1970 WSOP

1970 was the year of the very first World Series of Poker.  However, in that first year there was not one tournament played.  Instead, the WSOP was a series of cash games where nearly every poker game was played, including Five Card Draw, Seven Card Stud, and of course, Texas Holdem.

The WSOP was hosted by Benny Binion, who hoped to use the publicity generated by the clash of the best poker players in the world to attract even more customers to his casino.

Still, a winner had to be chosen.  This was done by having the players vote on who they thought the second best player was.  This was done, of course, because every poker player would’ve voted for himself as the best player.  The decision was clear, as Johnny Moss was easily voted in as the champion of the 1970 WSOP.  Johnny Moss had dominated nearly every game that was played, making the vote no contest.

1970 would be the only year where the winner was decided by vote, as the WSOP would switch to a winner take all tournament format the following year, a tournament that would become known as the WSOP Main Event, which today is still one of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the world.