poker-players

Eli Elezra

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Eli Elezra is one of the most instantly recognizable poker players in the world, thanks to him enjoying a long and illustrious career going back to the mid-1990s. The five-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner is equally adept at tournament poker as he is at high-stakes cash games. Elezra was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2021. Background Elezra was born November 24, 1960, in Jerusalem, Israel, and has lived a colorful and varied life. Like many Israelis, Elezra served in his country’s army, donning the uniform id the Israel Defence Force’s Golani Brigades, one of the country’s elite military units. Elezra spent three weeks in prison for refusing to comply with military orders but went on to become a lieutenant.

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poker-players

John Juanda

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Often, when big names in the poker world are tossed around amongst fans of the game, John Juandas name is left out. Its not that he hasnt had a deserving career, but rather his quiet nature that sometimes leaves people to forget about how great a player he really is. Intro John Juanda is a professional poker player of Chinese-Indonesian origin currently residing in Marina del Rey, California. He is known for winning five World Series of Poker bracelets first of which he collected in 2002 by winning the $1,500 Limit Ace to Five Triple Draw event for almost $50,000. He was also one of the founders of the infamous online poker site Full Tilt Poker. Background Born in Indonesia, Juanda came to the United States in 1990 when he enrolled at Oklahoma State University. After graduating from OSU, John went on to receive an MBA from Seattle University. In order to help with the cost of school, Juanda worked various jobs on the side. One of his jobs had the high school track star selling bibles from door to door. When not working or attending class, Juanda spent time in local casinos, where he began honing his skills in poker. It didnt take long for Juanda to realize that poker was his calling. In 1996, John completed his MBA program and took to the West Coast felt. In order to seek out larger stakes, Juanda relocated to California. World Series of Poker After sticking it out in cash games and smaller buy-in tournaments, Juanda set out for the WSOP in 1999 where he cashed in two events. The following year, he cashed again at the WSOP and also earned a second-place finish at the United States Poker Championships. Just a couple of years later, in 2002, Juanda was able to put together a nice string of five cashes at the WSOP, one of which earned him his first bracelet. The next year, Juanda returned to the WSOP and landed himself two more bracelets. In 2008 Juanda won his first WSOP Europe bracelet by taking down the WSOPE London Main Event, good for over $1.5 million. John Juanda’s Top 5 WSOP Results

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poker-players

Mike Sexton

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Mike Sexton was an American poker player and commentator. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2009. Over the course of his career he won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and World Poker Tour title, and was a long-time commentator for the World Poker Tour alongside Vince van Patten. Sexton passed away in September 2020 from prostate cancer aged 72. Shortly before his death, the WPT Champions Cup was renamed to the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.

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poker-players

Jack Binion

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Jack Benny Binion, the son of casino titan Benny Binion, is a hugely respected name amongst the world’s elite poker players, both past and present, as well as Las Vegas’ biggest high rollers. Binion was the first ever host of the World Series of Poker and has left a legacy in the game that is rivalled by few. Poker & Pop Culture: Jack Binion Sorts Fact From Fiction Regarding Moss-Dandolos Match

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poker-players

Chip Reese

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography David “Chip” Reese was an American poker player regarded by many to be one of the best all-around poker players in history. During his career, he won three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and in 1991 was the youngest living player to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. At the 2006 WSOP, he won the inaugural $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship. Reese died in 2007 aged just 56. Looking Back At The Illustrious History of the Poker Players Championship

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poker-players

Brian Sailor Roberts

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Brian “Sailor” Roberts was an American poker player who won the 1975 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. One of the original Texas road gamblers, Roberts won two WSOP bracelets during his career. He died in June 1995, and was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2012. Biography Roberts was born in San Angelo, Texas on March 7, 1931. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the US navy and served in the Korean War, earning himself the nickname “Sailor”. When he eventually returned to Texas, he began playing in underground poker games with fellow rounders Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim. In his book ‘Super System’, Brunson writes the following: “Sailor, Slim and I stuck together for six years or so and we had some mighty fine times. Once in a while we were down, but mostly we managed to hold our own better than most. Our partnership finally broke up after our first big trip to Las Vegas. We lost our entire bankroll (close to six figures) and, believe me. theres nothing more cantankerous than three broke gamblers, but we have remained close friends to this day”.

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poker-players

Thomas Amarillo Slim Preston

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston was an American poker player who won the 1972 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. He went on to win three other bracelets in three different decades, the last of which came in 1990. Following his success, he appeared on national television including the The Tonight Show, Good Morning America and 60 Minutes. In 1992, Preston was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, recognising his WSOP success and attempts to change the image of poker. Preston passed away in April 2012, aged 83. Related: Remembering “Amarillo Slim” Preston (1928-2012)

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poker-players

Doyle Brunson

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Doyle Brunson was an American poker player, often referred to as ‘The Godfather of Poker’. He was arguably one of, if not the greatest poker player of all time and a true legend of the game. Brunson passed away in May 2023 at the age of 89. Brunson was best known for winning the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in 1976 and 1977. He was one of only four players to have won the Main Event on more than one occasion. He achieved the feat in back-to-back years, something that only three others have achieved. He is a ten-time WSOP bracelet winner, and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1988. He also won a World Poker Tour title in August 2004. Brunson authored one of the earliest poker strategy books, Super/System, which is regarded as one of the most important poker books of all time and is credited for influencing several generations of poker players.

