#38 - O

O’Neil Longson has three WSOP bracelets to his credit.  His bracelet wins have come against some of the best tournament players around.  His first bracelet came in 1994 during a $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event, where he beat out T.J. Cloutier and the now infamous Russ Hamilton.  Then a decade later he won his second bracelet in the 2003 $5,000 NL deuce to seven event, again beating some of the game’s greats like; Allen Cunningham, Bill Baxter, and Chris Ferguson.  His final bracelet came in 2005 in the $1,500 Razz tournament beating Archie Karas and Bruno Fitoussi.

Unknown to most of the poker public, Longson has a long resume that includes 26 career cashes in the WSOP.  Of those 26 cashes he has made the final table an incredible 19 times.  That’s a staggering 73% final table rate for in-the-money finishes.

Longson was a staple the big pot limit games during the 90s.  He was considered one of the best PLO players in the world, playing against the likes of Bill Baxter and Lyle Berman.  He was known for both his huge preflop raises and betting in the dark. 

One personal account said that while sitting in early position and putting in a raise the action folded around to blinds.  With Longson sitting in the small blind totally asleep at the table, after being nudged by another player he woke up and declared all-in before looking at his cards or the previous action he missed while sleeping.

Longson continues to live and play in Las Vegas, focusing more time on cash games.