WSOP 1979
1979 was a year which was marked by occurrences that seemed absolutely incredible, even unbelievable to many bewildered observers such as Peter Thorn. Every single day, when I would flip open the newspaper, I would be faced with some absolutely startling development that seemed like a sick joke, rather than the natural progression of history.
Yes, this was a very difficult year for me, as the decade drew to a close. I was convinced that it was in the 1970s that I myself would become either a World Series of Poker champion or at least be able to move out of my parents' garage. Alas, neither event took place and I was forced to simply roll through life being knocked around like a pinball by the unbelievable events happening on the world stage.
Virtually no one in the political arena could believe it when Jimmy Carter and that pinko commie creep Brezhnev signed the Salt II treaty. It seem like perhaps the Cold War would finally bubble over into a full-scale conflict or simply die with a whimper. I was feeling so disconsolate about my personal situation that I was almost hoping the first option would come to pass. Then, later in the year, some Iranian nutcases seized a bunch of American hostages and sent the entire country into turmoil. Another amazing and totally unpredictable event.
But both of those occurrences paled in comparison to what happened at the 1979 World Series of Poker (at least in my opinion.)
Hal Fowler was a true underdog in every sense the word. In fact, legend holds that he did not even have enough cash to buy his way into the tournament and resorted to taking a loan from Benny Binion. Knowing Benny, the terms of that loan had to be absolutely brutal, but he must have sensed something strange in the air, so he went ahead and gave Hal the money. That's the legend anyway and as with most legends regarding Binion, you can be almost certain that it is based in truth.
Nonetheless, no one will ever forget when Fowler beat an incredibly tight field of competitors, including the previous year's champion Bobby Baldwin. It really blew a lot of minds and shattered any reasonable notions of what is possible on this planet. Yet it happened and that is precisely what makes the World Series of Poker so compelling: the surprises just keep coming.
by Arthur Crowson
