Tom McCormick [] b. in North Dakota 3rd place in three events: 1992 $2,500 Limit Hold 'Em ($42,000), 1995 $5,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($70,200), & 2021 $1,500 Limit Hold 'Em ($53,558), Also reached final tables in No-Limit Hold 'Em, Pot-Limit Hold 'Em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud, and Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo. WSOP.com | Hendon
May 9
Gary Berland b. in Gardena, California (d. 2/6/1988) 1986 WSOP Main Event 3rd place ($114,000). Two other unpaid Main Event Top 10 finishes: 1977 2nd & 1980 10th. Won 1977 $500 Razz ($6,300), 1978 $1,000 Razz ($19,200), 1978 $500 Seven-Card Stud ($17,100), 1979 $500 Seven-Card Stud ($24,000), & 1979 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo ($20,400). One of four players to win multiple bracelets in consecutive years. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
July 4
Linda Ryke-Drucker [] b. in Detroit, Michigan as Linda Ryke Won 1987 WSOP Ladies Championship Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 23
Hans Lund b. in San Jose, California as Hans James Lund (better known as "Tuna") (d. 11/6/2009) Two WSOP Main Event final tables: 1990 2nd ($334,000) & 1992 3rd ($176,750). Won 1978 $1,500 Non-Professional No-Limit Hold 'Em ($46,800) & 1996 $1,500 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw ($71,400). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
October 23
Tom Franklin [] b. in Fresno, California Two WSOP Main Event final tables: 1995 7th ($69,200) & 2000 8th ($97,800). Won 1999 $2,500 Limit Omaha ($104,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
November 1
Archie Karas b. in Antypata, Greece as Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis (d. 9/7/2024) All of his cashes were in lowball games including 3rd in 2004 $1,500 Ace-to-Five draw ($26,940), 4th in 2005 $1,500 Razz ($30,120), & 5th in $10,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($53,783). Famously defeated multiple WSOP Main Event champions in heads up matches, including Stu Ungar and Chip Reese. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
Chip Reese b. in Centerville, Ohio as David Edward Reese (d. 12/4/2007) Won 1978 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo ($19,200), 1982 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($92,500), & 2006 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. ($1,716,000). Named Most Valuable Player of 1991 WSOP. Poker Hall of Fame 1991. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
April 2
Jenny Kaye [] b. in England as Jenny Sollof 1990 WSOP Ladies Championship 2nd ($11,000) & 1999 WSOP Ladies Championship 3rd ($10,200). First non-American woman to cash, finishing 6th in the 1989 Ladies Championship for $2,325 and the first to cash in an open event in the 1989 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (12th for $2,700). WSOP.com | Hendon
May 8
Humberto Brenes [] b. in Costa Rica 1988 WSOP Main Event 4th place ($77,000). Won 1993 $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha ($128,000) & $2,500 Limit Hold 'Em ($149,000). First Costa Rican to win a bracelet. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
July 5
Brad Daugherty [] b. in Mountain Grove, Missouri 1991 WSOP Main Event winner ($1,000,000). 1993 WSOP Main Event 9th place ($24,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
August 14
Binion's Horseshoe Opens Casino opens six days after city finally grants a gambling license to frontman Dr. Monte Bernstein after Benny Binion had purchased the Eldorado Club and Hotel Apache earlier in the year. The new casino features the highest betting limits and carpeted floors.
