Fun but Forgotten Poker Facts Part 1

With poker even bigger than it’s ever been, some Johnny Come Lately’s think that they know the whole poker truth because they know who the Full Tilt Pro Phil Ivey is.

We all know who Phil Ivey is – how many of us know who Gary “Bones” Berland was?

Here are some fun poker facts that you may not have heard before:

- Amarillo Slim Wins Heads Up

Until a certain someone showed up on the poker scene in the year 2000 (whom we’ll get to momentarily,) Amarillo Slim had never been defeated heads up in a major tournament. What makes that fact all the more impressive is that by the year 2000, Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston was 72 years old.

- The Dude Who Beat Him is Still Good

So who was it that finally bested Amarillo Slim heads up in 2000? At the final table of the 2000 $2,500 buy-in World Series of Poker Pot Limit Omaha event, Phil Ivey became the first player to defeat Amarillo Slim Heads Up. It was Ivey’s first WSOP.

- Gary Berland is the Best Tournament Player You’ve Never Heard Of

Sitting in a tie for 13th most WSOP bracelets of all-time is one of the great tragedies in poker history. Gary “Bones” Berland managed to take home 5 victories (not to mention a second and third place in the Main Event) before succumbing to a rare blood disorder at only 37 years old. Bones is the only player to win 5 bracelets in a 3 year stretch and one of 4 players to have won 3 bracelets in a single WSOP. The Razz master’s glory days came in the mid to late 1970’s.

- Chip Reese is the Best Player You’ve Never Heard Of

While the world was getting to know Doyle Brunson and Ted Forrest during the industry shifting explosion of 2003, one major player stayed out of the limelight. Though considered by Brunson to be “certainly the greatest player who has ever lived,” Chip rarely showed up on television due to his desire to stay close to his family and stay out of the roller coaster life of the tournament circuits. While Chip has gained some credit in the form of the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy named after the original winner of the $50,000 World Series of Poker H.O.R.S.E. Event, way too many poker junkies don’t know the name Chip Reese.