200+ Years of Cards

The History of Poker

From Mississippi riverboats to AI solvers. The wild, fascinating story of the world's greatest card game.

1800s

The Birth of Poker

Poker evolves from various European card games on Mississippi riverboats. The full 52-card deck becomes standard by 1834.

Key Events

◆Poker emerges on Mississippi riverboats in the early 1800s
◆52-card deck becomes standard (1834)
◆Draw poker and stud poker variants develop
◆Poker spreads westward during the Gold Rush

Jonathan H. Green (first to document poker rules)Riverboat gamblers

1900-1969

The Underground Era

Poker thrives in underground card rooms and home games across America. Texas road gamblers develop the modern game.

Key Events

◆Texas road gamblers refine No-Limit strategy
◆Las Vegas legalized gambling (1931)
◆Underground poker scene flourishes in NYC and Texas
◆Johnny Moss vs. Nick "The Greek" Dandalos marathon (1949)

Johnny MossNick "The Greek" DandalosSailor RobertsAmarillo Slim

1970-1999

The World Series Era

Benny Binion creates the WSOP. Doyle Brunson publishes Super System. Poker begins its transformation from underground game to mainstream.

Key Events

◆First WSOP held at Binion's Horseshoe (1970)
◆Doyle Brunson publishes Super System (1978)
◆Bobby Baldwin wins WSOP at age 28 (1978)
◆Stu Ungar wins three WSOP Main Events
◆Late Night Poker debuts on Channel 4 UK (1999)

Doyle BrunsonStu UngarJohnny ChanPhil HellmuthBobby Baldwin

2000-2010

The Poker Boom

Chris Moneymaker wins the WSOP Main Event via online satellite, igniting the global poker explosion. Online poker revolutionizes the game.

Key Events

◆Hole-cam technology revolutionizes TV poker
◆Chris Moneymaker wins WSOP Main Event (2003)
◆Online poker explodes globally
◆WSOP Main Event grows to 8,773 entries (2006)
◆Jerry Yang wins $8.25M in record-breaking 2006 field
◆Black Friday shuts down US online poker (April 15, 2011)

Chris MoneymakerDaniel NegreanuPhil IveyTom DwanPatrik Antonius

2011-Present

The Solver Era

GTO solvers transform strategy. AI (Libratus, Pluribus) defeats top pros. High-roller tournaments and streaming reshape the game.

Key Events

◆Libratus defeats top pros at Heads-Up NLHE (2017)
◆Pluribus beats 5 pros simultaneously in 6-max (2019)
◆GTO solvers become standard training tools
◆Live streaming on Twitch/YouTube creates new stars
◆Record $300M+ won by Justin Bonomo in 2018
◆Online poker experiences pandemic boom (2020)

Justin BonomoBryn KenneyFedor HolzJason KoonPhil Galfond

Legendary Players

Click any card to read the full story.

Doyle Brunson

“Texas Dolly”

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Phil Hellmuth

“The Poker Brat”

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Phil Ivey

“The Tiger Woods of Poker”

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Daniel Negreanu

“Kid Poker”

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Stu Ungar

“The Kid”

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Johnny Chan

“The Orient Express”

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Amarillo Slim

“Amarillo Slim”

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Johnny Moss

“The Grand Old Man of Poker”

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Erik Seidel

“Erik”

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Bryn Kenney

“Bryn”

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Justin Bonomo

“ZeeJustin”

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Dan Smith

“Dan”

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David Chiu

“David”

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Tom Dwan

“durrrr”

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Patrik Antonius

“Patrik”

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Jennifer Harman

“Jen”

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Vanessa Selbst

“Vanessa”

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Fedor Holz

“CrownUpGuy”

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Stephen Chidwick

“stevie444”

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Jason Koon

“Jason”

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Dan Harrington

“Action Dan”

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Chris Moneymaker

“Money”

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Antonio Esfandiari

“The Magician”

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Mike Matusow

“The Mouth”

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Phil Laak

“The Unabomber”

