For the FF
| 1983 WSOP Main Event Winner | Tom McEvoy |
|---|---|
| Runner Up | Rod Peate |
| Winning Hand | Q Q |
| Losing Hand | K J |
| 1st Place Prize | $540,000 |
| Number of Main Event Entrants | 108 |
In 1983, for the first time ever, a player who had not paid the entire $10,000 buy-in won the World Series of Poker Main Event. Tom McEvoy won his way into the Main Event through a satellite which awarded an entry into the Main Event. This piece of history would have occurred even if McEvoy had lost, as his opponent in Heads-Up play, Rod Peate, had also won his way into the Main Event via a satellite.
Tom McEvoy was also a major factor in making the WSOP a non-smoking tournament. After campaigning for years against smoking in poker tournaments, in 1998 he organized a non-smoking tournament to prove that players would stop smoking in order to compete for the big money won in tournaments. Finally, in 2002 Tom made a deal with Benny Binion Behnen to give him poker lesson in exchange for making the WSOP a non-smoking tournament.
After more than seven hours heads-Up play between Tom McEvoy and Rod Peate finally came to an end when McEvoy reraised Peate all-in with pocket queens. Peate made the call and showed K-J of diamonds. The flop of 6-6-3 was no help, and only brought one diamond, making a flush a long shot as well. A jack fell on the turn, and Peate would need a king or a jack to survive. Instead, a 3 fell on the river, giving McEvoy the victory.