WSOP 1972: The First $10,000 Tournament and Amarillo Slim Preston’s Victory
It's 1972, Las Vegas, Nevada. The Binion's Horseshoe Casino once again gathers the best poker players of the time. Among the participants stands out Johnny Moss, recognized as the best player in 1970 winning the first freeze-out tournament for the title of champion in 1971. Moss is in excellent shape, and his opponents face a tough battle for the championship cup.
In 1972, WSOP winners did not yet receive the traditional bracelets. Moss took home 2 cups, which would later be equated with bracelets. Besides him, no one else can boast a victory in the series.
But is that really the case?
The WSOP series includes several live tournaments besides the main event. If 1971 had a buy-in of $1,000, in 1972 the participation fee was raised to $10,000. Over the next 50 plus years, this buy-in would remain unchanged.
In 1971, additional tournaments were held in Limit 7-Card Stud, Limit Razz, Limit 5-Card Stud, Limit Ace-to-5 Draw. In 1972, only one of these tournaments remained - Limit 5-Card Stud.
It's hard to say why the organizers chose this poker type, which wasn't even all that popular in the 70s and attracted only two players: an unknown amateur player competed competed against the champion of a similar tournament in 1971 - Bill Boyd.
With a $10,000 buy-in, the players formed a prize pool of $20,000, and the victory went to Bill Boyd. Looking ahead, we'll tell you that Boyd won ALL Limit 5-Card Stud tournaments held at the WSOP series. Only the exclusion of this this poker type from the WSOP schedule could stop him.
Main Event WSOP 1972
And now we come to the Main Event, which took place from May 11 to 16, 1972.
After the tournament in 1971 gathered only 6 participants, Benny Binion decided to invest his own funds in promoting the series. Each of the players received half of the buy-in amount from him, that is, $5,000. A tournament with a $10,000 buy-in already had an attractive prize pool, and the opportunity to participate for half the price made the event that much more appealing.
The number of players registered for the tournament increased to 12. However, only 8 players showed up to play. The remaining registered players preferred the expensive cash game held simultaneously at the Binion's Horseshoe Casino. Neither the promising prize pool nor the $5,000 payout from Benny Binion could entice players who played at sky-high stakes.
Tournament participants
| Johnny Moss |
| Jimmy Casella |
| Jack ‘Treetop’ Straus |
| Walter ‘Puggy’ Pearson |
| Doyle Brunson |
| Crandell Addington |
| Thomas ‘Amarillo Slim’ Preston |
| Roger Van Ausdall |
Jimmy Casella was the first to be eliminated from the tournament, followed by Roger Van Ausdall.
The favorite of the tournament was Johnny Moss. From the very beginning, he led in the number of chips, but a big hand involving 38-year-old Doyle Brunson shattered his plans for victory. On the turn 9-7-2-T, Moss went all-in with a pocket pair of twos. Brunson had a pair of aces. His chances of winning were 4.55% against Moss's 95.45%. According to legend, Doyle had time to put on his jacket and headed for the exit of the casino, while the dealer dealt an ace on the river.
Johnny Moss was left with a short stack and soon was eliminated from the tournament. This meant that for the first time in WSOP history, the champion would be a player with a name other than "Johnny Moss."
The fifth place in the tournament went to Jack ‘Treetop’ Straus.
When there were four players left at the table, Amarillo Slim sat with a short stack of 2,000 chips. But luck began to smile upon him. The series organizer, Jack Binion, who was leading the Binion's Horseshoe Casino at that time, brought in a film crew shooting a report for television. At that moment, Amarillo Slim got trips of fives and doubled his stack, while Crandell Addington was eliminated in fourth place.
Three participants remained at the table: Amarillo Slim, Doyle Brunson, and Puggy Pearson.
Brunson and Puggy Pearson were very nervous because of the film crew. Both feared that the TV coverage would attract the attention of the tax authorities. Only Amarillo Slim was pleased with the situation and felt comfortable.
An Unusual Deal
The players stopped the game to discuss a deal. They retired to the Sombrero room, but now we know exactly what they were discussing. Never before in the history of WSOP had players made deals at the final table.
Doyle Brunson and Puggy Pearson agreed to give the victory to Amarillo Slim, but with the condition that the $80,000 prize pool would be divided according to the number of chips at the time of the deal.
Casino owner Benny Binion was furious. Only Doyle Brunson managed to convince him. As a result, Doyle received an unknown sum from the prize pool and left the tournament "due to health reasons." He took third place. There is a theory that Benny Binion realized that he would not be able to create a vivid picture for TV if Brunson won. Both of the remaining players were better suited for promoting poker.
Amarillo Slim and Puggy Pearson faced off in a decisive heads-up. The chip advantage was 2 to 1 in favor of Pearson.
Puggy Pearson was unhappy with the deal and the absence of Brunson. He changed his mind and decided to win the tournament, but failed. Amarillo Slim played extremely aggressively and won many pots without showdowns. In the final hand, Pearson went all-in with a pocket pair of sixes on the flop K-8-8. Amarillo Slim had two higher pairs with pocket Kh-Jd, and they held up. The dealer revealed a doublet on the turn, and an eight appeared on the river.
Thomas ‘Amarillo Slim’ Preston became the World Champion of 1972.
We do not know the exact amount that Preston received for his victory. According to some sources, he received only $15,000, while Pearson and Brunson divided $65,000. According to other sources, Brunson took only $20,000. But that does not change the fact that Amarillo Slim became the winner.
The official result
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston | $80,000 * |
| 2nd | Walter "Puggy" Pearson | |
| 3rd | Doyle Brunson | |
| 4th | Crandell Addington | $0 * |
| 5th | Jack Straus | $0 * |
| 6th | Johnny Moss | $0 |
| 7th | Roger Van Ausdall | $0 |
| 8th | Jimmy Casella | $0 |
* – We don't know the exact terms of the deal that was made between the three players, but according to the participants' recollections, they divided the prize pool.
Amarillo Slim – The First Poker Ambassador
Since the WSOP 1972 turned out to be the first tournament shown on TV, Amarillo Slim became the most recognizable player in poker. He became the first person to be called a 'poker celebrity.' Thomas became a regular guest on TV shows, including appearing 11 times on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and on the show 60 Minutes.
Thomas co-authored the book "Play Poker to Win" (1973) with Bill G. Cox, and appeared in the movie California Split. His story became the basis for Kenny Rogers' song "The Gambler." And later, a movie about Amarillo Slim was planned, but filming was canceled when the 77-year-old Slim faced criminal charges.
Despite not spending a day behind bars, friends stopped talking to Thomas, and no one spoke up in his support.
Here's what Thomas Preston himself said about it:
“I think there are a bunch of hypocrites in the poker world and a lot of them are obligated to me. Not one of them showed up and stood beside me. I don’t hear from them anymore. Some of them could have said something and shown their support. But they didn’t.”
Six years after the indictment, in 2012, the legendary player passed away in Amarillo, Texas.
