| 1971 World Series of Poker | |
|---|---|
| Location | Binion's Horseshoe,Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dates | May 6 – May 10 |
| Champion | |
 Johnny Moss | |
← 1970 1972 → | |
The1971World Series of Poker (WSOP) was a series ofpokertournaments held atBinion's Horseshoe during May 6–10, 1971. This was the second installment of theWorld Series of Poker, but unlike at the1970 event,freezeout tournaments were played to decide the winner of the main title. The freezeout structure replaced thecash games, and it was kept in use ever since. Five freezeouts were played in total—four preliminary events and the Main Event—each featuring a differentpoker variant. The preliminary events required player to put up abuy-in of $1,000, while the Main Event buy-in was $5,000.[1]
The 1971 WSOP featured four preliminary events.[2] Event #4 saw Johnny Moss become the first player in WSOP history to win multiple career bracelets.
| # | Date | Event | Entries | Winner | Prize | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 6, 1971 | $1,000LimitSeven-card stud | Unknown | Puggy Pearson(1/1) | $10,000 | Results |
| 2 | May 7, 1971 | $1,000LimitRazz | Unknown | Jimmy Casella(1/1) | $10,000 | Results |
| 3 | May 8, 1971 | $1,000No LimitFive-card stud | Unknown | Bill Boyd(1/1) | $10,000 | Results |
| 4 | May 9, 1971 | $1,000LimitAce-to-fiveDraw Lowball | Unknown | Johnny Moss(1/2) | $10,000 | Results |
| 5 | May 10, 1971 | $5,000No Limit Hold'em Main Event | 6 | Johnny Moss(2/3) | $30,000 | Results |
The 1971 WSOP Main Event was held on May 10, 1971. There were six entrants to the Main Event, each paying $5,000 to enter the tournament.[3] The game played wasno limitTexas hold 'em. Johnny Moss won the tournament and took the whole prize pool.[4] Moss's victory that year was the first time a player had been awarded the Main Event Championship two years in a row, a feat that would later be also accomplished byDoyle Brunson (in 1976 and 1977),Stu Ungar (in 1980 and 1981), andJohnny Chan (in 1987 and 1988).[5] Moss became the first player in WSOP history win three bracelets with the win. Following the 1971 Main Event, the buy-in would be upped to $10,000, a figure that remains to this day.[6] Five future Main Event winners all took part in the six-man tournament.[7]
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Johnny Moss | $30,000 |
| 2nd | Jack Straus | None |
| 3rd | Doyle Brunson | None |
| 4th | Jimmy Casella | None |
| 5th | Puggy Pearson | None |
| 6th | Sailor Roberts | None |