WSOP 1978
For those of us who are old enough to remember it all so vividly, 1978 was not a particularly happy year in American history. Sure, there were some good things that happened, as is always the case in this great nation of ours. There will always be some bright spots of sun that shine through and obliterate the clouds, a lease for a short moment.
But, the most memorable events - social, political and cultural - of 1978 are not ones that will be remembered as the most inspiring in our national history.For me, that year has always been defined by the Jonestown massacre. Rev. Jim Jones convinced over 900 of has devoted followers to drink Kool-Aid that had been laced with poison. Men, women and children all died on one horrific day, leaving a deep and painful bruise on the national consciousness. If you look at the great movies made in the year 1978, you will see the darkness of the culture reflected clearly. Movies like "The Deer Hunter," "Coming Home," "Midnight Express" and "Heaven Can Wait" were all brutally honest assessments of the angst we were feeling as a people. (Well, I guess that last one wasn't so heavy after all, but that's what I was talking about when I said that spots of sunlight pierce the clouds just enough to make life bearable.)
Anyway, the World Series of Poker in 1978 was also a fairly grim competition. Many of the contestants were absolutely hellbent on preventing the great Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson from pulling off what no player had ever done before: winning three WSOP titles in a row. Do you think Doyle Brunson was intimidated by the knives drawn all around him? If so, you obviously don't know this great champion very well.
A total of 42 entrants - the largest in the history of the tournament at that time - gathered to compete in the main event. They all paid $10,000 to enter the action. And, apparently, it was more than Doyle Brunson could do to pull off what many considered to be an impossible feat. That year, the mighty Bobby Baldwin became the World Series of Poker champion by winning the main event. In doing so, he pocketed and absolutely massive $210,000. This was by far the biggest grand prize ever to be won at the World Series of Poker up to that point. So, in retrospect, I guess you can say that 1978 was not such a dark year for Bobby Baldwin. He also earned the distinction of being the youngest person ever to be crowned WSOP champion, a record which would not stand for a very long time.
by Arthur Crowson