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poker-players

John Hennigan

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography John Hennigan is an American poker player and six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2018. Biography Born on August 10, 1970, Hennigan learned to play pool at a young age, traveling to play on the pool circuit. A big gambler, Hennigan gained the nickname “Johnny World” due to his willingness to gamble on anything in the world. Gambling on pool would lead him to poker, with his first recorded cash coming in 1997. In 2002, he won his first WSOP bracelet in the $2,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament for $117,320. That same year, he placed fourth in the WPTs Five-Diamond World Poker Classic for over $80,000. To close out the year, he took down the Main Event at the United States Poker Championship in Atlantic City for $216,000. With one gold WSOP bracelet wrapped around his wrist, John came back in 2004 to claim another one in the $5,000 Limit Holdem event for $325,000. Throughout his time on the tournament circuit, Hennigan continued to play cash games on the side. He sat in on some of the largest games around with the best players. He was often referred to as one of the best, all-around cash players and he earned a lot of respect from his peers as being an extremely tough opponent to face. In 2007, Hennigan traveled back to Atlantic City for the Borgata Winter Open. He came out on top of the Championship Event and earned over $1.6 million. In 2008, Johnny World won the Ante Up for Africa Charity Event at the WSOP. John Hennigan WSOP Bracelets

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poker-players

Eric Drache

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Eric Drache is an American former cardroom manager and tournament director who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2012. Drache served as tournament director for the WSOP from 1973 to 1988, developed the concept of satellites, helped establish the PHoF, and has served as cardroom manager for Mirage and the Golden Nugget. Im not only surprised and honored to have been selected, Im also a bit embarrassed considering the other nominees, Drache said of his selection. When Jack Binion and myself worked on creating the Hall of Fame, I never considered myself a potential candidate. Im particularly happy for the family of Sailor Roberts. Sailor by everyones account, including my own personal observations, was a great player and played many games very well.

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poker-players

Dave Ulliott

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott was a British poker player. During his career, he won both a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and a World Poker Tour title. He died in 2015 and was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2017. Biography Ulliott was born in 1954 in Kingston upon Hull. He left school at 15 and became involved in organized crime. During his 20s, Ulliott served a number of spells in prison for various crimes including insurance fraud, armed robbery and affray. Shortly after Ulliott met his second wife, he decided to abstain from criminal activities and focused on poker. He would regularly travel to poker games across England.

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poker-players

Carlos Mortensen

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Carlos Mortensen is an Ecuadorian poker player who won the 2001 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Known as ‘El Matador’, Mortensen has also won three World Poker Tour (WPT) titles and has cashed for over $6.7 million on the WPT alone, more than any other player. In 2016, Mortensen was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Biography Born in Ambato, Ecuador on April 13, 1972, Mortensen moved to Spain as a child. He studied at the University of Madrid and worked as a bartender, before eventually moving to the United States in the late 1990s to play poker. His first cash at the WSOP was a seventh-place finish in a $3,080 No-Limit Hold’em tournament at the 2000 World Series of Poker. Read More: My First WSOP: Carlos Mortensen Goes Big Score Hunting

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poker-players

Berry Johnston

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Berry Johnston is an American poker player who won the 1986 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Over the course of his career he has won five WSOP bracelets, including in Razz and Omaha, with his first bracelet coming in the very first WSOP Heads-Up Event held at the WSOP. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2004. Johnston’s last live WSOP cash came during the 2016 World Series of Poker, but he most recently cashed in two events during the 2020 WSOP Online.

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poker-players

Tom McEvoy

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Tom McEvoy is an American poker player who won the 1983 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. He is a four-time WSOP bracelet-winner and in 2013, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. “I consider this the highest honor a poker player can receive next to winning the Main Event of the World Series of Poker,” he said at the time. “I feel both deeply honored and humbled to be included with all the other poker greats.”

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poker-players

Tom McEvoy

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Tom McEvoy is an American poker player who won the 1983 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. He is a four-time WSOP bracelet-winner and in 2013, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. “I consider this the highest honor a poker player can receive next to winning the Main Event of the World Series of Poker,” he said at the time. “I feel both deeply honored and humbled to be included with all the other poker greats.”

