One-Hit WSOP Champion Wonders
In the past, being a WSOP Main Event champion actually used to mean something. After all, hundreds of the best players in the world would descend on Las Vegas in order to compete in the Main Event. However, the scene is more like thousands of the best players, mediocre players, and lucky satellite winning descending on Vegas in order to play in the Main Event.
For this reason, several of the one-hit WSOP winners have come from the 2003’s with a couple coming before this time period. Here is a look back at some of the former winners who’ve failed to do anything with their poker playing career after the Main Event.
Hal Fowler; 1979 WSOP Main Event champion: If you’d have seen the final table from the 1979 Main Event that included Johnny Moss, Bobby Hoff, and Bobby Baldwin, you’d have never guessed unknown Hal Fowler would emerge the victor. But he somehow managed to beat these greats en route to his only WSOP cash ever.
J.J. Noel Furlong; 1999 WSOP Main Event champion: It’s unknown whether Furlong could have been successful or not after his win since he walked away from the game almost entirely after his win.
Chris Moneymaker; 2003 WSOP Main Event champion: Moneymaker will always be more famous for being the catalyst of the 2003 poker boom after winning the Main Event than he ever will be as a player. He is one of the most disrespected players in the game today because of his wretched play and annoying “player reading” glare.
Jamie Gold; 2006 WSOP Main Event champion: Gold still holds the record for the largest cash ever at $12 million, but it’s a given he won’t add much to this total over the rest of his career. I still have to give him credit for sticking with the game despite his weaknesses.
Jerry Yang; 2007 WSOOP Main Event champion: Yang was a feel-good story after donating a sizeable portion of his $8 million win to charity. However, his tournament results ever since the win have not been a feel-good story.