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To most observers, the 1986 World Series of Poker was a low point for the biggest poker tournament on earth. For the first and only time, the first prize was lower than the previous year’s. The reigning champion was a less-than-upstanding citizen and hardly a boon to the game’s reputation. Lower interest caused a drop in preliminary events from thirteen in 1985 to just eight in ’86. Attendance in the main event increased by just one player, and that increase was an artificial one, with last minute entrants fueled by Binion money.
The Main Event would prove to be a battle of the bridesmaids. The final table included Berry Johnston, the previous year’s third-place finisher as well as defending Champion Bill Smith and the two men who’d lost their respective finals to Doyle Brunson in 1976 and ’77; Jesse Alto and Bones Berland.
Both Alto and Berland had fallen on hard health. Alto, who had finished third and sixth in ’84 and ’85 after three final table finishes in 70’s, was now suffering intensely from diabetes, with fatigue and the cards eliminating him in fourth place. Berland was one of the game’s most despicable characters; when he was once told by a friend they’d sold off 300% of themselves, he reportedly answered ‘That’s it?’ He’d been known to oversell then lose intentionally, so there wasn’t much disappointment when he was eliminated in third.
The final pitted one of poker’s quiet masters, Johnston, against amateur Mike Harthcock. Johnston, having eliminated Smith, Alto and Berland, held a massive lead. He folded the first hand pre-flop, then got Harthcock all-in on the second. He described the hand in ‘The Championship Table’ by Tom McEvoy, Dana Smith and Ralph Wheeler:
“I raised $20,000 before the flop with A-10. Mike re-raised $100,000. I almost threw the hand away. I had three-fourths of the chips, and if I lost the hand we’d be about even in chips. I decided to go for it and moved all of my chips to the center. Mike called all-in. No help came on the board for either of us, so I won the hand with ace-high and a better kicker than Mike had. It was the thrill of my life.”
Johnston would go on to say that the title meant more to him than the money. Ever the competitor, he’s quietly crafted one of the greatest careers in WSOP history, with a record nine cashes in the main event, five bracelets and forty-nine cashes all-told An understated champion, he’d soon pass the crown to one of the most charismatic players in poker history.
Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com
