WSOP 1976
For all you have readers out there in cyberspace who are not all enough to have a vivid recollection of the year 1976, I can only offer you my most heartfelt condolences. You've probably heard some folks (old hippies, like your parents or high school teachers) drone on and on about 1967. You know, the summer of love and all that jazz.
Well, even though I myself spent this summer of love on an oyster boat in Alaska and missed out on all of fun, I am positive that it could never been anywhere near as spectacular as 1976. After all, what could be a better party than the bicentennial of this great nation of ours?Yes, it was quite an amazing year. It was like July 4th started in January and did not end until December. Lots of fireworks, red white and blue bunting, flags and little Uncle Sam figurines everywhere. It was an amazing, amazing year. And, it was something that we as a nation needed badly. After the back-to-back debacles of Vietnam and Watergate, the American people were struggling with a profound sense of self-disgust. We had a confidence problem, you might say. Therefore, the 200th anniversary celebration of our nation's founding was just what we needed to get back on track.
1976 was also an outstanding year for fans of poker. Why? Because it was the scene of one of the most exciting World Series of Poker competitions in the history of this great tournament. Sure, you may hear people cite other years like 1982 or 1991 as being more thrilling, but for my money, nothing will ever match 1976.
Once again, the WSOP was held at Binion's Horseshoe casino located on Fremont Street in the amazing area of downtown Las Vegas. And, again the competition was limited exclusively to a small number of the very best players in all the world. I say "small number" but, in fact, the membership of the tournament had been growing consistently since the first one in 1970. And, with 22 contestants seated in the main event, 1976 boasted the biggest field in the history of the tournament up until that point.
Another element of the 1976 WSOP that makes it so utterly noteworthy, is that this was the very first year that Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson would take home the big prize. As I'm sure you realize, he would be back to do it again on more than one occasion.
by Arthur Crowson
