Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss was born in Marshall, Texas in 1907. He had the nickname “The Grand Old Man of Poker “ and was the first winner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Today he is still regarded as one of the greatest poker players to have ever played the game and won nine WSOP Poker events and eight bracelets. Johnny Moss was one of the indictees into the Prestigious Poker Hall of Fame in 1979.
His Career
During Johnny Moss’s initial Poker career, there was no access to resources when it came to Poker, and he learnt about the game by being an overseer. Johnny started off his career in the field of Poker long before the launch of legal casinos, poker rooms and major tournaments. He would travel from one casino to the next to play at their tables. In a nutshell, he was a travelling gambler who earned his living on the road.
Moss did not tolerate cheaters, and during one of his card games in a backroom, he noticed a peephole in the ceiling which allowed the house to spy on the cards that the players were holding. Moss always carried a pistol with him, and he told the house that if the spy did not come down and cover the hole, he would not hesitate to open fire on the ceiling. The house tried to call his bluff and Johnny let off a few rounds, and the man in the ceiling was injured. He also played against Nick the Greek in a five-month-long Heads up poker marathon where Moss won $4 million at the end of the game. The game between these two poker legends is said to be the one that birthed the World Series of Poker.
This Poker legend died at the age of 88 in 1995.