The World Series of Poker is now a popular poker tournament that takes place every year in Las Vegas. However, the first in 1970 involved only seven participants and it was not until the early 1980s, when the WSOP started satellite tournaments, that the event attracted more than fifty people. By the mid-1980s, this number had grown to over 2,000.

Television coverage of the game began as early as 1973 in the form of a documentary-style special narrated by Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, the legendary Las Vegas bookie and American sports commentator. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, CBS continued to provide some footage of the event, which included tape-delayed broadcast of the final table some years.

In the late 1980s, ESPN took over duties from CBS and began providing fans with extensive coverage of the event, albeit primitive compared to modern accessibility. From the year 2000 to 2001 The Discovery Channel and Travel Channel showcased the main event of the WSOP. This was short-lived as the sports broadcaster giant ESPN then took over the spotlight.

The Internet was changing the poker landscape. The game was more accessible to the masses than it had ever been. Thanks to numerous online bookmakers, people from all over the world could play poker for money at any time. This has led to a desire for the game that many believe has now plateued but nonetheless continues to live on.

As this phenomenon began its ascent, interest in The World Series of Poker, poker’s highest profile game, ascended with it. ESPN was ready every step of the way to increase coverage to meet demand and even orchestrated a delayed final table in 2008 in order to maximize ratings. Most years viewers will have knowledge of the winner ahead of time, sapping some of the drama from broadcast. It was in the year of 2006 that the number of entrants reached an outstanding 8,773.

Although fans are likely to remember the events from 2002-2008 as the WSOP’s signature moments, the event has a long and illustrious history. For instance, we pay great attention to the non-professionals who have won or come close to winning the final table. In 1979 the first amateur to ever win the big World Series Of Poker Main Event, Hal Fowler, was crowned.. Some WSOP historians assert that Benny Binnion, the father of the WSOP, had to lend him the money for the entry fee.

Sister of professional poker player Howard Ledrer, Annie Duke, made history in 2000 when she just missed making it to the final table of the main event. Coming close in 2006, reaching the final 88, ESPN took the opportunity to congratulate and publicize Annie's feat. At the time a poker commentator stated that Annie Duke could even become the very first female to ever make it to the final table of the main event. However, the truth is that Barbara Enright had already become a legend, earning that distinction in 1995.

People also think that the infamous Johnny Chan was the only poker player in the history of the main event to have been 1 of the final 2 poker players at the final table 3 consecutive years. But the first player to ever win consecutive WSOP main events was Puggy Pearson, winning in '71, '72 and '73. When he finally won the event in 1973, he also became the first non-Texan to accomplish the feat.