1982 - This Year in WSOP History

January 3

Matt Hawrilenko [], b. Kingston, MA
Won 2009 $5,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em Short-Handed for over $1 million. More successful as an online player until Black Friday.
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

February 16

John Monnette [], b. Palmdale, CA as John Edward Monnette
Four bracelets: 2011 $2,500 8-Game Mix ($278,144), 2012 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud ($190,826), 2017 $10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($256,610), & 2021 $10,000 Limit Hold 'Em ($245,680).
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

March 19

Jon Turner [], b. Winston-Salem, NC
Author of "Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time" book series; Almost 100 WSOP cashes and 13 WSOP final tables, including 2011 $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em 3rd place ($274,005).
WSOP.com | Hendon

April 6

Steve O'Dwyer [], b. Colorado Spring, CO
4 final tables. 1 World Poker Tour & 2 European Poker Tour titles. Fifty Gala honoree in 2019.
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

April 27

$1,000 Seven-Card Razz (Event #1, began 4/26)

Winner: Nick Helm ($40,000)

Entries: 80 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 29

$1,000 Seven-Card Stud Split (Event #2, began 4/28)

Winner: Tom Cress ($44,000)

Entries: 88 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 1

$800 Mixed Doubles (Event #3, began 4/30)

Winner: Dani Kelly & David Sklansky ($17,600)

Entries: 44 (5 paid)

First bracelet for each of them.

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 3

$500 Women's Seven-Card Stud (Event #4, began 5/2)

Winner: June Field ($16,000)

Entries: 64 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 5

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

Winner: Don Williams ($56,000)

Entries: 112 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 7

$1,000 Limit Draw High Is 100th Event in WSOP History
David Sklansky would win the event, defeating a field of 31 for $15,500.

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

Winner: David Reese ($92,500)

Entries: 37 (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 8

David Sklansky Wins $1,000 Limit Draw High With Joker for Second Bracelet of Year
Defeats field of 31 for $15,500 one week after teaming up with Dani Kelly for the $800 Mixed Doubles title (splitting $17,600).

$1,000 Limit Draw High with Joker (Event #7, began 5/7)

Winner: David Sklansky ($15,500)

Entries: 31 (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 11

Vera Richmond Becomes First Woman to Win Open Bracelet
Wins $1,000 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw for women's record $38,500 and a gold bracelet, which she requests instead of this year's special gold watch.

$1,000 Ace-to-Five Draw (Event #8, began 5/9)

Winner: Vera Richmond ($38,500)

Entries: 77 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 12

Doyle Brunson Becomes First Player to Win Over $1,000,000 at WSOP
Texas Dolly's $14,625 for third place finish in the $2,500 Ace-to-Five Draw pushes his career World Series of Poker winnings into seven digits.

Billy Baxter Wins $2,500 Ace-to-Five Draw for Third Bracelet
Defeats field of 39 for $48,750. Baxter beat Bobby Baldwin heads up to avenge his 1977 $10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw loss.

$2,500 Ace-to-Five Draw (Event #9, began 5/11)

Winner: Billy Baxter ($48,750)

Entries: 39 (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 13

Bingo Palace Runs Satellite for Main Event
Eric Drache may have informally created the first satellite by convincing a table of players at the Horseshoe, but the Bingo Palace Casino advertised the first real satellite tournament in the May 6 Las Vegas Review-Journal, promising to turn one player's $100 entry into a ticket to the Main Event. They held a second satellite the day before the Main Event began.

May 14

Billy Baxter Wins $10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw for Second Consecutive Bracelet, Fourth Overall
Defeats field of 19 for $95,000.

$10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw (Event #10, began 5/13)

Winner: Billy Baxter ($95,000)

Entries: 19 (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 15

Record 202 Players Enter $1,000 Limit Hold 'Em
First WSOP tournament to top 200 players, breaking the record of 180 set by the 1981 running of the same event.

May 16

Dennis Zervos Becomes First Foreigner to Cash in WSOP
Greek finishes 3rd in the $1,000 Limit Hold 'Em for $20,200. [England's Barry Clayton and the Philippines's Noli Francisco both made the money later in the same week.]

$1,000 Limit Hold 'Em (Event #11, began 5/15)

Winner: John Paquette ($101,000)

Entries: 202 (9 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 19

WSOP Passes $10,000,000 in Total Prizes Awarded
Jim Doman defeats field of 912 to collect half of the $192,000 purse in $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em.

$1,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #12, began 5/17)

Winner: Jim Doman ($96,000)

Entries: 192 (9 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 21

Tom Abdo Inducted Into Poker Hall of Fame
Abdo was a high stakes cash game player often found at the Big Game at the Aladdin casino.

May 22

Total WSOP Entries Top 5,000
164 players enter $1,500 Non-Professional No-Limit Hold 'Em to reach the milestone.

$1,500 Non-Professional No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #13, began 5/20)

Winner: Ralph Morton ($123,000)

Entries: 164 (9 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 24

Two Former Main Event Champs Reach 9-Player Final Table for Third Straight Year
Doyle Brunson, Last Champ Standing, finishes fourth for $52,000, while Sailor Roberts exits eighth for $20,800. [In addition, future champ Berry Johnson (1986) finishes third.]

May 25

Jack Straus Wins 1982 WSOP Main Event
Defeats field of 104, including Dewey Tomko heads up, for $520,000 after recovering from being down to a single chip. https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/4446-wsop-history-1982-recap

$10,000 Main Event - No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #14, began 5/22)

Winner: Jack Straus ($520,000)

Entries: 104 (9 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

July 24

Alexandre Gomes [], b. Curitiba, Brazil
Won 2008 $2,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em for $770,540 and the first bracelet for Brazil and the entire South American continent.
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

August 29

Ronnie Bardah [], b. Stoughton, MA
First and still only player with 5 straight Main Event cashes (2010 to 2014). Won 2012 $2,500 Limit Hold 'Em 6-Max ($182,088).
Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon