1980 - This Year in WSOP History

February 2

Maurice Hawkins [], b. St. Louis, MO
WSOP Circuit Ring leader with 14.
WSOP.com | Hendon

April 15

Chino Rheem [], b. West Palm Beach, CA as David Y. Rheem
2008 WSOP Main Event 7th place ($1,772,650).
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

April 26

Total WSOP Entries Top 2,000
61 players enter $1,000 Ace-to-Five Draw to reach the milestone.

$1,000 Ace-to-Five Draw (Event #1, began 4/25)

Winner: Jim Fugatti ($36,600)

Entries: 61 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 28

$2,000 Limit Draw High (Event #2, began 4/27)

Winner: Pat Callihan ($15,600)

Entries: 13 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 30

Lakewood Louie Wins $1,000 Razz for Fourth Bracelet
Defeats field of 56 for $33,600 as WSOP passes five million dollars in total prizes awarded.

$1,000 Seven-Card Razz (Event #3, began 4/29)

Winner: Lakewood Louie ($33,600)

Entries: 56 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 2

Mickey Appleman Wins $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo for First Bracelet
Defeats field of 51 for $30,600.

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

Winner: Mickey Appleman ($30,600)

Entries: 51 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 3

Record 176 Players Enter $500 Seven-Card Stud
First event to reach triple digits crushes the record of 97 in last year's $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em.

May 5

$500 Seven-Card Stud (Event #5, began 5/3)

Winner: Bobby Schwing ($52,800)

Entries: 176 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 6

Pete Christ Wins $5,000 Seven-Card Stud to Become First Non-American Born Bracelet Winner
Born as Panagiotis Christodoulou in Athens, Greece, Christ defeats field of 30, including Stu Ungar heads up, for $90,000.

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

Winner: Pete Christ ($90,000)

Entries: 30 (3 paid)

The Greek-American was born in Athens as Panagiotis Christodoulou.

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 8

Lynn Harvey & A.J. Myers Win $600 Mixed Doubles
Defeat field of 41 teams for $14,760 in the only time the tournament is No-Limit Hold 'Em instead of Seven-Card Stud.

$600 Mixed Doubles (Event #7, began 5/7)

Winner: Lynn Harvey & A.J. Myers ($14,760)

Entries: 41 (3 paid)

First bracelet for each of them.

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 10

Father-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law Both Win Bracelets
Debby Callihan wins $400 Ladies Championship ($14,880) less than two weeks after her father-in-law Pat Callihan wins the $2,000 Limit Draw ($26,000).

$400 Women's Seven-Card Stud (Event #8, began 5/9)

Winner: Debby Callihan ($14,880)

Entries: 62 (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 13

Sarge Ferris Wins $10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw
Defeats field of 19 (6 rebuys of which two were his), including Doyle Brunson heads up, for $150,000 and his first bracelet. [This would end up as the future Poker Hall of Famer's only bracelet.]

$10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw With Rebuys (Event #9, began 5/12)

Winner: Sarge Ferris ($150,000)

Entries: 19$ (6 rebuys) (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 17

$1,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #10, began 5/14)

Winner: Gene Fisher ($113,400)

Entries: 126 (3 paid)

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

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 18

T. Blondie Forbes Inducted Into Poker Hall of Fame
Forbes is credited with creating the game of Texas Hold 'Em and was also a strong Five-Card Stud player.

WSOP Pays Out 200th Prize
Dick Carson fifth in $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em for $6,900, the 200th prize awarded in WSOP history.

$1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #11, began 5/16)

Winner: Robert Bone ($69,000)

Entries: 138 (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 20

Gabe Kaplan Leads After Second Day of Main Event
With 203,100 chips, actor has more than double Stu Ungar's 92,500 in second. Shelby Parrot is third with 67,000, Jerry Fong fourth with 64,700, and Doyle Brunson fifth with 60,600.

May 21

Gabe Kaplan Finishes Sixth in Main Event, Best Celebrity Finish Ever
Comedian and actor is unfortunately the money bubble boy.

May 22

Johnny Hale Wins "Most Valuable Player" Award
Finishes year with five final tables, including 2nd place in $1,000 Ace-to-Five Draw and four other Top 5 finishes.

Stu Ungar Wins 1980 WSOP Main Event
Defeats field of 73, including Last Champ Standing Doyle Brunson heads up, for $365,000 to become the youngest Main Event winner at 26. Johnny Moss also reaches final table, finishing fourth for $73,000, half of Brunson's prize.

$10,000 Main Event - No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #12, began 5/19)

Winner: Stu Ungar ($365,000)

Entries: 73 (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

June 9

David Williams [], b. Arlington, TX as David Anthony Williams
2004 WSOP Main Event 2nd place ($3,500,000). Won 2006 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud ($163,118). 1 Circuit ring.
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

August 3

Elton Tsang [], b. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as Tsang Ka Wai
Won 2016 Big One for One Drop for $12,248,912, which was a non-bracelet event at the Monte Carlo One Drop Extravaganza but put him in the top ten in career WSOP winnings. Founded and organized first poker tournament in Macau.
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

September 5

Scott Fischman [], b. Langhorne, PA
Two bracelets: 2004 $2,000 H.O.R.S.E. ($100,200) & 2004 $1,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($300,000). Set record for youngest player with two bracelets at age 23.
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

September 24

John Arne Riise [], b. Molde, Norway
Last Celebrity Standing in 2016 WSOP Main Event (not paid).
Wikipedia | Hendon

December 13

Patrik Antonius [], b. Helsinki, Finland
4 final tables including 2011 WSOP Europe Main Event 9th place (€90,000).
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

December 24

Dutch Boyd [], b. Columbia, MO as Russell Aaron Boyd
Three bracelets: 2006 $2,500 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold 'Em ($475,712), 2010 $2,500 Limit Hold 'Em 6-Max ($234,065), & 2014 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em ($288,744).
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon