A Review of televised Pre-Moneymaker Main Events Part 1: 1973

Ever since 1970, the main event of the World Series of Poker has been the pinnacle of the game. Unfortunately, while the records and legends remain, the footage of some events has been lost to time, or not recorded at all.. PokerGO has kept a decent amount of them, with the last one omitted in 1996, so to honor the history of the game, I will review every event that is on there, starting with the 1973 Main Event.

The most obvious disparity between most broadcasts I will cover besides the video quality is that they do not benefit from the hole card camera, which allows showrunners and viewers to know the cards each player held, even if they were mucked afterward. This device was majorly responsible for the poker boom of 2003. Without the camera, the viewing experience is much different. Many would say it makes it worse, and I’m inclined to agree. However, having the hole cards hidden adds a layer of suspense, and makes it all the more exciting if the cards are flipped over.

The fourth WSOP in 1973 has only 13 players, and the winner takes all the prize money of $130,000. Additionally, part of the show is taken up to explain the rules of Texas Hold’em. The rest of the show, narrated by Jimmy the Greek, is a compilation of the most exciting hands, which eventually ends in Puggy Pearson’s As7s winning against two-time champion Johnny Moss’ KhJs. The event is a story of Pearson tearing up the field, eliminating half the field singlehandedly. My favorite hand is when Bobby Huff had trip 4s, on a flop that read 4,4,8. However, Puggy Pearson held pocket 8s, giving him a full house. Pearson bet, Huff raised, Pearson reraised, and Huff decided to go all in. The cards were flipped over, the board ran out clean, and Pearson doubled his money, which allowed him to eliminate player after player and take home the 1973 Main Event title, the bracelet, and the $130,000 prize.

While technological constraints hindered the show, I still enjoyed the game as I always do. It served as a time capsule to the Wild West of poker. Seeing thirteen people who knew each other battling to see the best among them is so much different and a pallet cleanser to the 10,000-person tournament with all the bright lights and corporate sponsorships we see today. I look forward to seeing future world series and how the game will evolve in a time where poker was not the cultural behemoth it is now.