Marsha Waggoner [] b. in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia as Marsha Fenwick Last Woman Standing in WSOP Main Event 1993 (19th for $12,000) & 1997 (12th for $33,920). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 1997 & Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2008. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
March 22
Austin Squatty b. in Beaumont, Texas as John Holmes Jenkins III (d. 4/16/1989) 1983 WSOP Main Event 7th place ($21,600). Nicknamed as a kid for the low crouch he used as a baseball catcher. WSOP.com | Hendon
May 4
Clyde Coleman b. in Bailey, Oklahoma as Clyde Alvin Coleman (d. 6/21/2018) 1992 WSOP Main Event 6th place ($30,300). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame. WSOP.com | Hendon
May 18
Dolph Arnold b. in Robstown, Texas as Dolph Lee Arnold (d. 1/21/2018) 1995 WSOP Main Event 9th place ($39,790). 2007 $1,500 Hold 'Em 4th place ($157,050). WSOP.com | Hendon
May 30
Peter Vilandos b. in Greece as Panayote Vilandos (d. 7/24/2022) Won 1995 $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($148,500, 2009 $1,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($607,256), & 2012 $5,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($952,694). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
June 28
Ken Flaton b. in North Bergen, New Jersey as Kenneth Roy Flaton (d. 11/7/2004) Won 1983 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud ($62,000). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 1998. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 21
Billy Baxter [] b. in Sandersville, Georgia as William Ellington Baxter III Won 1975 $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($35,000) to set record as youngest bracelet winner at 34 years, 7 months, and 24 days old. Six other bracelets from 1978 to 2002 to become one of only three players to win a bracelet in four consecutive decades (Phil Hellmuth 5, Jay Heimowitz 4). Successfully sued the IRS to treat poker winnings as earned income (taxed at a lower rate than unearned income). Poker Hall of Fame 2006. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 10
Bob Ciaffone b. in Brooklyn, New York as Robert Bennet Ciaffone (d. 5/13/2022) 1987 WSOP Main Event 3rd place ($125,000). Created Robert's Rules of Poker. Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2015. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1941
August 6
Lyle Berman [] b. in Minneapolis, Minnesota as Lyle Arnold Berman 1989 WSOP Main Event 5th place ($67,950). Won 1989 $1,500 Limit Omaha ($108,600), 1992 $2,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($192,000), & 1994 $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($128,250). Poker Hall of Fame 2002, Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2015, & WPT Honors Award 2018. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1942
March 2
Sam Mastrogiannis [] b. in U.S. as Stamatis A. Mastrogiannis Won 1979 $1,000 Razz ($22,200), 1986 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($80,000), & 1986 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud ($78,400). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
April 6
Bob Stupak b. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 9/25/2009) Casino owner won 1989 $5,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($139,500). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
May 2
Don Williams b. in Portsmouth, Ohio (d. 4/10/2013) Two WSOP Main Event Top 10 finishes: 1991 4th ($115,000) & 1986 10th ($12,500). Won 1982 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud ($56,000), 1985 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud ($85,500), & 1988 $1,000 Razz ($76,800). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
November 17
Artie Cobb [] b. in Brooklyn, New York Won 1983 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo ($52,000), 1987 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($142,000), 1991 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud ($146,400), & 1998 $2,500 Seven-Card Stud ($152,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 29
Jack Keller b. in Tunica, Mississippi (d. 12/5/2003) 1984 WSOP Main Event winner ($660,000). Two other Main Event final tables: 1987 9th ($18,750) & 1992 8th ($20,200). 1995 Bubble Boy. Won 1984 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($137,500) & 1993 $1,500 Limit Omaha ($61,800). One of only two players to win both the WSOP and Super Bowl of Poker Main Events (Stu Ungar). Poker Hall of Fame 1993. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1943
January 2
Pierre Neuville [] b. in Montigny-le-Tilleul, Belgium 2015 WSOP Main Event 7th place ($1,203,293). Oldest player to reach the official Main Event final table at 72 (ten months older than Johnny Moss in 1979). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
January 19
Lee Nelson [] b. in U.S. Co-author (with Blair Rodman) of Kill Phil, which provides a blueprint for handling top pros such as Phil Hellmuth in big-money tournaments like the World Series of Poker. Wikipedia
April 30
Eric Drache [] b. in Brooklyn, New York World Series of Poker's first Tournament Director from 1973 to 1998. Created the first satellite tournament in 1982. Poker Hall of Fame 2012. Four runner-up finishes. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
November 28
Ted Binion b. in Dallas, Texas as Lonnie Theodore Binion (d. 9/17/1998) Benny Binion's younger son became the casino manager of the Horseshoe in 1964. Won both 1983 and 1985 Employee events, which are not considered official bracelets here. His sensational death is one of the main threads in James McManus's Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker. Wikipedia | WSOP.com
1944
January 10
John Cernuto b. in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 2/10/2025) Won 1996 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo ($147,000), 1997 $2,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($259,150), & 2002 $1,500 Limit Omaha ($73,320). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2000. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
May 16
Mike Caro [] b. in Joplin, Missouri Cash game pro who wrote for Card Player magazine and developed the ORAC Heads Up Texas Hold 'Em software that challenged Tom McEvoy and Doyle Brunson during the 1984 WSOP. Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2006. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 4
Ron Rose b. in Vancouver, Washington as Ronald Morris Rose (d. 10/24/2019) Won 2001 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha ($130,060). Featured in Poker's Most Wanted playing card deck (2006). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
October 13
Wendeen Eolis [] b. in New York, New York 1986 WSOP Main Event 25th place ($10,000; first woman to cash) & 1993 WSOP Main Event 20th place ($12,000; first woman to cash twice). Also unpaid Last Woman Standing in 1988 and possibly 1987. Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2015. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
October 30
Becky Behnen [] b. in Dallas, Texas as Becky Lou Binion Benny Binion's daughter became the owner of the Horseshoe in 1998.
