WSOP 1974: First Bracelet in Poker History

WSOP 1974 – Setting the Scene

It was May 1974, and the best poker players gathered at Binion’s Horseshoe casino to determine the champion.

That year, players took one of the most iconic photos in poker history. Johnny Moss, Chris Wills, ‘Amarillo Slim’ Preston, Jack Binion, and Walter ‘Puggy’ Pearson took a photo in front of the casino entrance. You can see this photo on the Wiki page about Texas Hold’em (and just below as well).

The game started on May 6 with a $10,000 buy-in Limit 7-Stud tournament, which gathered 9 players. Unlike previous series, in 1974, the organizers decided to abandon the “The Winner Takes All” principle and distribute the prizes among several players.

In the first tournament, the $90,000 prize pool was distributed among three players. The winner was Jimmy Casella, who received the bracelet and $41,225 in prize money. Casella had already won at the WSOP before. In 1971, he received $10,000 for first place in a Limit Razz tournament, but the 1974 series was his triumph.

First, Jimmy won the Limit 7-Card Stud, where he beat Johnny Moss (who received $34,150 in prize money) in heads-up, and then he secured his success in the next Limit Razz tournament.

The second tournament of the series was held with a $1,000 buy-in and gathered 36 players. In the decisive heads-up, Jimmy Casella beat Charlie Hall and received $25,000 in prize money. Thus, after two tournaments of the 1974 WSOP series, Jimmy Casella could boast a 100% winning record in the series.

Unfortunately, Jimmy Casella’s success story at the WSOP ended with this tournament. He never made it to the prize zone again, and on August 10, 1976, he died of a drug overdose. Casella will go down in poker history as the holder of 3 WSOP bracelets, a participant in the 1971 Main Event (4th place), the 1972 Main Event (8th place), and the 1973 Main Event (7th place).

The third tournament of the 1974 WSOP series was held on May 8 with a $5,000 buy-in Limit 5 Card Stud. Unlike the similar tournament in 1973, this event registered 8 players. The problem with this type of poker was that Bill Boyd was absolutely unbeatable. In 1973, no one agreed to play against him in a $10,000 tournament, so Boyd simply took the bracelet as the only participant.

In 1974, the organizers lowered the tournament’s buy-in, making it more accessible, but it did little to change the situation. Bill Boyd predictably won and took $40,000. The organizers’ patience ran out. Limit 5 Card Stud was removed from the WSOP schedule, and Boyd did not win again.

His playing career ended with 4 WSOP bracelets, but his professional poker career continued until 1988. Bill Boyd managed the poker room at the Golden Nugget Casino and popularized Pot-Limit Omaha. Bill Boyd died in 1997 at the age of 91, already inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1981.

The fourth tournament of the series was held on May 9 with a $5,000 buy-in No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball. The tournament attracted 16 players and formed a prize pool of $80,000. The winner was Bryan ‘Sailor’ Roberts, who received $35,850.

Roberts was one of the legendary players who had not managed to win at the WSOP until 1974.

In 1970, he was a participant in the first series, where Johnny Moss was chosen as the champion. In 1971, he played in the Main Event and took 6th place out of 6 participants. In 1973, he again took 6th place, this time out of 13 players. And in 1974, he won his first WSOP bracelet. We will talk more about ‘Sailor’ Roberts in the next article on WSOP 1975.

The fifth tournament of the series was held on May 10 with a $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em. As in the previous year, before the start of the Main Event, players participated in a low-cost NL Hold’em tournament for a warm-up. This event registered 21 players, and the victory went to the poker star of those years, ‘Amarillo Slim’ Preston.

During those years, Preston was the most prominent player, a TV show participant, and the author of a popular book. In his autobiography, Preston mentioned that he played poker against two US presidents – Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.

In this tournament, Bonnie Baez made history as the first woman in poker to win prize money in an open event. She finished in fourth place, earning $1,050, which was just $50 more than the tournament entry fee. Although the monetary reward was small, its symbolic importance was huge.

Before this, competitive poker was completely dominated by men. Baez’s groundbreaking performance paved the way for more women to participate and succeed in the WSOP, breaking barriers in the male-dominated poker world.

Now we come to the Main Event of the 1974 series.

WSOP 1974 Main Event

The year before, the organizers set a $10,000 buy-in for the series’ Main Event. This decision would become the standard and last for the next 50 years. In 1974, 16 players registered for the tournament, which is 3 more than the previous year. It was the biggest Main Event!

Unlike other series tournaments, in the Main Event, the entire $160,000 prize went to one winner.

This winner was Johnny Moss, who beat Crandell Addington in the final heads-up.

Crandell Addington, an avid poker enthusiast who managed to create a successful business and become a millionaire, fought for the title once again. Their heads-up lasted 4 hours, but no information about the game remains in history. We only know that Moss won his third WSOP Main Event, a feat that would only be repeated by Stu Ungar in the entire history of the series.

In 1974, the organizers awarded the champion’s gold bracelet for the first time in history. Until then, Moss had collected silver cups and plates. In 1974, Moss also received a silver cup, but along with it, he was given a gold bracelet. This well-known symbol of success at the poker table had not yet become a regular prize. Only from 1976 did the bracelet become the traditional symbol of the champion.

Surprisingly, after being knocked out of the tournament in 1973, Moss said:

“I’m not going to play in tournaments no more. Never. I’m too old.”

His promise didn’t last a year. Moss returned and once again became the champion. He was 68 years old, and he had 4 WSOP bracelets, 3 of which he won in the Main Event. But a long successful career at the WSOP was still ahead!

The Winner – Johnny Moss

Johnny Moss was born on May 14, 1907, in Marshall, Texas. When Johnny was 8 years old, his mother died, and his father was seriously injured at work. From this age, Moss worked to help support the family. He first delivered newspapers and then got a job at Western Union in Dallas.

It is worth noting that in Dallas, Moss met Benny Binion, the future owner of Binion’s Horseshoe casino. Benny was 3 years older.

Moss was introduced to poker at the age of 10 by card sharks. Instead of using his knowledge to win, Johnny got a job in saloons with underground poker games, where he monitored fairness. At Otter’s Club and Elk’s Club, he was paid $10 to $20 a day, which was a lot of money for a 16-year-old in 1923. During this time, Moss started playing himself. In later interviews and memoirs, he denied ever cheating at the poker table, but other sources say otherwise.

On his best days, he earned up to $500, equivalent to $9,000 in 2024. Besides, Moss made good money playing pool and golf. This period of Johnny’s life ended with the closure of Elk’s Club, after which Moss began traveling around the country playing poker.

His main match was against Nick The Greek Dandolos in 1951, which lasted 5 months. According to various reports, Moss won from $2 to $5 million. This is up to $52 million at the 2024 rate.

Johnny Moss’s story included a poor childhood, underground gambling, and incredible success. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979, and Doyle Brunson suggested putting Moss on his Mount Rushmore of poker players.

WSOP 1974 Main Event Results