1987 Super Bowl of Poker
Encyclopedia
The Super Bowl of Poker was the second most prestigious poker tournament in the world during the 1980s. While the World Series of Poker
was already drawing larger crowds as more and more amateurs sought it out, the SBOP "was an affair limited almost exclusively to pros and hard-core amateurs."
Prior to 1979, the only high dollar tournament a person could enter was the WSOP. 1972 WSOP Main Event Champion and outspoken ambassador for poker Amarillo Slim
saw this as an opportunity. "The World Series of Poker was so successful that everybody wanted more than one tournament," he said. Slim called upon his connections and friendships with poker's elite to start a new tournament in the February 1979. Before the SBOP had developed a reputation of its own, many of the most respected names in poker attended the tournament "more to support Slim and take advantage of the very fat cash games the event would obviously inspire." Slim modelled his SBOP after the WSOP with several events and a $10,000 Texas Hold'em Main Event.
One of the principal differences between the WSOP and the SBOP was the prize structure. The WSOP's prize structure was flat ensuring more people received smaller pieces of the prize pool. The SBOP typically used a 60-30-10 payout structure. In other words, only the first three places received money and generally in the ratio of 60% to first place, 30% to second place, and 10% to third. This payment schedule predominated the SBOP for the first 5 years of the event, but as the event grew the number of payouts increased while keeping the payout schedule top heavy.
rs played at the final table in the $200 Pot Limit Omaha event. Johnny Chan
was a relative newcomer compared to the older veterans Jack Keller and Johnny Moss
, but Chan succeeded in defeating both to claim the title. Chan later made it to another final table and played against future future Hall of Famer, Barbara Enright
at the $200 No Limit Hold'em. Neither one won the event.
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
was already drawing larger crowds as more and more amateurs sought it out, the SBOP "was an affair limited almost exclusively to pros and hard-core amateurs."
Prior to 1979, the only high dollar tournament a person could enter was the WSOP. 1972 WSOP Main Event Champion and outspoken ambassador for poker Amarillo Slim
Amarillo Slim
Thomas Austin Preston, Jr. , known as Amarillo Slim, is an American professional gambler known for his poker skills and proposition bets...
saw this as an opportunity. "The World Series of Poker was so successful that everybody wanted more than one tournament," he said. Slim called upon his connections and friendships with poker's elite to start a new tournament in the February 1979. Before the SBOP had developed a reputation of its own, many of the most respected names in poker attended the tournament "more to support Slim and take advantage of the very fat cash games the event would obviously inspire." Slim modelled his SBOP after the WSOP with several events and a $10,000 Texas Hold'em Main Event.
One of the principal differences between the WSOP and the SBOP was the prize structure. The WSOP's prize structure was flat ensuring more people received smaller pieces of the prize pool. The SBOP typically used a 60-30-10 payout structure. In other words, only the first three places received money and generally in the ratio of 60% to first place, 30% to second place, and 10% to third. This payment schedule predominated the SBOP for the first 5 years of the event, but as the event grew the number of payouts increased while keeping the payout schedule top heavy.
1987 Tournament
Three Poker Hall of FamePoker Hall of Fame
The Poker Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional poker playing in the United States. Founded and located in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was created in 1979 by Benny Binion, the owner of the Horseshoe Casino, to preserve the names and legacies of the world's greatest poker players and to serve...
rs played at the final table in the $200 Pot Limit Omaha event. Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan (poker player)
Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
was a relative newcomer compared to the older veterans Jack Keller and Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in...
, but Chan succeeded in defeating both to claim the title. Chan later made it to another final table and played against future future Hall of Famer, Barbara Enright
Barbara Enright
Barbara Enright is an American professional poker player, motivational speaker, and Editor-in-Chief of Woman Poker Player magazine. She has won three bracelets at the World Series of Poker and has made it to the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event final table.Enright was the first woman to win an...
at the $200 No Limit Hold'em. Neither one won the event.
