WSOP 1998
For those of us with reasonably well functioning memories, the year 1998 is one which will always be remembered as a bit of a paradox. It seemed that the very best and the very worst that life can offer both came to fruition in that strange, terrible and occasionally wonderful year. Just when you thought you knew that the best or worst had happened, another surprise was waiting to come up and kick you in the ass.
Personally, like just about every other citizen of the planet who had an affection for Vegas in its glory days, I was devastated at the loss of Frank Sinatra. He had been the Chairman of the Board for so long that it did not seem quite possible he'd succumb to something as mundane as a heart attack, but that's precisely what happened. He was 82 years old and I remember every light along Fremont Street dimming in his honor. I was drinking a whiskey sour with an Angie Dickinson look-alike in Binion's casino at the time and it was a rough night for us both.
More upsetting to a younger generation than the passing of Sinatra was the termination of "Seinfeld", which came to a lame close after its extraordinary run. Of course, if the youngsters had realized how relentlessly this series would be syndicated in the years to come, perhaps they not would not been so upset.
And yet, good things did happen in 1998, most notably a peace accord between the British government and the Irish Republican Army. Furthermore, President Clinton outlined the first balanced budget in 30 years here in the States, which was a good sign for all of us fiscally responsible individuals.
And, as should not be any surprise to you students of professional poker out there, big things were happening at the World Series of Poker. The trend of a larger and larger field, which had been building for a number of years, continued thus upward trajectory. In all, there were 350 participants in the main event, each of them paying $10,000 to earn a seat at the table.
With such a rogue's gallery of legends in place, it was anyone's guess as to who would emerge victorious. But, in total honesty, I don't think there were very many of us at the time who predicted that Scotty Nguyen would take it all home. It was a classic case of someone coming in under the radar and taking advantage of being somewhat underestimated. The courage and tenacity that Scotty showed that year set a very high standard for future World Series of Poker tournaments.
by Mason Raymond
