KevMath (the Snopes.com of Poker?) challenged my facts on the easy-to-prove number of eligible players for the WSOP Main Event Champions Invitational. I say there are 27, he says there are 25. So, going through the list here’s who may or may not be playing:
There have been 39 main event bracelets.
Seven winners are deceased:
Johnny Moss 70 71 \’74
Puggy Pearson \’73
Stu Ungar 80 81 \’97
Hal Fowler \’79
Jack Strauss \’82
Jack Keller 84
Bill Smith \’85
That leaves 28 bracelets still in play hmm and two are repeat winners so 26?
Those eligible:
(unconfirmed attendance in italics)
1. Amarillo Slim \’72
2. Sailor Roberts \’75 — also deceased
3. Doyle Brunson 76 \’77
4. Bobby Baldwin 78 can’t make it
5. Tom McEvoy \’83
6. Berry Johnston 86
7. Johnny Chan 87 \’88
8. Phil Hellmuth \’89
9. Mansour Matloubi 90
10. Brad Daugherty \’91
11. Hamid Dastmalchi 92
12. Jim Bechtel 93
13. Russ Hamilton 94 snubbed
14. Dan Harrington \’95
15. Huck Seed \’96
16. Scotty Nguyen \’98
17. Noel Furlong 99
18. Chris Ferguson 00
19. Carlos Mortenson \’01
20. Robert Varkonyi \’02
21. Chris Moneymaker \’03
22. Greg Raymer \’04
23. Joe Hachem \’05
24. Jamie Gold \’06
25. Jerry Yang \’07
26. Peter Eastgate \’08
OK, crap, math KevMath 25 it is.
So how do you call it? I guess we kinda split the difference? I’m considering both Hamilton and Baldwin as eligible, albeit expected no-shows.
CORRECTION: Sailor Roberts also deceased … OK, crap, Mathers wins.