August 31
Robert Geers [] b. in U.S. 1983 WSOP Main Event 5th ($54,000). WSOP.com | Hendon
September 28
Chris Marlowe [] b. in Los Angeles, California as Christian Marlowe Announcer for ESPN's 1988 to 1992 coverage of the World Series of Poker. Wikipedia
November 3
John Strzemp b. in Chicago, Illinois (d. 4/14/2025) 1997 WSOP Main Event 2nd place ($583,000). Executive with Mirage Casino and Wynn Resorts. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1952
June 14
Ron Stanley [] b. in South Carolina 1997 WSOP Main Event 4th place ($212,000). Won 1991 $2,500 Limit Hold 'Em ($203,000). WSOP.com | Hendon
June 26
Michael Laing [] b. in Franklin, Pennsylvania Won 1994 $2,500 Limit Hold 'Em ($212,000). Featured in Poker's Most Wanted playing card deck (2006). WSOP.com | Hendon
July 29
An Tran [] b. in Saigon, Vietnam (now called Ho Chi Minh City) 1996 WSOP Main Event 5th place ($128,700). Won 1991 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha ($87,600). Set record with six final tables in 1992 (not broken until 2021). Led 1990s with 24 cashes (tied with Men Nguyen). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 26
Don Zewin b. in Niagara Falls, New York as Don Anthony Zewin (d. 10/31/2021) 1989 Main Event 3rd place ($151,000); Finished 3rd in $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. in 2015 ($210,629) & 2017 ($163,557). WSOP.com | Hendon
1953
March 23
Marcel Luske [] b. in Amsterdam, Netherlands (Dutch: Lüske) 2004 WSOP Main Event final table bubble boy (10th place for $373,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 8
Stu Ungar b. in Manhattan, New York as Stuart Errol Ungar (d. 11/22/1998) Three-time WSOP Main Event winner: 1980 ($365,000), 1981 ($375,000), & 1997 ($1,000,000). 1990 WSOP Main Event 9th place ($25,050). Won 1981 $10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($95,000) & 1983 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($110,000). Led 1980-89 decade with four bracelets. Poker Hall of Fame 2001. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
October 9
Glenn Cozen [] b. in California{?} 1993 WSOP Main Event 2nd place ($420,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
October 14
Linda Johnson [] b. in Brooklyn, New York Won 1997 $1,500 Razz ($96,000). Publisher of Card Player magazine for eight years. One of the founders of the World Poker Tour and the Tournament Director’s Association. Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2008, Poker Hall of Fame 2011, & WPT Honors Award 2017. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 11
Joe W. Brown Buys Binion's Horseshoe Because Benny Binion's legal troubles require him to divest his ownership, he finds a temporary steward (who even gets his name on the casino's sign). [Brown installed the million dollar horseshoe display before Binion officially took the Horseshoe back in 1958.]
December 13
John Gale b. in London, England (d. 11/18/2019) Won 2006 $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($374,849) & 2015 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em Turbo ($298,290). 1 WPT title. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1954
April 1
David Ulliott b. in Kingston upon Hull, England (d. 4/6/2015) Won 1997 $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($180,310). Poker Hall of Fame 2017. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
April 5
Blair Rodman [] b. in Troy, New York Co-author (with Lee Nelson) of Kill Phil, which provides a blueprint for handling top pros like Phil Hellmuth in big-money tournaments like the World Series of Poker. Won 2007 $2,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($707,898). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 1
Dennis Phillips [] b. in Quincy, Illinois (approximate date) 2008 WSOP Main Event 3rd place ($4,517,773, the largest 3rd prize in Main Event history). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 6
Allyn Shulman [] b. in Brooklyn, New York as Allyn Jaffrey (approximate birthdate) Won 2012 Seniors Championship ($603,713). Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2014. WSOP.com | Hendon
December 30
Barry Greenstein [] b. in Chicago, Illinois Won 2004 $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($296,200), 2005 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha ($128,505), & 2008 $1,500 Razz ($157,619). Known as the Robin Hood of Poker for donating his tournament profits to charity (especially Children Incorporated). Poker Hall of Fame 2011. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1955
January 30
Men Nguyen [] b. in Phan Thiet, Vietnam 1996 WSOP ME 4th place ($195,000). First bracelet in 1992 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud ($120,600) and last in 2010 $10,000 Seven-Card Stud ($394,807). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
April 22
Starla Brodie b. in Las Vegas, Nevada as Starla Thompson (d. 4/8/2014) Set the record for youngest bracelet winner at just over 24 years old when she teamed up with Doyle Brunson to win the 1979 Mixed Doubles. Won 1995 Ladies Championship ($35,200) to set women's record of 16 years between bracelets. First winner of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame Pioneer Award (2024). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
July 2
Chau Giang [] b. in Vietnam as Chau Tu Giang Won 1993 $1,500 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw ($82,800), 1998 $2,000 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo ($150,960), & 2004 $2,000 Pot-Limit Omaha ($187,920). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
November 27
Freddy Deeb [] b. in Beirut, Lebanon as Kassem Deeb Won 1996 $5,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($146,250) & 2007 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. ($2,276,832). First Lebanese to win a bracelet. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 28
Andy Glazer b. in Massapequa, New York as Andrew Norman Glazer (d. 7/4/2004) Poker reporter who covered many WSOP final tables from 1998 to 2004. Author of The Idiot's Guide to Poker. Wikipedia | Hendon
1956
January 29
