subject: 1989 World Series of Poker [print this page] The World Series of Poker is one of the biggest events in the gambling world. This event brings the top players from all over the world into the same building to test their skills against each other. The event has grown tremendously over the years, but has been popular all along. The event was held at Binion's Horseshoe in 1989. The 1989 World Series of Poker was one to remember.
The tournament continued to show the growth of years past. The previous year had set a record for the total number of participants in the main event. This total was increased upon by eleven people. This brought the total number of participants up to 178. Each participant is required to pay 10 thousand dollars in order to enter the tournament. This total would be contributed to the prize money. The total prize money available for the tournament in the 1989 World Series of Poker was 1.78 million dollars. The winner of the event would receive more than seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Meanwhile the runner-up would even take home more than 300 thousand dollars. The remainder of the prize money would be split up through the other top players in the field.
Johnny Chan was becoming a force to be reckoned with at this time. He won the previous year with an amazing play at the end of the tournament. He baited Erik Seidel into going all in. Seidel did not recognize however that Chan was acting and that he had a straight in his hand. Seidel fell and Chan took home the bracelet.
Chan showed signs of promise in the 1989 World Series of Poker as well. He was plowing through the competition and found himself on track to fight towards the final table. This would give him a chance at another bracelet at the World Series of Poker.
There were other players that were plowing their way through the competition such as Phil Hellmuth Jr. He was really showing his skills throughout the tournament. This was despite the fact that he was such a young player. At only 24 years old he was outsmarting some of the top players in the world.
This event also showed the downfall of Johnny Moss. Moss is of course a legend, but for the first time ever he was not able to make any money in any of the events at the World Series of Poker.
The game progressed and left only Hellmuth Jr. and Chan standing. The only thing between Chan and a chance at another main event win was Hellmuth Jr. Despite the fact that Chan was already a legend of sorts, Hellmuth Jr. would not budge. He held a huge lead in chips and looked like the favorite to win the tournament. He managed to overcome Chan in the tournament and became the 1989 World Series of Poker champion. He had claimed to be the best player in the world, and after that match he had some backing to his words.