November 14
Tom McEvoy [] b. in Grand Rapids, Michigan as Thomas K. McEvoy First satellite qualifier to win the WSOP Main Event, defeating a field of 108 for $540,000 in 1983. Won 1983 $1,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($117,000), 1986 $1,000 Razz ($52,400), & 1992 $1,500 Limit Omaha ($79,200). Also won non-bracelet 2009 World Champions Invitational to take home the Binion Cup and a classic red 1970 Corvette. Instrumental in getting smoking banned from the WSOP in 2003. Poker Hall of Fame 2013. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1945
March 30
Steve Zolotow [] b. in New York, New York Won 1995 $5,000 Chinese Poker ($112,500) & 2001 $3,000 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($243,335). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
March 31
Gabe Kaplan [] b. in Brooklyn, New York as Gabriel Weston Kaplan Actor and comedian was Last Celebrity Standing in 1980 WSOP Main Event #6 (money bubble), 1986 (21st for $10,000), 1991 (13th for $11,500), & 2002 (631st, not paid). 2nd place in 2005 $5,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($222,515) & 3rd place in three events. Announcer for 1997 & 2002 ESPN coverage of the WSOP Main Event. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
May 5
Rod Pardey b. in Vincennes, Indiana as Rodney Herm Pardey (d. 8/1/2020) Won 1991 $2,500 Seven-Card Stud ($133,600) & 1994 $2,500 Seven-Card Stud ($132,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
July 15
Mickey Appleman [] b. in Brooklyn, New York Two WSOP Main Event final tables: 1987 8th ($25,000) & 2000 9th ($74,980). Won 1980 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo ($30,600), 1992 $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($119,250), 1995 $5,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($234,000), & 2003 $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($147,280). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 6
Dan Harrington [] b. in Cambridge, Massachusetts 1995 WSOP Main Event winner ($1,000,000). Three other Main Event final tables: 1987 6th ($43,750), 2003 3rd ($650,000), & 2004 4th ($1,500,000). Won 1995 $2,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($249,000). Poker Hall of Fame 2010. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1946
December 31
Dewey Tomko [] b. in Glassport, Pennsylvania as Duane Tomko Two WSOP Main Event runner-up finishes: 1982 ($208,000) & 2001 ($1,098,925). 1986 WSOP Main Event final table bubble boy ($12,500). 2004 WSOP Main Event money bubble boy. Won 1979 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($48,000), 1984 $10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($105,000), & 1984 $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha ($135,000). Poker Hall of Fame 2008. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
George Huber [] b. in Indianapolis, Indiana Three WSOP Main Event final tables: 1978 7th (unpaid), 1979 3rd ($81,000) & 1983 9th ($21,600). Won 1977 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($33,000). WSOP.com | Hendon
May 8
Barry Shulman [] b. in Seattle, Washington Won 2001 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud ($123,820) & 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event ($1,321,534). Featured in Poker's Most Wanted playing card deck (2006). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
July 1
Paul Magriel b. in Manhattan, New York as Paul David Magriel Jr. (d. 3/5/2018) M, the number of times around the table you can survive in a tournament before being blinded out, was named for him and popularized by Dan Harrington in Harrington on Hold'em. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 18
Susie Isaacs [] b. in Nashville, Tennessee 1998 WSOP Main Event 10th place ($40,000 as Last Woman Standing). Won consecutive $1,000 Ladies Championships in 1996 ($42,000) & 1997 ($38,000). Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2008 & Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2008. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1947
March 23
Jim Ward [] b. in Alaska 1990 WSOP Main Event 4th place ($91,850). WSOP.com | Hendon
April 18
James Woods [] b. in Vernal, Utah 3-time Emmy Award winner finished 5th in the 2018 $1,500 Dealers Choice for $23,686 and 7th in the 2015 $3,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em Shootout for $28,832. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
May 22
Anthony Holden b. in Southport, England as Anthony Ivan Holden (d. 10/7/2023) Wrote the book, Big Deal, in 1990 about his one year journey to the World Series of Poker and followed up in 2007 with Bigger Deal, which covers some of the 2005 and 2006 WSOPs. First president of the International Federation of Poker from 2009 to 2013. Wikipedia | Hendon
