So it was in 1975, when such a large part of our planet was aflame with violence that we looked to the stars for a sign of hope. And that signed occurred most vividly on July 15th, when the Apollo spacecraft and the Soyuz spacecraft both took off from different points on the globe. One was manned by United States astronauts, the other by Soviet cosmonauts. They were destined to link up high above the celestial canopy, in a sign that the United States and the USSR would be able to put aside their differences and be best friends from 1975 onward.
It is true, of course, that things didn't quite proceed in that manner. Nonetheless, there were some good things happening in the poker world that year.
Once again, the World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe casino on Fremont Street in fabulous downtown Las Vegas. By this point, the Horseshoe had firmly established itself as the place where the very best players in the country came to compete. This was, after all, the sixth consecutive year that the WSOP took place at the Horseshoe. By now, Binion had proven to any doubters that he knew exactly what he was doing back in 1970 when first launching this classic tournament.
1975 would be a memorable year for the World Series of Poker in that a new champion was crowned. And this individual did not have an easy time of it, either. He had to take on the largest field of competitors that had ever gathered for the WSOP, twenty-one in all. That is triple the number that originally gathered at the first World Series of Poker, which is a strong indication of the increasing popularity of the event. But, as is the case every year, only one emerged victorious. His name was Brian "Sailor" Roberts and he walked away from the green felt table with $210,000 in winnings. A new standard had been set, which others would have to rise to meet.
by Arthur Crowson
Comment