40 Jahre WSOP –

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40 Jahre WSOP – 40 Jahre WSOP – Die 80er Von Shari Geller In nicht einmal zwei Wochen beginnt die WSOP, die in diesem Jahr ihren 40. Geburtstag feiert. PokerListings blickt noch einmal auf die Geschichte der World Series zurück. Im dritten Teil unserer Serie dreht sich alles um die 80er Jahre. Die World Series of Poker der 80er Jahre ist vor allem mit einem Namen verbunden: Stu Ungar, der den Main Event im Alter von 26 Jahren gewann. Ungar war ein rätselhaftes Genie, und sein Leben erregte ebenso viel Aufsehen wie der erste seiner beiden aufeinanderfolgenden Siege beim Main Event zu Beginn des Jahrzehnts. In jenem Jahr traten 73 Spieler zum Main Event an, und zum ersten Mal waren auch Spieler dabei, die nicht aus den USA stammten. Ungar setzte sich am Final Table gegen Spieler wie Johnny Moss und seinen Heads-up-Gegner Doyle Brunson durch und gewann USD 365.000.-. „Stu Ungar markierte mit seinem WSOP-Sieg im Jahr 1980 den Beginn einer neuen Poker-Ära“, schrieb Nolan Dalla in seinem Buch One of a kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey „The Kid“ Ungar, The World’s Greatest Poker Player“. „Es war das Ende der guten alten Zeit, symbolisiert vor allem durch den Sieg über den Mann, der jene alten Zeiten repräsentierte wie kein anderer: Doyle Brunson.“ „Man kann das symbolische, aber auch das tatsächliche Gewicht dieses Siegs gar nicht hoch genug einschätzen. Ungar revolutionierte nicht nur Poker und seine Strategie, er wurde durch sein exzentrisches Auftreten und seine Leistungen auch eine Poker-Ikone.“ 1981 traten mit 75 Spielern nur zwei mehr an als im Vorjahr. Man erinnert sich an dieses Jahr vor allem, weil Ungar seinen Titel erfolgreich verteidigte, was CBS in einer einstündigen Sonderübertragung gebührend würdigte. „Man braucht sich ja nur die Gewinner vor und nach Ungar ansehen“, schrieb Dalla. „In der Vergangenheit waren dies immer altgediente, erfahrene Spieler aus dem Süden. Aber Ungar war jung, Jude und kam aus New York, und sein Verhalten am Tisch hinterließ einen bleibenden Eindruck auf Poker, der das Spiel für immer verändern sollte.“ Das nächste Jahr sorgte für einen besonderen Eintrag in die Geschichtsbücher. Mit erstmals über 100 Spielern durchbrach die Siegprämie des WSOP Main Events die Schallmauer von USD 500.000, die höchste jemals ausgespielte Summe, und am Final Table saßen mit Brunson, Dewey Tomko, Jack Straus, Berry Johsnton und Brian „Sailor“ Roberts die „All Stars“ des Poker. In jenem Jahr entstand die „A Chip and a Chair“-Legende, denn Jack Straus hatte nur noch einen einzigen 500er Chip, bevor er seine Aufholjagd startete und den Main Event gewann. Billy Baxter und David Sklansky gewannen je zwei Bracelets, und Vera Richmond wurde die erste Frau, die ein offenes Turnier siegreich bestritt. Die wichtigste Neuerung im Jahr 1983 war die Einführung von Satellites, und genau dort gewann auch der spätere Sieger Tomk McEvoy seinen Platz. Gegenüber PokerListings erklärte McEvoy, dass er versuchte, sich bei einem der vier USD 100-Satellites zu qualifizieren, die das Bingo veranstaltete, ebeno übrigens wie der spätere Zweite Rod Peate. Er scheiterte jedoch und registrierte sich daher bei einem USD 1160,- SnG im Horseshoe, besann sich aber kurzfristig noch einmal, als er sah, dass auch der aufstrebende Jungspieler Johnny Chan auf der Liste der Teilnehmer stand. McEvoy ging zu Chan und sagte: „Ich will nicht gegen dich spielen. Wenn du bei diesem Qualifier mitspielst, warte ich lieber auf den nächsten.“ Chan erklärte sich bereit zu warten, und McEvoy setzte sich gegen David Sklansky, James Doman und sechs weitere Spieler durch. „Der Sieg beim Main Event hatte damals natürlich nicht dieselbe Wertigkeit wie heute, da so unglaublich viel Geld auf dem Spiel steht“, erläuterte McEvoy. „Außerdem gab es nicht viele Fernsehaufnahmen. Zu gewinnen war damals nicht halb so dramatisch wie heute.“ Im Jahr 1983 gewann erstmals eine Afro-Amerikanerin: Carolyn Gardner siegte beim Ladies Seven Card Stud Event. Außerdem wurden zwei neue Varianten eingeführt: Match Play und Omaha, und das Heads-up zwischen setzte mit einer Dauer von sieben Stunden neue Maßstäbe. Da CBS den Main Event des Jahres 1984 nicht aufzeichnete, gewann das spätere Hall-of-Fame-Mitglied Jack Keller,, der später auch noch ein Bracelet im Stud gewann, weitgehend unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit. 1985 gewann Bill Smith den Main Event, aber bis heute ist der Zweitplatzierte T.J. Cloutier der bei Weitem pouplärere Spieler. Johnny Chan gewann sein erstes Bracelet, und Johnny Moss, der drei Jahre später sein letztes Bracelet gewinnen sollte, erreichte zum letzten Mal den Final Table. Nachdem er bereits zweimal Zweiter geworden war, gewann Berry Johnston schließlich den Main Event im Jahr 1986, und 1987 als ESPN die Fernsehübertragung übernahm, sah das Fernsehpublikum zum ersten Mal den „Orient Express“ Johnny Chan als neuen Titelträger. Ein Jahr später kam es zu einem weiteren Wendepunkt, als Johnny Chan 1988 gegen Erik Seidel gewann und damit den Titel verteidigte. Viele Jahre später wurde die Szene in dem Film Rounders verewigt, und sie gehört zu den Auslösern für den gewaltigen Pokerboom, denn eine ganze Generation junger Spieler wollte wie Matt Damon sein und Johnny Chan in die Augen sehen. Aber schon vor dem Film kam es zu einem neuen Titelträger, der die Pokerwelt verändern sollte. Es war im Jahr 1989m als der 24-jährige Student Phil Hellmuth aus Wisconsin Johnny Chan im Heads-up als jüngsten Main Event Champion der WSOP-Geschichte ablöste und das Jahrzehnt damit beschloss..
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