Event 1: $ 500 Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 196
- Total prize pool: $98,000
- Number of payouts: 9
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ralph Johnson | $47,000 |
| 2nd | Robert Turner | $18,800 |
| 3rd | John Franjesh | $9,400 |
| 4th | Richard Sargent | $4,700 |
| 5th | Jeff Gold | $4,700 |
| 6th | Ali Farsai | $4,700 |
| 7th | Ken Flaton | $4,700 |
| 8th | John Cernuto John Cernuto "Miami" John Cernuto is an American professional poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada, specialising in Omaha hi-lo events.-Early years:... |
$2,000 |
| 9th | Steve Kopp | $2,000 |
Event 2: $ 500 Limit Seven Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: 164
- Total prize pool: $82,000
- Number of payouts: 10
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Glenda Bridges | $38,000 |
| 2nd | Alex Murray | $15,200 |
| 3rd | Bill Sheppard | $7,600 |
| 4th | Buddy McIntosh | $3,800 |
| 5th | Mark Jacobus | $3,800 |
| 6th | Steve Kopp | $3,800 |
| 7th | Craig DiSalvo | $3,800 |
| 8th | Lenny Moore | $2,000 |
| 9th | Jack Lindsay | $2,000 |
| 10th | Fred Sigur | $2,000 |
Event 3: $ 200 Pot Limit Omaha
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: $135,200
- Number of payouts: 9
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Johnny Chan Johnny Chan (poker player) Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively.... * |
$60,795 |
| 2nd | Berry Johnston Berry Johnston Berry Enfield Johnston is an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1986 World Champion, but he has also won four other bracelets at the World Series of Poker in addition to cashes and wins in many other tournaments throughout his career.- Poker career :Johnston won the 1986... * |
$27,020 |
| 3rd | Artie Cobb | $13,510 |
| 4th | Terry Davis | $6,755 |
| 5th | Garland Walters | $6,755 |
| 6th | Jerry St. Pierre | $6,755 |
| 7th | Eddie Scwettman | $6,755 |
| 8th | Johnny Moss Johnny Moss Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in... * |
$4,053 |
| 9th | Don Williams | $2,702 |
Event 4: $ 1,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo
- Number of buy-ins: 78
- Total prize pool: $78,000
- Number of payouts: 7
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Robert Turner | $39,000 |
| 2nd | Ron McMillan | $15,600 |
| 3rd | George Feher | $7,800 |
| 4th | Mike Magic | $3,900 |
| 5th | Al Korsin | $3,900 |
| 6th | Scott Dick | $3,900 |
| 7th | Barney O'Malia | $3,900 |
Event 5: $ 200 No Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 173
- Total prize pool: $214,500
- Number of payouts: 18
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Howard Andrew Howard Andrew Howard Andrew is an American poker player, best known for his success at the 1976 World Series of Poker . He has participated in the WSOP Main Event each year since 1974, the longest such streak of any player... |
$86,400 |
| 2nd | Johnny Chan Johnny Chan (poker player) Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively.... * |
$38,400 |
| 3rd | David Baxter David Baxter (poker player) David Baxter was an American poker player from Corpus Christi, Texas, who won two bracelets at the World Series of Poker.-Poker:Baxter first cashed in the WSOP in 1980 in a no limit hold'em event. He won his first bracelet in 1983 in the $1,500 no limit hold'em event, winning $145,500... |
$19,200 |
| 4th | Jim Doman | $9,600 |
| 5th | Garland Walters | $9,600 |
| 6th | Barbara Enright Barbara Enright Barbara Enright is an American professional poker player, motivational speaker, and Editor-in-Chief of Woman Poker Player magazine. She has won three bracelets at the World Series of Poker and has made it to the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event final table.Enright was the first woman to win an... |
$9,600 |
| 7th | Bob Lackhart | $9,600 |
| 8th | Gene Fisher | $5,760 |
| 9th | Ed Stevens | $3,840 |
