Top Five Moments in WSOP History

by , Jan 17, 2014 | 2:29 pm

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has made poker history, providing some of the most memorable moments to ever unfold on the green velvet. The sport has become truly captivating for audiences and participants alike, with the tournament witnessing such euphoric highs and crashing lows all at a single table.

Here are some of the best moments in the history of the WSOP event.

Annette Obrestad Becomes WSOP Youngest Winner

At the tender age of 18, Norwegian poker player Annette Obrestad became the youngest-ever person to win a WSOP bracelet. Her victory came at the inaugural WSOPE £10,000 Main Event in 2007 at the Empire Casino in London.

Obrestad defeated Welshman John Tabatabai for a first place prize of £1 million and a place in the history books, just one day before her nineteenth birthday. She went on to impress in the online world as well, when she won against 180 people in an online tournament in July 2007, having only looked at her hole cards once the entire time.

Daniel Negreanu is Named WSOP Player of the Year Twice

Last year’s race to be named WSOP Player of the Year saw Canadian pro Daniel Negreanu come up against Matt Ashton, who held the lead after cashing in the first event of the series.

Negreanu wasn’t about to give up his title to the young Brit, and he overcame a huge player pool of 80 players to scoop the €25,600 High Roller event in the 2013 WSOPE in Paris. This victory won him his second bracelet of the season and cemented him as the first player to win WSOP Player of the Year twice.

Jamie Gold Wins Largest WSOP Main Event

Jamie Gold was able to impressively manipulate his opponents during the 2006 WSOP Main Event, telling them exactly what he had in his hand and still coming out on top. Not only did his skills see him fend off the largest WSOP player pool of 8,773 participants, but he also landed the largest ever WSOP Main Event prize of $12 million.

Despite his victory, it all went south for Gold. He was sued for half his profits by a former business partner, whom he had signed an agreement with before the tournament. He was then rumoured to have hit rock bottom, with his WSOP bracelet being auctioned off.

Phil Hellmuth Bags Two WSOP Main Events on Two Continents

With the WSOP it’s not just about what you win, but where you win as well. No one knows that better than Phil Hellmuth. As the most decorated WSOP in the world, it comes as no surprise that he has also been crowned the first ever player to win WSOP Main Events on two different continents.

At the 2012 event in Cannes, 23 years after his first victory, Hellmuth overcame Ukranian Sergii Baranov to not only leave his stamp on the tournament’s history, but to add to the 13 WSOP gold bracelets and almost $18 million in live tournament earnings he had amassed during that time.

Chris Moneymaker’s Game Changing Win

Chris Moneymaker’s WSOP win in 2003 was so impressive that it’s credited as giving rise to the online poker boom of the early 2000’s, where normal people flocked to sites such as au.royalvegascasino.com to emulate his success.

Totally unknown to the media, Moneymaker won a seat in the $10,000 WSOP event via an online satellite for just $39. There, in front of millions of people watching the ESPN event coverage, Moneymaker defeated the top pros at their own game, earning a $2.5 million prize befitting of his name and inspiring crowds of players to pursue their own road to stardom.


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