1990 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.
, T.J. Cloutier, and Chip Reese
) have all been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame
. A fifth player, Hamid Dastmalchi
won the WSOP Main Event in 1992. Between the five of them, they have acquired 20 WSOP bracelets. T.J. Cloutier did at the SBOP what he has failed to do at the WSOP, despite making 4 WSOP Main Event Final tables, by winning the SBOP Main Event. Billy Baxter
won the Deuce To Seven Lowball. Deuce to Seven is the format type where Baxter has won five WSOP bracelets. Baxter had finished in second place in various SBOP Deuce to Seven Lowball five times and third once.
Hoyt Corkins
a two time bracelet and one time World Poker Tour
winner won his first major tournament at the 1990 SBOP.
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.
1990 Tournament
The 1990 SBOP had arguably one of the toughest final tables ever assembled. Four of the final six players (Jack Keller, Stu UngarStu 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....
, T.J. Cloutier, and Chip Reese
Chip Reese
David Edward Reese , more commonly known as Chip Reese, was an American professional poker player and gambler from Centerville, Ohio...
) have all been inducted into 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...
. A fifth player, Hamid Dastmalchi
Hamid Dastmalchi
Hamid Reza Dastmalchi is an Iranian-American professional poker player.Dastmalchi won the 1992 World Series of Poker main event, which is his largest tournament win at $1 million...
won the WSOP Main Event in 1992. Between the five of them, they have acquired 20 WSOP bracelets. T.J. Cloutier did at the SBOP what he has failed to do at the WSOP, despite making 4 WSOP Main Event Final tables, by winning the SBOP Main Event. Billy Baxter
Billy Baxter (poker player)
William E. Baxter, Jr. is an American professional poker player and sports bettor. He has won numerous tournament titles in his career as a professional poker player, including seven World Series of Poker bracelets....
won the Deuce To Seven Lowball. Deuce to Seven is the format type where Baxter has won five WSOP bracelets. Baxter had finished in second place in various SBOP Deuce to Seven Lowball five times and third once.
Hoyt Corkins
Hoyt Corkins
Hoyt Bricken Corkins is an American professional poker player.He also has three children in Chelsei Corkins, Brittney Corkins, and Ashley Roundtre...
a two time bracelet and one time World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
winner won his first major tournament at the 1990 SBOP.
Key
| * | Elected to the Poker Hall of Fame Poker Hall of Fame The Poker Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional poker playing in the United States. Founded and located in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was created in 1979 by Benny Binion, the owner of the Horseshoe Casino, to preserve the names and legacies of the world's greatest poker players and to serve... . |
| † | Denotes player who is deceased. |
| Place | The place in which people finish. |
| Name | The name of the player |
| Prize (US$) | Event prize prize money |
Event 1: $ 400 7 Card Stud (Ladies)
- Number of buy-ins: 63
- Total prize pool: $19,680
- Number of payouts: 18
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Marsha Waggoner Marsha Waggoner Marsha Waggoner is an American professional poker player who lives in Los Angeles, California.Waggoner has finished in the money at 20 World Series of Poker events as of 2010... |
$9,600 |
| 2nd | Linda Ryke-Drucker | $6,000 |
| 3rd | Liz Jameson | $2,400 |
| 4th | Glenda Bridges | $1,680 |
Event 2: $ 500 Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 292
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: 5
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Fred Sigur | $58,400 |
| 2nd | Jose Rosenkrantz | $29,200 |
| 3rd | Bob Ensley | $14,600 |
| 4th | David Stone | $8,760 |
| 5th | Howard Berger | $7,300 |
Event 3: $ 500 Limit 7 Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: 268
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ester Rossi | $53,600 |
| 2nd | Paul Kornelly | $26,800 |
| 3rd | Alex Murray | $13,400 |
| 4th | Mike Berry | $8,040 |
| 5th | Michael Simon | $6,700 |
Event 4: $ 1,000 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo
- Number of buy-ins: 119
- Total prize pool: $119,000
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- 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.... |
$47,600 |
| 2nd | Artie Cobb | $23,800 |
| 3rd | Sam Grizzle | $11,900 |
| 4th | John Yarmosh | $7,140 |
| 5th | Jeff Campbell | $5,950 |
| 6th | Bud Moore | $4,760 |
Event 5: $ 1,000 7 Card Razz
- Number of buy-ins: 119
- Total prize pool: $119,000
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | John Cover | $41,600 |
| 2nd | 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... * |
$26,000 |
| 3rd | Steve Edelson | $10,000 |
| 4th | Mike Markos | $7,280 |
| 5th | Don Zewin | $6,240 |
| 6th | 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:... |
$5,200 |
Event : $ 200 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys
- Number of buy-ins: Unknown
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ron Stanley | $72,160 |
