World Series of Poker Winners

The World Series of Poker is big news, and the player who takes home the pot at the end of the tournament can be considered one of the best players in the world – at least until the next year’s game gives more players a chance to cut their teeth at the table. Anyone who is anyone in the world of poker is inevitably watching, commenting or playing when the time comes.

Great Bridge Links and Alex J. Coyne took a closer look at some of the previous World Series of Poker winners and what they’re all about.

The first World Series of Poker took place in 1970 at the Binion’s Horseshoe Casino. According to the official website of the WSOP, the casino didn’t have a poker room at the time of the game – but players were instead playing inside “an alcove about the size of an ordinary hotel room.”

1970: Johnny Moss

The first player to be crowned world champion of poker was Johnny ‘The Croc’ Moss, a Texan born in 1907 who had a love for games of odds and skill at a young age. His love for poker apparently started at the Otters Club, where he was hired to spot punters cheating at poker – but wanted to learn how to play for himself. He stopped playing poker in the 80s, but not before he had placed in 27 events.

2003: The Moneymaker Effect

Chris Moneymaker, an amateur poker player, famously won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in 2003 and $2.5 million. His victory is considered a pivotal moment in poker history, often credited with sparking the “poker boom,” a massive surge in the popularity of Texas Hold’em, often referred to as the ‘Moneymaker Effect.’ Moneymaker qualified for the WSOP through an online satellite with an $86 entry fee, and his success demonstrated that anyone could compete in high-stakes poker.

2014: Martin Jacobsen

Swedish-born Martin Jacobsen was the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event champion, taking home an incredible $10 million in winnings. Before setting his mind to cards, he had been studying to become a professional chef instead. He is currently the brand ambassador for 888poker. His official website is available here, or you can interact with him on Twitter over at @Martin_Jacobson.

2015: Joe McKeehen

Joe McKeehen was the World Series of Poker champion for the year 2015, taking home just over $7.6 million in winnings for his efforts. That’s not the only game championship he has behind his name, and he has also won the 2010 Risk Championship – and has competed in many other poker events, including winning the WSOP $10, 000 Limit Hold’em World Championship in 2017. He has been known to be one of poker’s more antisocial players, and has even drawn criticism for offering his services as a poker coach.

2016: Qui Nguyen

Qui Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American player who won the World Series of Poker in 2016, taking home just over $8 million in winnings. He has written a book about his experiences as a poker player at the WSOP tables called From Vietnam to Vegas: How I Won the World Series of Poker Main Event. He can be found on Twitter at the handle @NguyenPoker. Oh, and apparently poker bots set to analyse his playing style were said to have predicted his winnings ahead of time.

2017: Scott Blumstein

Scott Blumstein is the 2017 WSOP champion who took home $8, 150, 000 in winnings for his trouble. He started off with an accounting degree, and eased his way into poker with smaller-stakes games before he moved on to play for higher stakes – and eventually make his way to poker champion. Well done! He is available on Twitter at @SBlum2711.

2018: John Cynn

So, what about this year? John Cynn took home the 2018 WSOP main event championship title, taking home $8,8 million in winnings as a result and playing the final hand against player Tony MIles. You can find him on Twitter at @john_cynn, where his profile notes that he is a “chaser of happiness” – and we’re sure that game statistics like that will have any poker player pretty damn happy indeed.

The modern WSOP consists of 74 events, with most major poker variants featured. However these days, over half of the events are variants of Texas Hold ’em. Many of the young guns practice online and you can too. The USA Real Money Texas Holdem website will give you the place you need to hone your skills.

WSOP Statistics

The WSOP website has a great STATS page. For example, the average age of the top all-time earnings is 35. I’m guessing this is because the stakes are going up. The average age of top all-time winners of the coveted WSOP Bracelet is 57. The average age of women is Bracelet-44 and Winnings-42. And the average age of Seniors is Bracelet – 65 and Winnings-55. There are also stats on countries – with USA consistently at the top of the list and Canada consistently second.