Mori Eskandani [] b. in Iran Television producer reached final tables in Limit Hold 'Em, Pot-Limit Hold 'Em, Seven-Card Stud, & H.O.R.S.E. Poker Hall of Fame 2018. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
April 2
Jan Fisher [] b. in Seattle, Washington Cofounder of the Tournament Directors Association and the Poker Gives charity. "Card Player" columnist. Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2009. WSOP.com | Hendon
August 24
Johnny Chan [] b. in Guangzhou, China as Chan Jinhai Yue Two-time WSOP Main Event winner: 1987 ($625,000) & 1988 ($700,000). 1989 WSOP Main Event 2nd place ($302,000). 1992 WSOP Main Event 7th place ($25,250). First bracelet in 1985 $1,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($171,000) and last in 2005 $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($303,025), when he became the first player to reach double digits in bracelets. Poker Hall of Fame 2002. [estimated birthdate] Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
November 3
Ben Roberts [] b. in Iran as Mehdi Javdani 1998 WSOP Main Event 6th place ($150,000). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1957
May 21
Bruce Buffer [] b. in Tulsa, Oklahoma Ring announcer was Last Celebrity Standing in 2010 WSOP Main Event (478th for $27,519). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
June 3
Lon McEachern [] b. in Memphis, Tennessee WSOP television announcer for ESPN from 2002 to 2020. [estimated birthdate] Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
June 25
Padraig Parkinson [] b. in Galway, Ireland 1999 WSOP Main Event 3rd place ($489,125). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
July 19
Ted Robinson [] b. in New York, New York as Theodore Robinson Announcer for ESPN's 1987 coverage of the World Series of Poker. Wikipedia
October 17
Vince Van Patten [] b. in Bellerose, New York Tennis pro, actor, and poker commentator. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
October 30
Kevin Pollak [] b. in San Francisco, California as Kevin Elliot Pollak Actor was Last Celebrity Standing in 2012 WSOP Main Event (134th for $52,718). 2019 WSOP Main Event 986th ($15,970). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
November 30
Tony Ma [] b. in Vietnam as Hieu Ngoc Ma Won 1996 $5,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($236,000) & 2000 $2,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($367,040). 1999 Card Player Player of the Year. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 21
Ray Romano [] b. in Queens, New York Actor was Last Celebrity Standing in 2013 & 2018 WSOP Main Events (neither in the money). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1958
June 1
Lupe Soto [] b. in San Jose, California Founder of the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS) in 2004. Founder of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2008. CEO of the nonprofit Poker Gives. CEO of the Senior Poker Tour. Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2018. Hendon
August 17
Norm Chad [] b. in Washington, D.C. as Norman A. Chad WSOP television announcer since 2003. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 16
Jennifer Tilly [] b. in Los Angeles, California as Jennifer Ellen Chan Bullets Over Broadway actress won 2006 Ladies Championship ($158,625). Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2022. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
1959
April 1
Surindar Sunar [] Finished 2nd in 1997 $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha ($105,225) & 2nd in 2003 $5,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($112,200). WSOP.com | Hendon
May 7
Dan Shak [] b. in New York, New York Tied for first in 2007 $5,000 Ante Up for Africa, donating his $193,369 prize to charity. Won 2017 WSOP Europe €25,000 Super High Roller ($243,817). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
May 21
Nick Cassavetes [] b. in New York, New York as Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes Actor and director was Last Celebrity Standing in 2005 WSOP Main Event (93rd for $77,710). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
August 19
Cyndy Violette [] b. in Queens, New York Won $2,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo ($135,900). Last Woman Standing in 1984 WSOP Main Event (60th, not paid). First woman to reach 3 final tables in one year (2005). Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2009. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
September 2
Guy Laliberte [] b. in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (French: Laliberté) Cirque du Soleil founder and high stakes player who created the One Drop Foundation and added One Drop charity tournaments to the WSOP in 2011. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
October 17
Norm Macdonald b. in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada as Norman Gene Macdonald (d. 9/14/2021) Comedian and actor played WSOP Main Event several times. 3 cashes including 2007 $3,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em 20th place ($14,608). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
November 6
Erik Seidel [] b. in New York, New York Two WSOP Main Event final tables: 1988 2nd ($280,000) & 1999 4th ($279,500). First bracelet in 1992 $2,500 Limit Hold 'Em ($168,000) and last in 2023 $50,000 Super High Roller ($1,704,400). 1 World Poker Tour title. 1 European Poker Tour High Roller victory (not counted for Triple Crown). Poker Hall of Fame 2010. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 20
Hoyt Corkins [] b. in Glenwood, Alabama as Hoyt Bricken Corkins Won 1992 $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha ($96,000) & 2007 $2,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em 6-Max ($515,065). Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon
December 24
Tom Schneider [] b. in Indianapolis, Indiana Won 2007 $2,500 Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo ($214,347), 2007 $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo, 2013 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. ($258,960), & 2013 $5,000 H.O.R.S.E. ($318,955). Most recent of eight players to win multiple bracelets in multiple years. Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon