1979 World Series of Poker - Recap

The 1979 edition of the World Series of Poker saw a field of 54 players. There was also a trend beginning to grow, eight of these players were amateurs. One of them was named Hal Fowler, and he was certainly the last amateur standing at the final table. Bobby Hoff, Bobby Baldwin, Crandell Addington, George Huber, Sam Petrillo, Sam Moon and Johnny Moss were all present at the final table, every one of them a world class player, along with Fowler. Fowler was the owner of a public relations firm.

When action got underway Moon was the chip leader with $138,900. Moon eliminated Baldwin rather quickly when he made a set of aces over Baldwin’s set of eights. Moon then went card dead and Hoff jumped into the role of the aggressor. Hoff used this rush to build a massive stack ($225,700). It was Hoff who eliminated Moss in fifth place. Fowler then discarded Moon in fourth place, and Huber in third. It was now down to the final two players, a professional, and an amateur playing for WSOP gold.

Fowler moved in his stack of $250,000 early and scored a large victory over Hoff. Fowler showed his inexperience when he pushed the incorrect amount of chips into the middle a number of times. He was a few outs away from dead at one point of the heads-up match, when he pushed all in pre-flop with K-J. Hoff made the call with Q-6 and both a queen and a jack hit the board through the turn. A king on the river rescued Fowler from doom though; it also gave him the chip lead.

Hoff lost another pot to become a three-to-one dog in chips but he fought back. At one point Hoff trailed Fowler by only $70,000. Hoff won the small pots, but fate was always on Fowler’s side for the large ones. Lady Luck would side with Fowler once again when Hoff woke up with pocket aces and pushed a large amount of chips into the middle preflop. Fowler called with 7s6d. The flop rolled out Js5h3c and Hoff fired again, this time for $40,000, half his remaining chips. Fowler chose to chase the inside-straight draw and called. The 4s on the turn paid him off when Hoff moved all in for his last $43,000. Fowler called and the inconsequential river card was the 10d. Hoff won $108,000, but he was dejected by the loss, and the manner in which it was dealt. Fowler took home the gold bracelet and $270,000. In what would become a historical trend for poker, what was good for the amateur, was good for the game. Fowler’s victory showed benefits a year later for the WSOP.