World Series Of Poker – A History

Believe it or not, the game of poker has a World Series tournament, held once a year in Las Vegas. The first World Series of Poker was an invitational held in 1970, when Benny Binion asked six of the best known poker players to do battle at The Horseshoe Casino. This first tournament had a set start and stop time, with the winner being determined by secret ballot.

The Concept of the WSOP Satellite is Born

With a mere handful of players, the first World Series attracted no press coverage and scant public attention. Binion realized that the tournament would have to be upgraded if it was ever to gain the status its title suggested. The World Series of Poker was played as a freeze-out the following year. CBS Sports televised the WSOP for the first time in 1973, and the tournament added additional games in the form of four first round events – Razz, Deuce-to-Seven Draw, Seven-card Stud and a lower buy-in No Limit Hold’em event.

The idea of the WSOP satellite came about in 1983, when organizers realized that in order for the tournament to develop further, they would need average everyday poker players to fill the seats. A satellite is a method to get into a high-stakes event with an affordable buy-in. The goal is to win a number of satellites in increasing value. Some satellites call for players to win outright, while others may move more than one player to the next step, or allow free re-entry into the same step.

Increasing publicity, prize pools, and contestants are all features of the 1990’s, with the first place award money topping $1 million by 1991. With the new millennium came massive prizes and the arrival of online poker tournaments. Who knows where the WSOP will go from here. What we have seen is online poker tournaments offering more and more WSOP satellite games, so the number of entrants will increase for sure, as will the prize money.

The game and lingo of poker have become significant parts of American and British culture. The game is now a spectator sport, since the introduction of the hole-card camera, and the WSOP brings in massive numbers of viewers for cable and satellite TV providers.