1989 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.
r Stu Ungar
won the main event. Ungar was the only person to win back-to-back tournaments and the only person to win the SBOP three times. Ungar was also the only person to win the WSOP Main Event three times. While Johnny Moss
is a three time WSOP Main Event winner, his first victory came as a result of a vote rather than the elimination tournament that it would assume the following year. Berry Johnston
, another Hall of Famer, also won an event by claiming the title in the $200 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys tournament. Relatively little is preserved about the 1989 tournament. In most cases, the only thing that has been preserved was the name of the event winners, and in a few cases not even that much was recorded.
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.
1989 Tournament
The 1989 SBOP was the third time wherein 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...
r Stu Ungar
Stu Ungar
Stuart Errol "Stu" Ungar was a professional poker and gin rummy player, widely regarded to have been the greatest Texas hold 'em and gin rummy player of all time....
won the main event. Ungar was the only person to win back-to-back tournaments and the only person to win the SBOP three times. Ungar was also the only person to win the WSOP Main Event three times. While 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...
is a three time WSOP Main Event winner, his first victory came as a result of a vote rather than the elimination tournament that it would assume the following year. 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...
, another Hall of Famer, also won an event by claiming the title in the $200 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys tournament. Relatively little is preserved about the 1989 tournament. In most cases, the only thing that has been preserved was the name of the event winners, and in a few cases not even that much was recorded.
Key
| * | Elected to the Poker Hall of Fame Poker Hall of Fame The Poker Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional poker playing in the United States. Founded and located in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was created in 1979 by Benny Binion, the owner of the Horseshoe Casino, to preserve the names and legacies of the world's greatest poker players and to serve... . |
| Place | The place in which people finish. |
| Name | The name of the player |
| Prize (US$) | Event prize prize money |
Event 1: $2,500 Lowball
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bob Stupak Bob Stupak Robert E. "Bob" Stupak was a Las Vegas casino owner and entrepreneur.He was also a poker player, winning titles at the World Series of Poker and the Super Bowl of Poker... |
$47,500 |
Event 2: $400 Ladies Seven Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
Event 3: $500 Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
Event 4: $1,000 Lowball
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
Event 5: $500 Seven Card Razz
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | David Bradley | $30,000 |
Event 6: $500 Limit 7 Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Buddy McIntosh | $45,000 |
Event 8: $200 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 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... * |
$69,400 |
Event 9: $1,000 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ken Henderson | $50,500 |
Event 11: $1,000 Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Glenn Cozen Glenn Cozen Glenn Cozen is an American professional poker player from Pasadena, California, who is best known for his second-place finish in the $10,000 buy-in Main Event at the 1993 World Series of Poker.... |
$542,500 |
Event 12: $200 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ken Smith | $84,000 |
Event 13: $1,500 Limit 7 Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | John Spadavecchia John Spadavecchia John Spadavecchia is an American professional poker player from Lighthouse Point, Florida.Spadavecchia has been a regular on the poker tournament circuit since the 1980s, with his first finish in the money of a World Series of Poker event coming in the 1988 World Series of Poker in the $10,000 no... |
$72,000 |
| 1st | Gene Fisher | $28,800 |
Event 14: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Derek Farrington | $99,500 |
Event 15: Limit 7 Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Len Miller | $1,200 |
Event 16: $10,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super Bowl of Poker
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stu Ungar Stu Ungar Stuart Errol "Stu" Ungar was a professional poker and gin rummy player, widely regarded to have been the greatest Texas hold 'em and gin rummy player of all time.... * |
$205,000 |
| 2nd | Len Miller | $102,500 |