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poker-players

Henry Orenstein

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Henry Orenstein was a Polish-American toy maker, poker player and entrepreneur. He is the patent holder for the hole cam, a device that enabled players to see player’s hole cards, which was instrumental in the poker boom. He won a WSOP bracelet in 1996 in a $5,000 Limit Seven Card Stud event for $130,000. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2008 and passed away in December 2021 aged 98. Henry Orenstein: The Holocaust Survivor and Inventor Who Forever Changed Poker

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poker-players

Layne Flack

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Born May 18, 1969, Layne Flack hailed from Rapid City, South Dakota before working as a poker dealer in small card clubs in Montana. Eventually, he found his way to Nevada and learned under poker greats like Johnny Chan and Ted Forrest. “At 24, he and his girlfriend moved to Reno, Nevada and by 1995, when his daughter Hailey was born, Layne was a full-time professional poker player,” Al Moe previously wrote in this PokerNews profile. The piece continued: “His first big score came at the Horseshoe, where he won a Hall of Fame $1500 no-limit hold’em event, and pocketed $68,000. Other tournament wins followed, and so did some high-limit live action. Layne’s ability didn’t go unnoticed by poker’s best players, and when he went through a few bad sessions, Johnny Chan was more than willing to back his play.”

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poker-players

Lyle Berman

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Lyle Berman boasts a 30 plus year poker playing career with a first recorded live tournament cash in 1983 and his last coming in 2017. In that time, Berman has won three World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelets as well as $2,694,140 in total live tournament earnings. A member of the Poker Hall of Fame, inducted in 2002 alonside Johnny Chan, and a co-founder of the World Poker Tour (WPT), where he holds the position of chairman. Berman’s influence in poker is felt on and off the poker table and holds legendary status in the spheres of the industry. During his peak on the felt people in Las Vegas thought of Berman as the best non-pro, no-limit poker player they’d ever met.

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poker-players

Johnny Chan

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Johnny Chan is a Chinese-American poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, including the WSOP Main Event in 1987 and 1988. He is the last player to win the Championship event in back-to-back years. In 2002, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. WSOP Legend: Two-Time Main Event Champ Johnny Chan Biography Born in China, Chan came to the United States in 1968 with his family to Arizona. After a few years spent there, Chan and his family relocated to Texas where his family owned a restaurant in Houston. Planning to keep with tradition and take over the family business, Chan took classes at the University of Houston. However, aged just 21, he moved to Las Vegas having decided to become a professional poker player. Chan took a number of temporary jobs to build his bankroll, before winning Bob Stupak’s 1981 American Cup, eliminating 13 of his 16 opponents in just over half an hour. This win earned him the nickname ‘The Orient Express’

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poker-players

Bobby Baldwin

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Bobby Baldwin is an American poker player. A member of the Poker Hall of Fame, inducted in 2003, Baldwin won the 1978 World Series of Poker Main Event and three other WSOP bracelets. Nicknamed the Owl, Baldwin has his first two bracelets in 1977. The following year he defeated Crandell Addington heads-up to win the WSOP Main Event. He was 28 years old and was the youngest winner in the history of the WSOP Main Event. That record was eventually broken by Stu Ungar just two years later. His fourth WSOP bracelet came in 1979 after winning the $10,000 2-7 Draw event, the same event he had won for his first bracelet two years earlier. Baldwin’s last major cash came in 2012, finishing seventh in the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop for $1,408,000. The famed high-stakes poker room at the Bellagio is named ‘Bobby’s Room’ after Baldwin. Railbird Report: A Look Inside Bobby’s Room

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poker-players

Jack Keller

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Jack Keller was an American poker player who won the 1984 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. He won two other WSOP bracelet as well as Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker twice. Outside of poker, Keller served in the US Air Force prior to becoming a poker player. Keller was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1993. He died on December 5, 2003, aged 60.

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poker-players

Billy Baxter

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Billy Baxter is an American poker player and seven-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner. Five of Baxter’s seven bracelets have come in 2-7 Draw. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2006 and has amassed over $2.7 million in career earnings. Baxter famously won a 1986 court case that argued that poker was a game of skill. In 2010, Baxter narrowly missed out on a World Poker Tour title, finishing fifth for $246,921. This remains the largest cash of Baxter’s career. More than a decade later, Baxter came within inches of winning his first Hold’em bracelet in the $1,000 Seniors Championship at the 2023 WSOP, finishing runner-up to Lonnie Hallett for $473,212. Billy Baxter WSOP Bracelets

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poker-players

David Oppenheim

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography David Oppenheim is an American poker player who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2019. Having started out playing poker during his second year in college, Oppenheim has been consistently crushing the the high stakes cash games for many years. He is a regular winner in the high stakes games in Bobby’s Room. “Being recognized as one of the all-time greats by my peers is truly humbling, and I am honored to have been selected to the Poker Hall of Fame,” said Oppenheim about his induction. “I have been so fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living. I never planned to be a professional poker player; rather, it was a passion that became my job.

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poker-players

Barry Greenstein

@Hall of Fame @Eli Elezra

Biography Barry Greenstein is an American professional poker player from Chicago, Illinois. He is widely recognized as The Robin Hood of Poker for donating big parts of his poker winnings to charity. Greenstein has three World Series of Poker bracelets in his trophy collection as well as two World Poker Tour titles. Intro Barry is a very professional player and never seems to lose his cool at the table, even if he does lose the occasional $1 million pot on an episode of High Stakes Poker. Maybe not the most intimidating player at the table, Greenstein employs a calculated and very analytical approach to that game that makes him a feared force by the other members of any table he sits down at.

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