| 2nd | Lyle Berman Lyle Berman Lyle Arnold Berman is a professional poker player and business executive.-Business:Berman grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota where he graduated in 1964 with a degree in business administration. He then went to work for his father's leather business, Berman Buckskin. ... * |
$36,080 |
| 3rd | Rodger Hutchinson | $18,040 |
| 4th | 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.... * |
$10,824 |
| 5th | Ken Flaton | $9,020 |
Event 7: $ 1,000 7 Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: 140
- Total prize pool: $140,000
- Number of payouts: Unknown
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Artie Cobb Artie Cobb Artie Cobb is an American professional poker player, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Originally from New York, Cobb began playing poker there and moved to Las Vegas in 1976.- Poker career :... |
$55,600 |
| 2nd | John Agliolora | $27,800 |
| 3rd | Dewey Tomko Dewey Tomko Duane "Dewey" Tomko is an American former kindergarten teacher turned professional poker player, based in Winter Haven, Florida.... * |
$13,900 |
| 4th | Don Zewin | $13,900 |
| 5th | Tommy Fischer | $8,340 |
Event 8: $ 200 No Limit Hold'em with Rebuys
- Number of buy-ins: 219
- Total prize pool: $220,300
- Number of payouts: 6
- 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... |
$88,120 |
| 2nd | Lyle Berman Lyle Berman Lyle Arnold Berman is a professional poker player and business executive.-Business:Berman grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota where he graduated in 1964 with a degree in business administration. He then went to work for his father's leather business, Berman Buckskin. ... * |
$44,060 |
| 3rd | Bill Smith | $22,030 |
| 4th | Humberto Brenes Humberto Brenes Humberto Brenes is a professional poker player. Brenes currently resides in Miami Lakes, Florida with his wife and three children .... |
$16,025 |
| 5th | Scott Johnson | $11,015 |
| 6th | Max Stern | $7,710 |
Event 9: $ 1,000 Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 170
- Total prize pool: $170,000
- Number of payouts: 18
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ron Stanley | $68,000 |
| 2nd | Tommy Fischer | $34,000 |
| 3rd | Ronald Ross | $17,000 |
| 4th | Tony Thang | $10,200 |
| 5th | Mickey Finn | $8,500 |
| 6th | Barney O'Malia | $5,950 |
| 7th | Humberto Brenes Humberto Brenes Humberto Brenes is a professional poker player. Brenes currently resides in Miami Lakes, Florida with his wife and three children .... |
$5,100 |
| 8th | Tommy Grimes | $3,400 |
| 9th | John Spadavecchia | $2,550 |
Event 10: $ 200 Limit Omaha with Rebuys
- Number of buy-ins: 166
- Total prize pool: Unknown
- Number of payouts: 18
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Hoyt Corkins Hoyt Corkins Hoyt Bricken Corkins is an American professional poker player.He also has three children in Chelsei Corkins, Brittney Corkins, and Ashley Roundtre... |
$65,680 |
| 2nd | Jack Keller* | $32,840 |
| 3rd | David Baxter | $16,420 |
| 4th | Stan Johnson | $9,852 |
| 5th | Vasillis Lazarou | $8,210 |
| 6th | 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:... |
$5,747 |
| 7th | Tony Thang | $4,926 |
| 8th | Roger Moore Roger Moore (poker player) Roger Moore was a professional poker player.Moore grew up the son of sharecroppers. He quit school in the eighth grade and soon afterwards entered into military service. After the military he worked as a civil servant and for fun he would play poker... |
$3,284 |
| 9th | Brent Carter | $2,463 |
Event 11: $ 1,500 Limit 7 Card Stud
- Number of buy-ins: 102
- Total prize pool: $153,000
- Number of payouts: 16
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Cyndy Arynn | $61,200 |
| 2nd | Jimmy Athanas | $30,600 |
| 3rd | Don Williams | $15,300 |
| 4th | Flan Pikington | $9,180 |
| 5th | Mike Hart | $7,650 |
| 6th | Alan Boston | $6,120 |
| 7th | Harry Thomas | $4,590 |
| 8th | Robert Miller | $3,060 |
| 9th | Unknown | $2,225 |
Event 11: Deuce To 7 Lowball
- Number of buy-ins: 18
- Total prize pool: $87,500
- Number of payouts: 4
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 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.... * |
$43,750 |
| 2nd | Roger Van Driesen | $21,875 |
| 3rd | Rick Riolo | $13,125 |
| 4th | John Bonetti John Bonetti John Joseph Bonetti was an American professional poker player from Houston, Texas.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Bonetti began playing at the age of 54, and won three bracelets at the World Series of Poker .... |
$8,750 |
Event 12: $ 10,000 No Limit Hold'em
- Number of buy-ins: 48
- Total prize pool: $480,000
- Number of payouts: 7
- Reference:
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | T.J. Cloutier* | $240,000 |
| 2nd | Jack Keller* | $96,000 |
| 3rd | 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.... * |
$48,000 |
| 4th | Richardo Alem-Simon | $31,200 |
| 5th | Hamid Dastmalchi Hamid Dastmalchi Hamid Reza Dastmalchi is an Iranian-American professional poker player.Dastmalchi won the 1992 World Series of Poker main event, which is his largest tournament win at $1 million... |
$26,400 |
| 6th | Chip Reese Chip Reese David Edward Reese , more commonly known as Chip Reese, was an American professional poker player and gambler from Centerville, Ohio... * |
$21,600 |
| 7th | Jim Doman | $16,800 |