The 2005 World Series of Poker saw record braking participation and incredibly large total prize payouts of $106 million for the live tournament. A total of 45 events were hosted with as large as 32,341 players who tried their luck aspiring to be the probable winners.
1970 was the year of the very first World Series of Poker, also known as the World Championships of Poker.
It is said that in the summer of 1949, inveterate gambler Nicholas ‘Nick the Greek’ Dandolos proposed a challenge for the best in high-stakes poker marathon to Benny Binion. Subsequently a match pitting Dandolos against the legendary Johnny Moss was organized by Binion to be played in public view.