The Story of the 1991 WSOP Main Event
The 22nd Annual World Series of Poker saw the first-ever million-dollar top prize in the WSOP Main Event. A mammoth 18 events – an increase of three from the previous year – heralded the biggest-ever WSOP, and the title was taken by another new name as Brad Daugherty followed up on his first bracelet event victory in 1989 by finally adding the title of World Champion to his resume.
More Events Than Ever Before
A record-breaking 18 WSOP bracelet events took place in the Spring of 1991 as play began on April 26 and ended on May 13, just over a fortnight later. Poker had changed immeasurably in the 22 years since the World Series began in 1970, and by the Main Event of 1991, 215 players took to the felt in the $10,000-entry World Championship, determined to end the series pronounced as the best poker player in the world.
The number of players taking on each event was bigger than ever before, as three-figure fields dominated the headlines, with 15 of the events cracking the 100 mark. From the first event, this was the case, with Charles Wight topping 154 entries in the $1,500 Limit Razz event. Byron ‘Cowboy’ Wolford finally won a WSOP bracelet, as the American rodeo cowboy finished first in the 105-player Limit Hold’em event #2, which cost $5,000 to play and earned Wolford $210,000.
Mim Penney came second in the $5,000 Seven-Card Stud event #14, which was won by Thomas Chung, setting a single tournament record for a female player ($88,750) and after coming sixth in the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event #13, which was won by Artie Cobb, for $14,640, she became the first female to win more than $100,000 in a single World Series of Poker. Donna Ward won the Ladies Event #3 for $28,200, before others such as Jay Heimowitz (Event #10: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha), Mike Hart (Event #11: $1,500 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo), and Pat Flanagan (Event #12: $1,500 Limit A-5 Draw Lowball) took home gold too.
Doyle Brunson won his seventh WSOP bracelet when he took $208,000 as the winner of the $2,500 No Limit Hold’em event, the 16th event on the ticket. ‘Texas’ Dolly had endured a miserable few years in the Main Event, but he played a part in the winner of that one too, having been the inspiration behind the eventual winner’s decision to move to Reno and become a poker dealer on the back of Doyle’s 1976 and 1977 victory with ten-deuce. Fourteen long years after that fateful decision, Brad Daugherty was about to make poker history.
Main Event Breaks New Ground Again
With 215 entrants each paying the $10,000 entry fee – or qualifying via the thriving satellite schedule – the WSOP Main Event of 1991 was the first ever to provide the winner with a seven-figure top prize. The reigning champion, Mansour Matloubi, was present, as was the record-holding bracelet winner, The Grand Old Man of Poker, Johnny Moss.
“Johnny is 84 years old,” Doyle Brunson said. “Today’s ship doesn’t sail on yesterday’s wind.”
Several legends of the game, including Doyle Brunson himself, Johnny Moss, Stu Ungar, and Amarillo Slim, didn’t survive into the 36 money places this year.
“If you win here or come in close here, you can consider yourself a world class player,” said TV icon Telly Savalas from the rail. “That’s true at Binion’s Horseshoe.”
Hans ‘Tuna’ Lund, the 1990 Main Event runner-up, was asked what his plan was to go one place further and win it in 1991. His reply was six words long and is one of the best bits of advice any poker player can have, “I’ll play a little bit better.” Sadly for ‘Tuna’, he was caught in the net in 19th place, going home with another cash, this time for $9,200. His dreams of becoming the world champion would have to be put on hold for another year.
Other big names reached the money with Bobby Baldwin (29th for $8,050), Mike Sexton (24th for $9,200), Gabe Kaplan (13th for $11,500), and Donnacha O’Dea (9th for $17,250) all getting comparatively close considering the 200+ field. By the time the field was down to the final six players, the biggest name still in the game was Perry Green. Ten years earlier, Green had lost to Stu Ungar heads-up. It had taken him a decade to get back to the final table, and now five men sat between him and the fulfillment of his life’s ambition.
