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Some would argue that Johnny Chan is the greatest WSOP Champion of all time. Johnny Moss won three Championship titles: 1970, 1971 and 1974. However, in 1970, the players voted at the end of the tournament and elected the champion. After 1970, the champion was decided by a no limit hold’em tournament (as it is today) and Moss won in 1971 and 1974. However, in 1971, there were only six entrants and in 1974, there were only sixteen.
Stu Unger is the only other player to have achieved three Championship bracelets: In 1980 (73 entries), 1981 (75 entries) and 1997 (312 entries). According to those who knew him before his tragic death, Ungar at the top of his game was probably the greatest poker player to ever grace the felt.
But these achievements may pale in comparison to Johnny Chan’s history in the Championship Event at the WSOP. In 1987, Chan won his first championship, defeating a 151 other entrants. In 1988 (167 entrants), he came back from a short stack and snatched victory from Erik Seidel’s grasp with an incredibly gusty slowplay (famously features in the film “Rounders”). In 1989 (178 entrants), Chan was heads up with Phil Hellmuth for the Championship title and was one card away from walking home with three back-to-back titles – and he would have been the first to accomplish this feet. However, it was not to be. Nonetheless, Chan is the only player to have been that close to three back-to-back titles and he went on from there to win 10 WSOP bracelets and his total career prize money sits just over 4 million dollars.
Like many other world-class players, Chan came from humble beginnings. He was born in Hong Kong and moved with his parents to the US. In the early 1980s, Chan started playing poker. At that stage, he was also working in the kitchen of his family’s restaurant and his early opponents recall Chan arriving at the poker room still wearing his apron. He subsequently moved to Las Vegas and became one of the most successful professional players of all time. Later, he relocated to California and made a fortune in the Californian poker clubs.
In addition to his victories in tournaments, Chan plays the highest cash games going around and is regarded by the big name players as one of the best all-rounders. Today, he remains a consistent winner and lives well. He once remarked that “$30,000 barely covers my monthly expenses.” |
