1981 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. 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.
had won the SBOP Main Event. His victory proved that anybody could play poker. Because of his popularity as an actor, people were eager to see how the returning actor would fare in the 1981 event.
Billy Baxter
, a Poker Hall of Fame
r won the Ace-to-Five Lowball event while fellow Hall of Famer Johnny Moss
won the $5,000 Seven Card Stud 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. 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.
1981 Tournament
The 1981 SBOP was one of the most anticipated poker events in the nineteen-eighties. In 1980, Welcome Back Kotter's lead actor, Gabe KaplanGabe Kaplan
Gabriel W. "Gabe" Kaplan is an American comedian, actor, poker commentator, and professional poker player.He was born in Brooklyn, New York...
had won the SBOP Main Event. His victory proved that anybody could play poker. Because of his popularity as an actor, people were eager to see how the returning actor would fare in the 1981 event.
Billy Baxter
Billy Baxter (poker player)
William E. Baxter, Jr. is an American professional poker player and sports bettor. He has won numerous tournament titles in his career as a professional poker player, including seven World Series of Poker bracelets....
, a Poker Hall of Fame
Poker 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...
r won the Ace-to-Five Lowball event while fellow Hall of Famer 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...
won the $5,000 Seven Card Stud event.
Key
| * | Elected to the Poker Hall of Fame Poker Hall of Fame The Poker Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional poker playing in the United States. Founded and located in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was created in 1979 by Benny Binion, the owner of the Horseshoe Casino, to preserve the names and legacies of the world's greatest poker players and to serve... . |
| Place | The place in which people finish. |
| Name | The name of the player |
| Prize (US$) | Event prize prize money |
Event 1: $ 10,000 No Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 26
- Total prize pool: $260,000
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Junior Whitehed | $130,000 |
| 2nd | Perry Green | $78,000 |
| 3rd | Jay Heimowtz | $52,000 |
Event 2: Ace-to-Five Lowball
- Number of buy-ins: 44
- Total prize pool: $44,000
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bill Baxter Billy Baxter (poker player) William E. Baxter, Jr. is an American professional poker player and sports bettor. He has won numerous tournament titles in his career as a professional poker player, including seven World Series of Poker bracelets.... |
$26,400 |
| 2nd | Don Rowe | $13,200 |
| 3rd | Hal Fowler | $4,400 |
Event 3: $ 400 Ladies Seven Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: 31
- Total prize pool: $12,360
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ruth Godfrey Ruth Godfrey Ruth Godfrey was a World Series of Poker champion in the 1981 $400 Ladies - Limit 7 Card Stud.As of 2008, her total WSOP tournament winnings exceed $19,150.Godfrey also won the ladies event at the 1981 Super Bowl of Poker.... |
$7,440 |
| 2nd | Jane Drache | $3,720 |
| 3rd | Shelly Cory | $1,200 |
Event 4: $ 1,000 Ace to Five Lowball
- Number of buy-ins: Not Recorded
- Total prize pool: Not Recorded
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
Event 5: $ 1,000 Seven Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: 39
- Total prize pool: $39,000
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jim McDaniel | $23,400 |
| 2nd | Ken Smith | $11,700 |
| 3rd | Seymour Leibowitz | $3,900 |
Event 6: $ 1,000 Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 67
- Total prize pool: $67,000
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | David Chew | $40,200 |
| 2nd | Glenn Garrod | $20,100 |
| 3rd | Don Zewin | $6,700 |
Event 6: $ 5,000 Seven Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: 19
- Total prize pool: $95,000
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 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... * |
$57,000 |
| 2nd | Pat Callihan | $28,500 |
| 3rd | Rodney Pardey | $9,500 |
Event 7: $ 1,000 Razz
- Number of buy-ins: 17
- Total prize pool: $17,000
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Sam Angel | $10,200 |
| 2nd | David Singer David Singer (poker player) David Singer is an American professional poker player and former attorney.-Law career:Singer is a former environmental lawyer who worked on issues and lawsuits related to cleaning up the Long Island Sound for a non-profit organization.-Poker career:He has been playing poker professionally since... |
$5,100 |
| 3rd | Mike Sexton Mike Sexton Michael Richard Sexton is an American professional poker player and commentator. He is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.-Early years:... |
$1,700 |
Event 8: $ 10,000 Deuce to Seven Lowball
- Number of buy-ins: 9
- Total prize pool: $90,000
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dave Hampton | $54,000 |
| 2nd | Doyle Brunson Doyle Brunson Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to... * |
$27,000 |
| 3rd | Dick Carson | $9,000 |
Event 9: $ 500 Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 146
- Total prize pool: $73,000
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mark Porter | $43,800 |
| 2nd | Kitty Sowa | $21,900 |
| 3rd | Gary Carlson | $7,300 |
Event 10: $ 2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo Split
- Number of buy-ins: 12
- Total prize pool: $30,000
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tommy Hufnagle | $18,000 |
| 2nd | Sam Moon | $9,000 |
| 3rd | Spence Edwards | $3,000 |
Event 11: $ 1,000 Hold'em "Follow the Stars"
- Number of buy-ins: unknown
- Total prize pool: $73,400
- Number of payouts: 3
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ralph Morton | $46,000 |
| 2nd | Dick Albano | $18,400 |
| 3rd | Doug Johnson | $9,200 |