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, began 4/29)

Winner: Lakewood Louie ($22,200)

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, began 5/1)

Winner: Lakewood Louie ($24,000)

Entries: 19 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 4

$1,000 Seven-Card Razz (Event #3, began 5/3)

Winner: Sam Mastrogiannis ($22,200)

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.

$1,000 Seven-Card Stud Split (Event #4, began 5/5)

Winner: Gary Berland ($20,400)

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.

$500 Seven-Card Stud (Event #5, began 5/7)

Winner: Gary Berland ($24,000)

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 beat Puggy Pearson heads up to somewhat avenge his 1973 Main Event loss.

$5,000 Seven-Card Stud (Event #6, began 5/9)

Winner: Johnny Moss ($48,000)

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, began 5/11)

Winner: Bobby Baldwin ($90,000)

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, began 5/13)

Winner: Starla Thompson & Doyle Brunson ($9,000)

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, began 5/15)

Winner: Barbara Freer ($12,720)

Entries: 53 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 18

$1,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #10, began 5/17)

Winner: Perry Green ($76,500)

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
Johnny Moss (3-time world champ with four other bracelets), Nick Dandolos (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), and Edmond Hoyle (card game rules maven) form Hall's first class. [Moss would win two more bracelets after joining the HOF.]

$1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #11, began 5/19)

Winner: Dewey Tomko ($48,000)

Entries: 97 (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, began 5/22)

Winner: Hal Fowler ($270,000)

Entries: 54 (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

June 5

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

September 11

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

September 22

Jeremy Ausmus [], b. Lamar, CO
2012 WSOP Main Event 5th place ($2,155,313). Four bracelets: 2013 WSOP Europe €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha (€70,324), 2021 $1,000 Covid-19 Relief No-Limit Hold 'Em Charity Event ($48,687), 2021 $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha ($1,188,918), & 2022 $3,000 Limit Hold 'Em 6-Max ($142,147).
WSOP.com | Hendon

September 28

Davidi Kitai [], b. Antwerp, Belgium
Poker Triple Crown (WSOP, World Poker Tour, & European Poker Tour titles). Three bracelets: 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. Gadsen, SC as Richard Vershaun Seymour
3-time Super Bowl winning NFL defensive end was Last Celebrity Standing in 2017 (not paid).
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon