1987 Super Bowl of Poker

The Super Bowl of Poker (also known as Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker or SBOP) was the second most prestigious poker tournament in the world during the 1980s. While the World Series of Poker was already drawing larger crowds as more and more amateurs sought it out, the SBOP "was an affair limited almost exclusively to pros and hard-core amateurs."[1]

Prior to 1979, the only high dollar tournament a person could enter was the WSOP. 1972 WSOP Main Event Champion and outspoken ambassador for poker Amarillo Slim saw this as an opportunity. "The World Series of Poker was so successful that everybody wanted more than one tournament," he said.[2] Slim called upon his connections and friendships with poker's elite to start a new tournament in the February 1979. Before the SBOP had developed a reputation of its own, many of the most respected names in poker attended the tournament "more to support Slim and take advantage of the very fat cash games the event would obviously inspire."[3] Slim modelled his SBOP after the WSOP with several events and a $10,000 Texas Hold'em Main Event.

One of the principal differences between the WSOP and the SBOP was the prize structure. The WSOP's prize structure was flat ensuring more people received smaller pieces of the prize pool. The SBOP typically used a 60-30-10 payout structure. In other words, only the first three places received money and generally in the ratio of 60% to first place, 30% to second place, and 10% to third.[4] This payment schedule predominated the SBOP for the first 5 years of the event, but as the event grew the number of payouts increased while keeping the payout schedule top heavy.[4]

1987 Tournament

Three Poker Hall of Famers played at the final table in the $200 Pot Limit Omaha event. Johnny Chan was a relative newcomer compared to the older veterans Jack Keller and Johnny Moss, but Chan succeeded in defeating both to claim the title.[5] Chan later made it to another final table and played against future Hall of Famer, Barbara Enright at the $200 No Limit Hold'em. Neither one won the event.[6]

Event 1: $ 500 Limit Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Ralph Johnson $47,000
2nd Robert Turner $18,800
3rd John Franjesh $9,400
4th Richard Sargent $4,700
5th Jeff Gold $4,700
6th Ali Farsai $4,700
7th Ken Flaton $4,700
8th John Cernuto $2,000
9th Steve Kopp $2,000

Event 2: $ 500 Limit Seven Card Stud

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Glenda Bridges $38,000
2nd Alex Murray $15,200
3rd Bill Sheppard $7,600
4th Buddy McIntosh $3,800
5th Mark Jacobus $3,800
6th Steve Kopp $3,800
7th Craig DiSalvo $3,800
8th Lenny Moore $2,000
9th Jack Lindsay $2,000
10th Fred Sigur $2,000

Event 3: $ 200 Pot Limit Omaha

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Johnny Chan* $60,795
2nd Berry Johnston* $27,020
3rd Artie Cobb $13,510
4th Terry Davis $6,755
5th Garland Walters $6,755
6th Jerry St. Pierre $6,755
7th Eddie Scwettman $6,755
8th Johnny Moss* $4,053
9th Don Williams $2,702

Event 4: $ 1,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Robert Turner $39,000
2nd Ron McMillan $15,600
3rd George Feher $7,800
4th Mike Magic $3,900
5th Al Korsin $3,900
6th Scott Dick $3,900
7th Barney O'Malia $3,900

Event 5: $ 200 No Limit Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Howard Andrew $86,400
2nd Johnny Chan* $38,400
3rd David Baxter $19,200
4th Jim Doman $9,600
5th Garland Walters $9,600
6th Barbara Enright $9,600
7th Bob Lackhart $9,600
8th Gene Fisher $5,760
9th Ed Stevens $3,840

Event 6: $ 1,000 Ace to Five Draw

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Margo Marvin $40,000
2nd Robert Turner $16,000
3rd David Question $1,200
4th Bruce Holt $8,000
5th Charles Hantz $4,000

Event 7: $ 500 Limit Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Ray Johnson $42,525
2nd Kelly Samson $18,900
3rd J.C. Pearson $9,450
4th Bill Smith $4,725
5th Elvis Russell $4,725
6th Tom McGuire $4,725
7th Billy Smith $4,725
8th Elmer Thomas $2,835
9th Barbara Enright* $1,890

Event 8: $ 1,000 Seven Card Stud

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Robert Turner $51,500
2nd Max Stern $20,600
3rd Buddy McIntosh $10,300
4th Terry King $5,150
5th Jim Dickerson $5,150
6th Tom McEvoy $5,150
7th Mike Ungurean $5,150

Event 9: $ 2,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Jack Keller* $48,000
2nd Berry Johnston* $24,000
3rd Seymour Leibowitz $8,000

Event 10: $ 200 Pot Limit Omaha

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Dolph Arnold $83,745
2nd Joe Petro $37,220
3rd Gene Fisher $18,610
4th Ken Flaton $9,305
5th Seymour Leibowitz $9,305
6th Artie Cobb $9,305
7th John Franjeah $9,305
8th Unknown $9,305
9th Jim Dickerson $3,722

Event 11: $ 1,000 No Limit Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Gene Fisher $63,000
2nd George Huber $28,000
3rd Yosh Nakano $14,000
4th Ken Lambert $7,000
5th Ron McMillan $7,000
6th Curtis Skinner $7,000
7th Barbara Gold $7,000
8th Dolph Arnold $4,200
9th Mike Cox $1,400
10th Frank Henderson $1,400

Event 12: $ 10,000 No Limit Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Jack Keller* $220,000
2nd Chip Reese* $88,000
3rd Tuna Lund $44,000
4th Perry Green $22,000
5th Dick Carson $22,000
6th Jim Ward $22,000
7th Max Stern $22,000

References

  1. "1981 SBOP: Doubling Up". Hand of the Day. Poker Listing. Archived from the original on 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  2. Reback, Storm (2009-03-05). "From the Poker Vaults: Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker, Part I". PokerNews. Archived from the original on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  3. Wise, Gary. "1982 SBOP: A Win For the Longshot Doc". Poker Hand of the Day. Poker Listing. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Reback, Storm (2009-03-12). "From the Poker Vaults: Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker, Part II". PokerNews. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $200 Pot Limit Omaha". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $200 No Limit Hold'em". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  7. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $500 Limit Hold'em". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Archived from the original on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  8. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $500 Limit Seven Card Stud". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  9. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $1,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  10. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $1,000 Ace to Five Draw". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  11. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $500 Limit Hold'em". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  12. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $1,000 Seven Card Stud". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  13. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $2,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  14. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $200 Pot Limit Omaha". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  15. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $1,000 No Limit Hold'em". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  16. "1987 Super Bowl of Poker $10,000 No Limit Hold'em". Tournament Results. The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2009-06-16.