June 2
Eskimo Clark b. in Stockton, Missouri as Robert Paul Clark (d. 4/15/2015) Won 1992 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($122,000), 1999 $1,500 Razz ($84,610), & 2002 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo ($125,200). Credited with introducing Badugi in the U.S. after learning it during the Vietnam War. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
June 17
Phyllis Caro [] b. in U.S. Poker dealer and organizer who created the first non-smoking tournament. Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 2007. Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2011, & Poker Dealers Hall of Fame. Hendon
June 23
Thor Hansen b. in Oslo, Norway (d. 12/5/2018) Won 1988 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($158,000) & 2002 $1,500 Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($62,600). First non-American (Norwegian) to win a bracelet. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 22
Mike Sexton b. in Shelby, Indiana as Michael Richard Sexton (d. 9/6/2020) Won 1989 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo ($104,400). Holds the record for most consecutive years with a cash (32 from 1988 to 2019). Long-time announcer for and face of the World Poker Tour. Poker Hall of Fame 2009 & WPT Honors Award 2017. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
October 8
Mel Judah [] b. in Kolkata, India 1997 WSOP Main Event 3rd place ($371,000). Won 1989 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud ($130,800) & 1997 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($176,000). First Australian with a bracelet. Featured in Poker's Most Wanted playing card deck (2006). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
November 24
David Sklansky [] b. in Teaneck, New Jersey Won 1982 $1,000 Draw High ($15,500), 1982 $800 Mixed Doubles with Dani Kelly ($8,800), & 1983 $1,000 Limit Omaha ($25,500). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1948
February 25
Robert Turner [] b. in U.S. Two WSOP Main Event final tables: 1991 10th ($11,500) & 1994 6th ($50,400). Won 1993 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud ($103,800). Seniors Poker Hall of Fame 1998. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
July 18
Lucy Rokach [] b. in Cairo, Egypt as Lucienne Rokach Last Woman Standing in 1996 WSOP Main Event (26th for $19,500). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
August 30
Donnacha O'Dea [] b. in Ireland 1983 WSOP Main Event 6th place ($43,200 as first non-American to reach Main Event final table) & 1991 WSOP Main Event 9th place ($17,250). Won 1998 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha ($154,800) to become the first Irishman with a bracelet. Runner up in 1983 $1,000 Limit Hold 'Em to become first foreigner to reach heads up in a WSOP event. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 28
Brent Carter [] b. in Oak Park, Illinois 1995 WSOP Main Event 3rd place ($302,750). Won 1991 $1,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($156,800) & 1994 $1,500 Limit Omaha ($83,400). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1949
January 10
Walter Browne b. in Sydney, Australia (d. 6/24/2015) Six-time U.S. chess champion finished in 2nd place in 2007 $2,500 H.O.R.S.E. ($131,445). Also known as Shawn, his middle name. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
February 11
Chris Bigler [] b. in Zurich, Switzerland 1999 WSOP Main Event 5th place ($212,420). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
April 8
Jim Doman b. in New York (d. 5/24/1992) 1986 WSOP Main Event 8th place ($22,800). Won 1982 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($96,000) & 1983 $800 Mixed Doubles with his wife Donna, becoming the first husband and wife to both own bracelets. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
August 18
Barbara Enright [] b. in Los Angeles, California 1995 WSOP Main Event 5th place ($114,180; Last Woman Standing and first woman to reach Main Event final table). Won 1986 Ladies Championship ($16,400), 1994 Ladies Championship ($38,400), & 1996 $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($180,000). Only person to be a member of the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame (1995), Poker Hall of Fame (2007; first woman enshrined), & Women in Poker Hall of Fame (2008). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 8
Jim Albrecht b. in St. Augustine, Florida (d. 10/24/2003) WSOP Tournament Director from 1988 to 1998 who invented the super satellite in 1990 and saved the 1992 World Series of Poker when the IRS wanted taxes withheld from all winnings, compromising by issuing W-2G forms instead. Announcer for ESPN coverage of the Main Event from 1993-95 & 1997-98.