Green Hits the Bunker
The first player to leave the final six was Ali Farsai. Shoving with king-jack, he couldn’t beat an ace-nine as the ten-high board landed, crushed his dream. Farsai, crestfallen at the final card, had picked up a diamond flush draw on the turn but couldn’t hit one of 9 outs on the river, grimacing as he stood up to collect his sixth-place prize of $34,500.
The disparity between prizes really was incredible in 1991. Five places higher than Farsai, the winner would take home a million dollars, while Perry Green took home just $69,000 in fifth. He’d come one place short in 1981 but, ten years later, fell four short as he lost with pocket eights. Bob Veltri’s pocket jacks were cracked by Daugherty with ace-king and all in when an ace hit on the flop. Veltri took a massive hit and Green was sitting strong.
“I put him on a hand that was similar to what he had, two sevens, I’d have been a big favorite. I was surprised that Veltri would call with the jacks. I would not want to play against two all-in stacks with pocket jacks. You almost have to make three jacks to win! It’s been fun, I thought I could do it.”
Daugherty suddenly had all the momentum, but Veltri still had the lead with four left, holding 625,000 chips to Daugherty’s 550,000. The short man was Don Williams and he bowed out next, losing with ace-nine to Don Holt’s ace-ten as he cashed for $115,000 outside the podium.
Daugherty Gets the Dough
Veltri was finally KOed in third for $201,250, as Daugherty took out another. Holt had the lead heads-up; however, and had been wearing the same ‘lucky’ pants for three days. How lucky Daugherty found them has never truly been established, but the man with the pants was the man to beat. Daugherty managed to bluff and bully his way into a lead. When Holt shoved with seven-three of hearts, Daughtery, the younger man at just 39 years old, made the call with king-jack of spades on a flop of J-9-8. The gutshot was available but a five on the turn of a five didn’t offer any help to Holt.
The river saw an inconsequential eight which gave Daugherty the title of world champion, and the one million dollar prize. The Doyle Brunson superfan, whose poker career started in Reno when he moved there to become a poker dealer in 1977, had done it.
“It wasn’t a good move retrospectively, but that’s the game,” admitted a rueful Holt. “I did a lot of bluffing and got away with it, then I got caught. These people put on a marvellous poker tournament, they’re nice to the players and its just wonderful to be here.”
Daugherty was honest after the event, explaining why he made the call.
“I thought the best he could have was a flush or a straight draw, maybe a ten, but I took the gamble.”
Brad Daugherty last cashed in a ranking poker tournament at the age of 66, and now resides in The Philippines, from where he did something quite outrageous with the 1991 WSOP Main Event bracelet in both 2010 and 2011 – he put it up for sale on eBay!
“As anyone that has been here knows, there are lots of homeless kids and people living in poverty,” he said when asked why. “I am always helping kids and families that I see in need. I thought, why not just auction the bracelet off and use (the money) where it could do some good, rather than just let it sit in the US in a safe deposit box?”
The bracelet still resides in the United States, as far as we know, as it didn’t reach the reserve price set on the popular auction site. Maybe one day Daugherty will return to the World Series of Poker, but it seems unlikely. What else could he achieve?
The first-ever Main Event millionaire will live forever in poker history.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brad Daugherty | United States | $1,000,000 |
| 2nd | Don Holt | United States | $402,500 |
| 3rd | Bob Veltri | United States | $201,250 |
| 4th | Don WIlliams | United States | $115,000 |
| 5th | Perry Green | United States | $69,000 |
| 6th | Ali Farsai | United States | $34,500 |
1990 WSOP Main Event 1992 WSOP Main Event
About the Author: Paul Seaton has written about poker for over 10 years, interviewing some of the best players ever to play the game such as Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth. Over the years, Paul has reported live from tournaments such as the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and the European Poker Tour. He has also written for other poker brands where he was Head of Media, as well as BLUFF magazine, where he was Editor.