Poker Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Year Winner Winning hand First place prize Entrants Runner-up Losing hand 2025 Johnny Moss N/A N/A 7 N/A N/A 2025 Johnny Moss N/A 700430000000000000030,000 6 Walter "Puggy" Pearson N/A 2025 Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston, Jr. K? J? 700480000000000000080,000 8 Walter "Puggy" Pearson 6 6 2025 Walter "Puggy" Pearson A? 7? 7005130000000000000130,000 13 Johnny Moss K? J? 2025 Johnny Moss 3? 3? 7005160000000000000160,000 16 Crandell Addington A? 2? 2025 Brian "Sailor" Roberts J? J? 7005210000000000000210,000 21 Bob Hooks J? 9? 2025 Doyle Brunson 10? 2? 7005220000000000000220,000 22 Jesse Alto A? J? 2025 Doyle Brunson 10? 2? 7005340000000000000340,000 34 Gary Berland 8? 5? 2025 Bobby Baldwin Q? Q? 7005210000000000000210,000 42 Crandell Addington 9? 9? 2025 Hal Fowler 7? 6? 7005270000000000000270,000 54 Bobby Hoff A? A? 2025 Stu Ungar 5? 4? 7005385000000000000385,000 73 Doyle Brunson A? 7? 2025 Stu Ungar A? Q? 7005375000000000000375,000 75 Perry Green 10? 9? 2025 Jack Straus A? 10? 7005520000000000000520,000 104 Dewey Tomko A? 4? 2025 Tom McEvoy Q? Q? 7005540000000000000540,000 108 Rod Peate K? J? 2025 Jack Keller 10? 10? 7005660000000000000660,000 132 Byron Wolford 6? 4? 2025 Bill Smith 3? 3? 7005700000000000000700,000 140 T. J. Cloutier A? 3? 2025 Berry Johnston A? 10? 7005570000000000000570,000 141 Mike Harthcock A? 8? 2025 Johnny Chan A? 9? 7005625000000000000625,000 152 Frank Henderson 4? 4? 2025 Johnny Chan J? 9? 7005700000000000000700,000 167 Erik Seidel Q? 7? 2025 Phil Hellmuth, Jr. 9? 9? 7005755000000000000755,000 178 Johnny Chan A? 7? 2025 Mansour Matloubi 6? 6? 7005895000000000000895,000 194 Hans Lund 4? 4? 2025 Brad Daugherty K? J? 70061000000000000001,000,000 215 Don Holt 7? 3? 2025 Hamid Dastmalchi 8? 4? 70061000000000000001,000,000 201 Tom Jacobs J? 7? 2025 Jim Bechtel J? 6? 70061000000000000001,000,000 220 Glenn Cozen 7? 4? 2025 Russ Hamilton K? 8? 70061000000000000001,000,000 268 Hugh Vincent 8? 5? 2025 Dan Harrington 9? 8? 70061000000000000001,000,000 273 Howard Goldfarb A? 7? 2025 Huck Seed 9? 8? 70061000000000000001,000,000 295 Bruce Van Horn K? 8? 2025 Stu Ungar A? 4? 70061000000000000001,000,000 312 John Strzemp A? 8? 2025 Scotty Nguyen J? 9? 70061000000000000001,000,000 350 Kevin McBride Q? 10? 2025 Noel Furlong 5? 5? 70061000000000000001,000,000 393 Alan Goehring 6? 6? 2025Chris Ferguson A? 9? 70061500000000000001,500,000 512 T. J. Cloutier A? Q? 2025 Juan Carlos Mortensen K? Q? 70061500000000000001,500,000 613 Dewey Tomko A? A? 2025 Robert Varkonyi Q? 10? 70062000000000000002,000,000 631 Julian Gardner J? 8? 2025 Chris Moneymaker 5? 4? 70062500000000000002,500,000 839 Sam Farha J? 10? 2025 Greg Raymer 8? 8? 70065000000000000005,000,000 2,576 David Williams A? 4? 2025 Joe Hachem 7? 3? 70067500000000000007,500,000 5,619 Steve Dannenmann A? 3? 2025 Jamie Gold Q? 9? 700712000000000000012,000,000 8,773 Paul Wasicka 10? 10? 2025 Jerry Yang 8? 8? 70068250000000000008,250,000 6,358 Tuan Lam A? Q? 2025 Peter Eastgate A? 5? 70069152416000000009,152,416 6,844 Ivan Demidov 4? 2? 2025 Joe Cada 9? 9? 70068547042000000008,547,042 6,494 Darvin Moon Q? J? 2025 Jonathan Duhamel A? J? 70068944310000000008,944,310 7,319 John Racener K? 8? 2025 Pius Heinz A? K? 70068715638000000008,715,638 6,865 Martin Staszko 10? 7? 2025 Greg Merson K? 5? 70068531853000000008,531,853 6,598 Jesse Sylvia Q? J? 2025 Ryan Riess A? K? 70068361570000000008,361,570 6,352 Jay Farber Q? 5? 2025 700710000000000000010,000,000 6,683
Players [edit]Records[edit]Since its inception, Stu Ungar and Johnny Moss are the only players to have won the Main Event three times. However, Moss' first victory came in a different format, as he was elected winner by vote of his fellow players at the conclusion of what was then a timed event. Moss (if the first time win by vote is counted), Ungar, Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Chan are the only people who have won the