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WSOP Main Event Winners

Year	Winner	Prize	Entries	Notable
1970	Johnny Moss	No cash prize (voted by peers)	7	The first WSOP champion was chosen by a vote among the players. Moss was a legendary Texas road gambler.
1971	Johnny Moss	$30,000	6	Moss won the first freeze-out format Main Event, cementing his legacy as the game's original champion.
1972	Amarillo Slim	$80,000	8	Slim's charismatic personality landed him on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, bringing poker to mainstream America.
1973	Puggy Pearson	$130,000	13	Pearson was a pool hustler turned poker pro known for his colorful personality and all-around gambling skills.
1974	Johnny Moss	$160,000	16	Moss won his third and final championship at age 67, a record that stood for decades.
1975	Sailor Roberts	$210,000	21	Roberts was part of the original Texas road gambling trio alongside Brunson and Slim.
1976	Doyle Brunson	$220,000	22	Brunson won with 10-2 offsuit on the final hand, a holding that would become his signature.
1977	Doyle Brunson	$340,000	34	Brunson won his second consecutive title -- again with 10-2 on the final hand, an astonishing coincidence.
1978	Bobby Baldwin	$210,000	42	Baldwin later became president of the Bellagio and one of the most prominent figures in Las Vegas.
1979	Hal Fowler	$270,000	54	Fowler was a relatively unknown amateur, one of the first non-professionals to win the Main Event.
1980	Stu Ungar	$385,000	73	At 27, Ungar began his legendary run. Widely considered the greatest natural card player who ever lived.
1981	Stu Ungar	$375,000	75	Ungar won back-to-back, joining Moss and Brunson in the exclusive club of repeat champions.
1982	Jack Straus	$520,000	104	Straus famously came back from a single chip, coining the phrase "a chip and a chair."
1983	Tom McEvoy	$540,000	108	McEvoy was the first satellite qualifier to win the Main Event, foreshadowing the Moneymaker effect.
1984	Jack Keller	$660,000	132	Keller defeated a growing field as the WSOP continued to gain prestige and attract more players.
1985	Bill Smith	$700,000	140	Smith was a hard-drinking, fearless Texas poker player known for his aggressive style.
1986	Berry Johnston	$570,000	141	Johnston was a consistent tournament performer and a respected member of the old-school poker community.
1987	Johnny Chan	$625,000	152	The first of Chan's back-to-back victories. His play was later featured prominently in the movie "Rounders."
1988	Johnny Chan	$700,000	167	Chan's famous final hand against Erik Seidel became one of poker's most iconic moments, immortalized in "Rounders."
1989	Phil Hellmuth	$755,000	178	At 24, Hellmuth became the youngest Main Event champion in history, a record that stood until 2008.
1990	Mansour Matloubi	$895,000	194	Matloubi was the first non-American to win the Main Event, hailing from Wales (born in Iran).
1991	Brad Daugherty	$1,000,000	215	Daugherty became the first player to win a $1 million first prize at the WSOP Main Event.
1992	Hamid Dastmalchi	$1,000,000	201	Dastmalchi, born in Iran, was the second consecutive non-American-born champion.
1993	Jim Bechtel	$1,000,000	220	Bechtel was a cattle rancher from Arizona who played a steady, disciplined game to claim the title.
1994	Russ Hamilton	$1,000,000	268	Hamilton's legacy was later tarnished by the Ultimate Bet superuser cheating scandal.
1995	Dan Harrington	$1,000,000	273	Harrington, known as "Action Dan," later authored the influential "Harrington on Hold'em" book series.
1996	Huck Seed	$1,000,000	295	Seed, a former Stanford math student, was known for his analytical approach and prop-betting exploits.
1997	Stu Ungar	$1,000,000	312	Ungar's triumphant return for a third title is considered one of poker's greatest stories. He died the following year.
1998	Scotty Nguyen	$1,000,000	350	"You call, it's gonna be all over, baby!" -- Nguyen's famous line on the final hand became a poker catchphrase.
1999	Noel Furlong	$1,000,000	393	Furlong, an Irish businessman, brought a lively European energy to the championship.
2000	Chris Ferguson	$1,500,000	512	Ferguson, known as "Jesus" for his long hair and sunglasses, was one of the first players to apply game theory to poker.
2001	Carlos Mortensen	$1,500,000	613	Mortensen, a Spanish pro born in Ecuador, played an aggressive style that dominated the final table.
2002	Robert Varkonyi	$2,000,000	631	Varkonyi was an amateur who famously shaved his head after Phil Hellmuth predicted he would not win.
2003	Chris Moneymaker	$2,500,000	839	The hand that launched a billion-dollar industry. Moneymaker's $39 online satellite win changed poker forever.
2004	Greg Raymer	$5,000,000	2576	Raymer, known as "Fossilman," was another online qualifier whose win validated the Moneymaker effect.
2005	Joe Hachem	$7,500,000	5619	Hachem, an Australian chiropractor, won the largest Main Event field at the time with a calm, methodical style.
2006	Jamie Gold	$12,000,000	8773	Gold won the largest first prize in WSOP history from the record field of 8,773 players.
2007	Jerry Yang	$8,250,000	6358	Yang, a Laotian refugee turned American citizen, pledged 10% of his winnings to charity.
2008	Peter Eastgate	$9,152,416	6844	At 22, Eastgate became the youngest Main Event champion in history, breaking Hellmuth's record.
2009	Joe Cada	$8,547,044	6494	Cada broke Eastgate's record immediately, winning at age 21 to become the youngest champion.
2010	Jonathan Duhamel	$8,944,310	7319	Duhamel became the first Canadian to win the Main Event, dominating heads-up play against John Racener.
2011	Pius Heinz	$8,715,638	6865	Heinz became the first German to win the Main Event, defeating Martin Staszko heads-up.
2012	Greg Merson	$8,531,853	6598	Merson overcame personal struggles with addiction to win the championship and turn his life around.
2013	Ryan Riess	$8,361,570	6352	Riess, a confident young pro from Michigan, defeated Jay Farber heads-up for the title.
2014	Martin Jacobson	$10,000,000	6683	Jacobson, a Swedish pro, played one of the most dominant final tables in Main Event history.
2015	Joe McKeehen	$7,683,346	6420	McKeehen entered the final table as massive chip leader and never relinquished control.
2016	Qui Nguyen	$8,005,310	6737	Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American recreational player, employed a wild and aggressive style.
2017	Scott Blumstein	$8,150,000	7221	Blumstein, a New Jersey player, won in the first year that the final table was played in July.
2018	John Cynn	$8,800,000	7874	Cynn won after the longest heads-up battle in Main Event history, lasting over 10 hours against Tony Miles.
2019	Hossein Ensan	$10,000,000	8569	Ensan, a German-Iranian player, won at age 55, becoming one of the oldest modern champions.
2020	Damian Salas	$1,553,256	1000	The 2020 Main Event was split into online and live portions due to COVID-19. Salas won the hybrid final.
2021	Koray Aldemir	$8,000,000	6650	Aldemir, a German high-stakes pro, won in the first full live Main Event since the pandemic.
2022	Espen Jorstad	$10,000,000	8663	Jorstad, a Norwegian poker pro, won the title and became a popular ambassador for the game.
2023	Daniel Weinman	$12,100,000	10043	The Main Event broke 10,000 entries for the first time. Weinman earned the largest prize in WSOP history.
2024	Jonathan Tamayo	$10,000,000	9164	Tamayo won a massive final table, continuing the trend of large fields in the modern WSOP era.

