1996 - This Year in WSOP History

February 28

Bill Smith d. 1996 [age 61] (b. 3/14/1934)
1985 WSOP Main Event winner ($700,000). Two other WSOP Main Event final tables: 1981 5th place ($37,500) & 1986 5th place ($51,300).
Obituary | Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon

April 22

$1,500 Chinese Poker (Event #1, began 4/22)

Winner: Gregory Grivas ($93,000)

Entries: 62 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 24

David Chiu Wins $2,000 Limit Hold 'Em for First Bracelet
Defeats field of 528 for $396,000 in just 16 hours. The tournament is the first WSOP preliminary event with a million-dollar prize pool ($1,056,000).

$2,000 Limit Hold 'Em (Event #2, began 4/23)

Winner: David Chiu ($396,000)

Entries: 528 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 25

$1,500 Seven-Card Stud (Event #3, began 4/24)

Winner: Gary Benson ($148,200)

Entries: 247 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 26

$1,500 Limit Omaha (Event #4, began 4/25)

Winner: Dody Roach ($102,600)

Entries: 171 (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 27

$1,500 Seven-Card Stud Split (Event #5, began 4/26)

Winner: John Anthony Cernuto ($147,000)

Entries: 245 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 28

$1,500 Seven-Card Razz (Event #6, began 4/27)

Winner: Randy Holland ($87,000)

Entries: 145 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 29

$1,500 Limit Omaha 8 or Better (Event #7, began 4/28)

Winner: Adeeb Harb ($155,815)

Entries: 277 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 30

John Morgan Wins $1,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em for England's First Bracelet
Defeats field of 405 for $227,815.

$1,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #8, began 4/29)

Winner: John Morgan ($227,815)

Entries: 405 (28 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 1

$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (Event #9, began 4/30)

Winner: Jim Huntley ($168,600)

Entries: 133$ (148 rebuys) (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 2

Freddy Deeb Wins $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw for Lebanon's First Bracelet
Defeats field of 24 (41 rebuys) for $146,250. Gabe Kaplan finishes third for $48,750.

$1,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #10, began 5/1)

Winner: Al Krux ($156,375)

Entries: 278 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

$5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw (Event #12, began 5/2)

Winner: Kassem Deeb ($146,250)

Entries: 24$ (41 rebuys) (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 3

$2,500 Seven-Card Stud Split (Event #11, began 5/2)

Winner: Frank Thompson ($94,000)

Entries: 94 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 4

Men Nguyen Wins $2,500 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo for Fourth Bracelet
Defeats field of 110 for $110,000.

$2,500 Limit Omaha 8 or Better (Event #13, began 5/3)

Winner: Men Nguyen ($110,000)

Entries: 110 (9 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

$5,000 Chinese Poker (Event #15, began 5/4)

Winner: Jim Feldhouse ($50,000)

Entries: 10$ (10 rebuys) (3 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 5

$1,500 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw with Joker (Event #14, began 5/4)

Winner: Hans Lund ($71,400)

Entries: 119 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 6

$3,000 Limit Hold 'Em (Event #16, began 5/5)

Winner: Donny Kerr ($200,400)

Entries: 167 (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 7

WSOP Passes $100,000,000 in Total Prizes Awarded
$144,000 first prize in $2,500 Seven-Card Stud tops the milestone as Marty Sigel wins his first bracelet.

$2,500 Seven-Card Stud (Event #17, began 5/6)

Winner: Marty Sigel ($144,000)

Entries: 144 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 8

$2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (Event #18, began 5/7)

Winner: Sam Farha ($145,000)

Entries: 78$ (67 rebuys) (9 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 9

Barbara Enright Wins $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em to Become First Woman With Three Bracelets
Defeats field of 180 for women's record $180,000 for her first open bracelet to go with her two Ladies Championships (1986 and 1994). Three women reach an open final table for the first time, with Lucy Rokach finishing 3rd for $45,000 and Jennifer Harman 6th for $15,750.

$2,500 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #19, began 5/8)

Winner: Barbara Enright ($180,000)

Entries: 180 (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 10

Henry Orenstein Wins $5,000 Seven-Card Stud
Hole card cam inventor defeats field of 65 for $130,000 and first bracelet.

$5,000 Seven-Card Stud (Event #20, began 5/9)

Winner: Henry Orenstein ($130,000)

Entries: 65 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 11

Annie Duke Reaches Second Final Table of Year for Second Straight Year
Matches her own record with a 6th place finish in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em for $23,363 four days after finishing 2nd in the $2,500 Seven-Card Stud for $72,000.

$2,500 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #21, began 5/10)

Winner: Mel Weiner ($250,315)

Entries: 267 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 12

$5,000 Limit Hold 'Em (Event #22, began 5/11)

Winner: Hieu Ngoc Ma ($236,000)

Entries: 118 (9 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 13

$1,000 Women's Seven-Card Stud (Event #23, began 5/12)

Winner: Susie Isaacs ($42,000)

Entries: 105 (8 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 15

Lucy Rokach First Foreign Female to Cash in WSOP Main Event
Finishes 26th for $19,500 as the Last Woman Standing.

Berry Johnston Last Champ Standing in Main Event
Exits in 16th place for $23,400.

May 16

Huck Seed Wins 1996 WSOP Main Event
Defeats field of 295, including Bruce Van Horn heads up, for $1,000,000 and second bracelet.

$10,000 Main Event - No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #24, began 5/13)

Winner: Huck Seed ($1,000,000)

Entries: 295 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

December 20

Little Man Popwell Inducted Into Poker Hall of Fame
Popwell was a road gambler and Five-Card Stud expert.