1979 - This Year in WSOP History

April 30

Lakewood Louie Wins $1,000 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw for Second Bracelet
Defeats field of 37 for $22,200 in originally unscheduled opening event of the 1979 WSOP.

$1,000 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw (Event #1, 2 days [4/29 start])

Winner: Lakewood Louie ($22,200 & 2nd bracelet)

Entries: 37 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 3

Jackie Mills Becomes First Woman to Reach Heads Up in Open Event
Earns $11,400 for second place in $2,000 Limit Draw.

Lakewood Louie Wins $2,000 Limit Draw for Second Consecutive Bracelet, Third Overall
Defeats field of 19 for $24,000 one year after winning $5,000 version of same event.

$2,000 Limit Draw High (Event #2, 3 days [5/1 start])

Winner: Lakewood Louie ($22,800 & 3rd bracelet)

Entries: 19 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 4

$1,000 Seven-Card Razz (Event #3, 2 days [5/3 start])

Winner: Sam Mastrogiannis ($22,200 & 1st bracelet)

Entries: 37 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 6

Gary Berland Wins $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo for Fourth Bracelet
Defeats field of 34, including Puggy Pearson heads up, for $20,400 to become the youngest player with four bracelets, a full 17 years younger than Puggy Pearson.

$1,000 Seven-Card Stud Split (Event #4, 2 days [5/5 start])

Winner: Gary Berland ($20,400 & 4th bracelet)

Entries: 34 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 8

Gary Berland Wins $500 Seven-Card Stud for Second Consecutive Bracelet, Fifth Overall
Defeats field of 80 for $24,000 and becomes the youngest player with five bracelets, 16 years younger than Doyle Brunson.

$500 Seven-Card Stud (Event #5, 2 days [5/7 start])

Winner: Gary Berland ($24,000 & 5th bracelet)

Entries: 80 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 10

Johnny Moss Wins $5,000 Seven-Card Stud for Record Seventh Bracelet
Defeats field of 16 for $48,000. Moss beats Puggy Pearson heads up to somewhat avenge his 1973 Main Event loss.

$5,000 Seven-Card Stud (Event #6, 2 days [5/9 start])

Winner: Johnny Moss ($48,000 & 7th bracelet)

Entries: 16 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 12

Bobby Baldwin Wins $10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw for Fourth Bracelet
Defeats field of 15, including Byron Wolford heads up, for $90,000.

$10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw (Event #7, 2 days [5/11 start])

Winner: Bobby Baldwin ($90,000 & 4th bracelet)

Entries: 15 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 14

Starla Thompson Teams With Doyle Brunson to Win Mixed Doubles
Brunson wins fourth bracelet (matching Bill Boyd's record of winning one in four straight years) but generously lets Thompson keep the entire $9,000 first prize. [Thompson would later marry and become Starla Brodie.]

$600 Mixed Doubles (Event #8, 2 days [5/13 start])

Winner: Starla Thompson & Doyle Brunson ($9,000 & 1 & 6th bracelet)

Entries: 25 (3 paid)

First bracelet for Thompson (who later married and became Starla Brodie) and fourth for Brunson.

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 16

$400 Women's Seven-Card Stud (Event #9, 2 days [5/15 start])

Winner: Barbara Freer ($12,720 & 1st bracelet)

Entries: 53 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 18

$1,500 Non-Professional No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #10, 2 days [5/17 start])

Winner: Perry Green ($76,500 & 3rd bracelet)

Entries: 85 (3 paid)

This was a "non-professional" tournament that explicitly prohibited poker pros.

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 21

Poker Hall of Fame Inducts First Seven Members
The Poker Hall of Fame's inaugural class:

Johnny Moss: 3-time world champ with four other bracelets.
Nick Dandolas: high-stakes gambler.
Corky McCorquodale: Texas road gambler who introduced Texas Hold 'Em to Las Vegas.
Red Winn: high-stakes all-around player and Seven-Card Stud maestro.
Sid Wyman: high-stakes player who owned the Sands, Riviera, Royal Nevada, and Dunes casinos.
Wild Bill Hickok: frontier lawman who was murdered while playing poker.
Edmond Hoyle: card game rules maven.

[Moss would win two more bracelets after joining the HOF.]

$1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #11, 3 days [5/19 start])

Winner: Dewey Tomko ($48,000 & 1st bracelet)

Entries: 96 (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 25

Johnny Moss Reaches Decade-High 9th Final Table of the 1970s
Finishes 5th as Last Champ Standing in Main Event for $27,000.

Amateur Hal Fowler Wins 1979 WSOP Main Event
Defeats field of 54, including Bobby Hoff heads up, for $270,000.

$10,000 Main Event - No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #12, 3 days [5/22 start; ended past midnight])

Winner: Hal Fowler ($270,000 & 1st bracelet)

Entries: 54 (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

June 5

Jason White [] b. in Richmond, Virginia
American stock car racer was Last Celebrity Standing in 2014 WSOP Main Event (348th for $33,734).
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

September 11

Eric Buchman [] b. in New York
2009 WSOP Main Event 4th place ($2,502,890). Won 2010 $2,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($203,607) & 2014 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud ($118,785).
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

September 12

Jason Sagle [] b. in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
2024 WSOP Main Event 4th place ($3,000,000). 2004 Main Event 23rd place ($120,000).
WSOP.com | Hendon

September 22

Jeremy Ausmus [] b. in Lamar, Colorado as Jeremy Wayne Ausmus
2012 WSOP Main Event 5th place ($2,155,313). Won 2 bracelets in 2021 ($1,000 Covid-19 Relief No-Limit Hold 'Em Charity Event for $48,687 & $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omahaf or $1,188,918) & 2022 ($3,000 Limit Hold 'Em 6-Max for $142,147 & Online NV/NJ $365 No-Limit Hold 'Em for $51,807). Won 2013 WSOP Europe €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha ($95,054) & 2023 Online $3,200 No-Limit Hold 'Em High Roller ($360,036). One of four players to win multiple bracelets in consecutive years.
WSOP.com | Hendon

September 28

Davidi Kitai [] b. in Antwerp, Belgium as David Jacob Kitai
Poker Triple Crown (WSOP, World Poker Tour, & European Poker Tour titles). Won 2008 $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($244,583), 2013 $5,000 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em ($224,560), & 2014 $3,00 No-Limit Hold 'Em 6-Max ($508,640). First Belgian to win a bracelet.
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

October 6

Richard Seymour [] b. in Gadsen, South Carolina as Richard Vershaun Seymour
3-time Super Bowl winning NFL defensive end was Last Celebrity Standing in 2017 (not paid).
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon