Tournament Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Year Winner Winning hand First place prize Entrants Runner-up Losing hand 1970 Johnny Moss N/A N/A 7 N/A N/A 1971 Johnny Moss N/A 700430000000000000030,000 6 Walter "Puggy" Pearson N/A 1972 Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston, Jr. K? J? 700480000000000000080,000 8 Walter "Puggy" Pearson 6 6 1973 Walter "Puggy" Pearson A? 7? 7005130000000000000130,000 13 Johnny Moss K? J? 1974 Johnny Moss 3? 3? 7005160000000000000160,000 16 Crandell Addington A? 2? 1975 Brian "Sailor" Roberts J? J? 7005210000000000000210,000 21 Bob Hooks J? 9? 1976 Doyle Brunson 10? 2? 7005220000000000000220,000 22 Jesse Alto A? J? 1977 Doyle Brunson 10? 2? 7005340000000000000340,000 34 Gary Berland 8? 5? 1978 Bobby Baldwin Q? Q? 7005210000000000000210,000 42 Crandell Addington 9? 9? 1979 Hal Fowler 7? 6? 7005270000000000000270,000 54 Bobby Hoff A? A? 1980 Stu Ungar 5? 4? 7005385000000000000385,000 73 Doyle Brunson A? 7? 1981 Stu Ungar A? Q? 7005375000000000000375,000 75 Perry Green 10? 9? 1982 Jack Straus A? 10? 7005520000000000000520,000 104 Dewey Tomko A? 4? 1983 Tom McEvoy Q? Q? 7005540000000000000540,000 108 Rod Peate K? J? 1984 Jack Keller 10? 10? 7005660000000000000660,000 132 Byron Wolford 6? 4? 1985 Bill Smith 3? 3? 7005700000000000000700,000 140 T. J. Cloutier A? 3? 1986 Berry Johnston A? 10? 7005570000000000000570,000 141 Mike Harthcock A? 8? 1987 Johnny Chan A? 9? 7005625000000000000625,000 152 Frank Henderson 4? 4? 1988 Johnny Chan J? 9? 7005700000000000000700,000 167 Erik Seidel Q? 7? 1989 Phil Hellmuth, Jr. 9? 9? 7005755000000000000755,000 178 Johnny Chan A? 7? 1990 Mansour Matloubi 6? 6? 7005895000000000000895,000 194 Hans Lund 4? 4? 1991 Brad Daugherty K? J? 70061000000000000001,000,000 215 Don Holt 7? 3? 1992 Hamid Dastmalchi 8? 4? 70061000000000000001,000,000 201 Tom Jacobs J? 7? 1993 Jim Bechtel J? 6? 70061000000000000001,000,000 220 Glenn Cozen 7? 4? 1994 Russ Hamilton K? 8? 70061000000000000001,000,000 268 Hugh Vincent 8? 5? 1995 Dan Harrington 9? 8? 70061000000000000001,000,000 273 Howard Goldfarb A? 7? 1996 Huck Seed 9? 8? 70061000000000000001,000,000 295 Bruce Van Horn K? 8? 1997 Stu Ungar A? 4? 70061000000000000001,000,000 312 John Strzemp A? 8? 1998 Scotty Nguyen J? 9? 70061000000000000001,000,000 350 Kevin McBride Q? 10? 1999 Noel Furlong 5? 5? 70061000000000000001,000,000 393 Alan Goehring 6? 6? 2000 Chris Ferguson A? 9? 70061500000000000001,500,000 512 T. J. Cloutier A? Q? 2001 Juan Carlos Mortensen K? Q? 70061500000000000001,500,000 613 Dewey Tomko A? A? 2002 Robert Varkonyi Q? 10? 70062000000000000002,000,000 631 Julian Gardner J? 8? 2003 Chris Moneymaker 5? 4? 70062500000000000002,500,000 839 Sam Farha J? 10? 2004 Greg Raymer 8? 8? 70065000000000000005,000,000 2,576 David Williams A? 4? 2005 Joe Hachem 7? 3? 70067500000000000007,500,000 5,619 Steve Dannenmann A? 3? 2006 Jamie Gold Q? 9? 700712000000000000012,000,000 8,773 Paul Wasicka 10? 10? 2007 Jerry Yang 8? 8? 70068250000000000008,250,000 6,358 Tuan Lam A? Q? 2008 Peter Eastgate A? 5? 70069152416000000009,152,416 6,844 Ivan Demidov 4? 2? 2009 Joe Cada 9? 9? 70068547042000000008,547,042 6,494 Darvin Moon Q? J? 2010 Jonathan Duhamel A? J? 70068944310000000008,944,310 7,319 John Racener K? 8? 2011 Pius Heinz A? K? 70068715638000000008,715,638 6,865 Martin Staszko 10? 7? 2012 Greg Merson K? 5? 70068531853000000008,531,853 6,598 Jesse Sylvia Q? J? 2013 Ryan Riess A? K? 70068361570000000008,361,570 6,352 Jay Farber Q? 5? 2014 700710000000000000010,000,000 6,683
Players [edit]Records[edit]Since its inception, Stu Ungar and Johnny Moss are the only players to have won the Main Event three times. However, Moss' first victory came in a different format, as he was elected winner by vote of his fellow players at the conclusion of what was then a timed event. Moss (if the first time win by vote is counted), Ungar, Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Chan are the only people who have won the