WSOP 1989
You would probably think that a noted poker historian, raconteur and general celebrity such as Peter Thorn would not be easily shocked. It is safe to speculate that I have pretty much seen it all, done it all or at least read about it all, right? There are very few corners of the globe upon which I have not left my mark, very few notable names in the arenas of sports, entertainment, politics and poker whose hands I have not shaken or at least waved to from a great distance. In short, I am a fairly worldly guy.
And yet, I must say that I spent much of 1989 in a state of utter disbelief and confusion. I was hardly alone. That was truly a groundbreaking year in many ways. Who can forget the stirring sight of tens of thousands of Chinese students marching in Beijing, standing up to the PRC's massive army of tanks and rifles? It still gets me all worked up to think about it.
On a different but equally shocking note, we are not likely to soon forget the United States military invasion of Panama. Like many savvy politicos, I felt that it was only a matter of time before George H. W. Bush and Manuel Noriega would work out their differences over a friendly game of badminton and a few chilled glasses of White Zinfandel. Alas, the use of American force became a necessity.
But neither none of those events were as shocking to me personally, or too many of my colleagues in the professional poker world, as the emergence of Phil Hellmuth, Jr. at the 1989 World Series of Poker. Benny Binion himself was heard to utter profane words of amazement when this brash youngster came out of the woodwork to win the big prize.
Even more startling was that many people, myself included, predicted that Johnny Chan would do in 1989 what no other player had been able to do in the history of the WSOP: namely, win three consecutive titles. Doyle Brunson tried to do it and failed and so did Stu Ungar. But it seemed like history was within Johnny Chan's reach in that epochal year of '89. He entered the tournament confident, even perhaps a bit cocky. He was the man to beat and it seemed impossible to believe that a young player like Phil Hellmuth would get in the way of Chan's dream.
And yet, that is precisely what happened. Hellmuth went home with a WSOP bracelet and a massive a $755,000 in winnings. We were all left wondering, can Johnny Chan come back from this stunning defeat? Fortunately, we did not have to wait all that long to find out.
On a sadder note, however, the WSOP's architect Benny Binion would not live to see the end of 1989, but the tournament would continue for many years in the bold tradition with which its legendary founder invented it.
by Mason Raymond