Famous Hands

Wild Prop Bets

The craziest side bets in poker history.

The History of Poker

The Birth of Poker

Key Events

The Underground Era

Key Events

The World Series Era

Key Events

The Poker Boom

Key Events

The Solver Era

Key Events

Legendary Players

Doyle Brunson

Phil Hellmuth

Phil Ivey

Daniel Negreanu

Stu Ungar

Johnny Chan

Amarillo Slim

Johnny Moss

Erik Seidel

Bryn Kenney

Justin Bonomo

Dan Smith

David Chiu

Tom Dwan

Patrik Antonius

Jennifer Harman

Vanessa Selbst

Fedor Holz

Stephen Chidwick

Jason Koon

Dan Harrington

Chris Moneymaker

Antonio Esfandiari

Mike Matusow

Phil Laak

WSOP Main Event Winners

Famous Hands

Moneymaker vs. Farha — The Bluff That Changed Poker

Dwan vs. Greenstein — The Million Dollar Pot

Negreanu's Soul Read on Matas

Chan vs. Seidel — Rounders Made Famous

Ivey vs. Jackson — The $1.2M Bluff

Wild Prop Bets

The Erick Lindgren Cross-Country Run

The $2M Weight Loss Bet

Ashton Griffin's 70-Mile Ultramarathon

Phil Galfond Challenge

The Hellmuth vs. Everyone Prop Bets