables: 1982 3rd place ($104,000), 1985 3rd place ($140,000), & 1990 5th place ($75,150). Poker Hall of Fame 2004 & Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 1995. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1936
March 17
Perry Green [], b. Seattle, WA 1981 WSOP Main Event 2nd place ($150,000) & 1991 WSOP Main Event 5th place ($69,000). Three bracelets: 1976 $1,000 Ace-to-Five Draw ($68,300), 1977 $500 Ace-to-Five Draw ($10,000), & 1979 $1,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($76,500). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
August 17
Sam Petrillo, b. Chicago, IL (d. 6/24/2005) 1979 WSOP Main Event 6th place (not paid) & 1981 WSOP Main Event 9th place ($15,000). WSOP.com | Hendon
1937
February 21
Jack Binion [], b. Dallas, TX as Jack Benny Binion Benny Binion's son became the president of the Horseshoe in 1963 and helped create the World Series of Poker in 1970. American Gaming Association's Gaming Hall of Fame 2004. Poker Hall of Fame 2005. Wikipedia
May 3
Dody Roach, b. Corpus Christi, TX as Felix Dodier Roach (d. 9/7/2004) 1982 WSOP Main Event 6th place ($41,600). Two bracelets: 1981 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($81,000) & 1996 $1,500 Limit Omaha ($102,600). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 25
Noel Furlong, b. Dublin, Ireland as John James Furlong (d. 6/27/2021) 1999 WSOP Main Event winner ($1,000,000). Oldest player besides Johnny Moss to win. 1989 WSOP Main Event 6th place ($52,850). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 26
Jay Heimowitz [], b. Bethel, NY Six bracelets from 1975 to 2001. One of only three players to win a bracelet in four conseuctive decades (Phil Hellmuth 5, Billy Baxter 4). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1938
April 10
Roger Moore, b. Chauncey, GA (d. 10/22/2011) 1986 WSOP Main Event 6th place ($39,900). Won 1994 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud for $144,000. Poker Hall of Fame 1997. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
June 2
Crandell Addington [], b. Graham, TX 1978 WSOP Main Event 2nd place ($84,000). Seven unpaid Top Ten finishes: 6th place in 1972, 9th in 1973, 2nd in 1974 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976, 7th in 1979, & 10th in 1983. Poker Hall of Fame 2005. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
August 21
Kenny Rogers, b. Houston, TX as Kenneth Ray Rogers (d. 3/20/2020) Sang his hit song, "The Gambler" at the 1979 WSOP (CBS also featured the song in its broadcast). Wikipedia
T.J. Cloutier [], b. Albany, CA as Thomas James Cloutier Four WSOP Main Event final tables: 1985 2nd place ($280,000), 1988 5th place ($63,000), 1998 3rd place ($437,500), & 2000 2nd place ($896,500). 1988 Six bracelets from 1987 $1,000 Limit Omaha to 2005 $5,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em. Poker Hall of Fame 2006 & Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 1998. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
October 14
June Field [], b. Wenonah, NJ Card Player magazine founder. Won 1982 Ladies Championship ($16,000). Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2009. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 14
Bobby Hoff, b. Victoria, TX as Robert Charles Hoff (d. 8/25/2013) 1979 WSOP Main Event 2nd place ($108,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