Event 6: $ 1,000 Ace to Five Draw
- Number of buy-ins: 80
- Total prize pool: $80,000
- Number of payouts: 5
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Margo Marvin | $40,000 |
| 2nd | Robert Turner | $16,000 |
| 3rd | David Question | $1,200 |
| 4th | Bruce Holt | $8,000 |
| 5th | Charles Hantz | $4,000 |
Event 7: $ 500 Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 189
- Total prize pool: $94,500
- Number of payouts: 9
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ray Johnson | $42,525 |
| 2nd | Kelly Samson | $18,900 |
| 3rd | J.C. Pearson | $9,450 |
| 4th | Bill Smith | $4,725 |
| 5th | Elvis Russell | $4,725 |
| 6th | Tom McGuire | $4,725 |
| 7th | Billy Smith | $4,725 |
| 8th | Elmer Thomas | $2,835 |
| 9th | Barbara Enright Barbara Enright Barbara Enright is an American professional poker player, motivational speaker, and Editor-in-Chief of Woman Poker Player magazine. She has won three bracelets at the World Series of Poker and has made it to the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event final table.Enright was the first woman to win an... * |
$1,890 |
Event 8: $ 1,000 Seven Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: $189,822
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Robert Turner | $51,500 |
| 2nd | Max Stern | $20,600 |
| 3rd | Buddy McIntosh | $10,300 |
| 4th | Terry King | $5,150 |
| 5th | Jim Dickerson | $5,150 |
| 6th | Tom McEvoy Tom McEvoy Thomas K. McEvoy is a professional poker player and author. He is best known for his win in the 1983 World Series of Poker main event.-Early life:... |
$5,150 |
| 7th | Mike Ungurean | $5,150 |
Event 9: $ 2,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball
- Number of buy-ins: 32
- Total prize pool: $94,500
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jack Keller* | $48,000 |
| 2nd | Berry Johnston Berry Johnston Berry Enfield Johnston is an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1986 World Champion, but he has also won four other bracelets at the World Series of Poker in addition to cashes and wins in many other tournaments throughout his career.- Poker career :Johnston won the 1986... * |
$24,000 |
| 3rd | Seymour Leibowitz | $8,000 |
Event 10: $ 200 Pot Limit Omaha
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: $189,822
- Number of payouts: 9
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dolph Arnold | $83,745 |
| 2nd | Joe Petro | $37,220 |
| 3rd | Gene Fisher | $18,610 |
| 4th | Ken Flaton | $9,305 |
| 5th | Seymour Leibowitz | $9,305 |
| 6th | Artie Cobb | $9,305 |
| 7th | John Franjeah | $9,305 |
| 8th | Unknown | $9,305 |
| 9th | Jim Dickerson | $3,722 |
Event 11: $ 1,000 No Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 140
- Total prize pool: $140,000
- Number of payouts: 10
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Gene Fisher Gene Fisher Gene Fisher is an American poker player from El Paso, Texas.Fisher won two World Series of Poker bracelets in 1980 and 1993, winning the same amount in both events. He has also cashed in various other poker tournaments.... |
$63,000 |
| 2nd | George Huber | $28,000 |
| 3rd | Yosh Nakano | $14,000 |
| 4th | Ken Lambert | $7,000 |
| 5th | Ron McMillan | $7,000 |
| 6th | Curtis Skinner | $7,000 |
| 7th | Barbara Gold | $7,000 |
| 8th | Dolph Arnold | $4,200 |
| 9th | Mike Cox | $1,400 |
| 10th | Frank Henderson | $1,400 |
Event 12: $ 10,000 No Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: $440,000
- Number of payouts: 7
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jack Keller* | $220,000 |
| 2nd | Chip Reese Chip Reese David Edward Reese , more commonly known as Chip Reese, was an American professional poker player and gambler from Centerville, Ohio... * |
$88,000 |
| 3rd | Tuna Lund | $44,000 |
| 4th | Perry Green | $22,000 |
| 5th | Dick Carson | $22,000 |
| 6th | Jim Ward | $22,000 |
| 7th | Max Stern | $22,000 |