WSOP 1973: The Triumph of Puggy Pearson

WSOP 1973 Series

In 1973, the tournament series once again took place again at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino. This time, the organizers planned more tournaments with various buy-ins.

The games started on May 4 in a 7-Card Stud tournament with a $4,000 buy-in. Eight players registered, and the prize pool totaled $32,000, of which $28,000 went to the tournament winner, Puggy Pearson. It was his second WSOP bracelet after winning a similar tournament in 1971.

On May 5, players gathered again at Binion’s Horseshoe to play the popular 7-card Razz with a relatively accessible buy-in of $1,000. Thirty-two players registered, and the entire prize went to Sam Angel, a specialist in Razz and 2-7 Low-Ball. In the following years, he would win 3 more WSOP bracelets in these formats.

On May 6, Joe Bernstein won the Limit Ace to 5 Draw for $3,000 and took home $21,000. The tournament had only 7 players, but the most unusual tournament of the series was yet to come. Joe Bernstein set a record by becoming the oldest winner of a WSOP tournament. His record stood until 1981.

On May 7, a $3,000 2-7 Draw tournament took place, where Aubrey Day and Jack Straus split the prizes, each taking $16,500. According to the players’ recollections, the heads-up between the two finalists lasted more than 20 hours, so they decided to make a deal at 9 am. Jack Straus wanted to get some sleep before the start of the Main Event of the series.

Both players were officially listed as the tournament winners, making this event one of the most unusual in WSOP history. But the most unusual tournament took place the next day.

On May 8, a $10,000 Limit 5 Card Stud tournament was supposed to take place. The problem with this tournament was that no one doubted that the expensive tournament would be won by Bill Boyd. This casino manager of the Golden Nugget was the best player of his time, so no one was eager to spend $10,000 to compete against him.

Only Bill Boyd registered for the tournament, earning him his third WSOP bracelet out of four. The next year, Limit 5 Card Stud would be removed from the WSOP schedule, and Boyd would remain in the series history as the man who won all the tournaments in this format.

On May 9, the first tournament of the series for No Limit Hold’em took place. It was a small rehearsal before the Main Event of the series. Seventeen players registered for the $1,000 tournament, and the winner took the entire prize pool of $17,000.

The winner was Puggy Pearson. It was his second bracelet of the 1973 WSOP series and his third bracelet overall. Pearson became the best player in WSOP history by 1973.

WSOP 1973 Official Results

* – Aubrey Day and Jack Straus shared first place in the tournament and each received $16,500.

Speaking about the results table and tournament dates, we have to clarify something: the provided information is official and recorded in the WSOP statistics. However, some sources indicate a different order of tournaments and different dates. According to this version, the extended heads-up between Jack Straus and Aub

1973 Main Event

The tournament took place from May 10 to May 15. Thirteen players registered for the $10,000 event, and the prize pool was $130,000. Officially, the entire prize went to one player. This tournament was the first in WSOP history to be broadcast live on CBS Sports.

Under the lights of the CBS cameras, there were 13 players. The series was gaining popularity, and this time Benny Binion didn’t have to pay half of the buy-in for the tournament participants out of his own pocket. Before the start of the tournament, reporters caught Jack Straus drinking milk. Straus was exhausted from the long heads-up play and had lost his glasses. Without his glasses, he had poor vision, but still was considered the favorite of the tournament.

Tournament participants engaged in side betting, managed by Jimmy the Greek. The initial wager was straightforward, as players guessed who would be the first to be eliminated. Sherman Lanier, a quiet pawnbroker, was the favorite in this category. While it remains unclear whether the betting influenced the players’ strategies to target Sherman, he was indeed the first to be ousted from the tournament.

The next to be on the verge of elimination was Jack Straus himself. He was forced to go all-in, but luck was on his side and he remained in the game. The table where Straus was sitting was reorganized, and he found himself out of position against strong opponents. Here’s a quote from Jack on this matter:

“They ought to figure up a way to seed ’em, like in tennis or something. That table of mine is about twice as tough as that other one.“

But it was Straus who became the hero, managing to knock out the reigning champion from the tournament. The heart flush Jack collected turned out to be stronger than Amarillo Slim’s hand. Another finalist from the previous year, Doyle Brunson, was eliminated next in 11th place, missing out on the final table, which accommodated 10 players.

The battle for victory continued among familiar faces: Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss, Jack Straus, and Crandell Addington.

Day 2 ended with only four players remaining at the table. Puggy Pearson finished the game as the chip leader. One of the tournament dealers noted:

“These men don’t play off of the cards so much as off each other.”

The game resumed the next day. The first of the four to be eliminated was Addington. His hand improved to a pair of jacks, while Pearson upgraded his pocket pair to a set. The battle for the championship title continued among Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss, and Jack Straus.

An interesting hand took place between Johnny Moss (winner of the 2 Main Event WSOP in 1970 and 1971) and Jack Straus. By the turn, Straus had a flush draw, while Moss had a made hand. The pot was large, and with Straus having about a 20% chance to improve, Moss was nervous and attempted to make a deal with Benny Binion to hedge against a potential knockout.

When the dealer revealed the river, everyone exhaled. The fifth card changed nothing, and Jack Straus exited the tournament in third place, leaving Puggy Pearson and Johnny Moss in heads-up play.

A year had passed since Pearson’s previous heads-up, where he was defeated by Amarillo Slim. Over that year, his level of play had significantly improved. Pearson was ready to play anyone, in any game, for any stakes. He was the favorite in this new duel. In the decisive all-in, Pearson’s A-6 (or A-7) held up against K-J. He posed for reporters like Winston Churchill, cigar clenched between his teeth, while Benny Binion brought over the silver trophy and a stack of $100 bills.

Thus ended the WSOP 1973, with Walter Clyde “Puggy” Pearson crowned as the champion.

WSOP 1973 Main Event Results

WSOP 1973 Champion – Puggy Pearson

Walter Clyde Pearson born January 29, 1929 in Adairville, Kentucky. The nickname “Puggy” originated from a schoolyard incident when Walter was 12 years old. During this accident, his nose was severely injured, giving it a flattened or “pugged” appearance, which is a slang term sometimes used to describe a pushed-in nose. As a result of his altered appearance, his peers started calling him “Puggy,” and the nickname stuck throughout his life.

This nickname followed him into his adulthood, even as he enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 17. It was during his time in the Navy that Pearson honed his poker and gambling skills, setting the foundation for his future success in poker, including at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Pearson’s presence at every WSOP Main Event, either as a player or a spectator, continued until his death in 2006.

Walter Clyde Pearson was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1987. In addition to his success at the poker table, Walter is remembered for devising and proposing the concept of a poker tournament that determines the best player. Pearson proposed this format to Benny Binion with support from Amarillo Slim. Thanks to them, many years later, we can enjoy poker tournaments both offline and online.

WSOP History

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