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RELIVE THE 18TH ANNUAL WSOP MAIN EVENT - JOHNNY CHAN WINS WSOP GOLD
The 1987 WSOP Main Event would see Johnny Chan break through to win the first of his two WSOP Main Event titles and ignite his career as one of the greatest WSOP poker legends of his generation.
The 18th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, from May 1 -17, 1987. Only 12 events filled the schedule with the finale being the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship that attracted a 152-player field and created a prize pool of $1,520,000.
Chan navigated a field of hall of famers, WSOP bracelet winners, and previous champions to collect his second WSOP bracelet after he won the $1,000 Limit Hold’em bracelet at the 1985 WSOP.
In this PokerGO video, the action begins at the 1987 WSOP Main Event final table with just three players remaining. Chan takes the chip lead from Bob Ciaffone of Saginaw, Michigan, and then eliminates him in third place for $125,000. Following a short interview, Chan then turns his attention to Frank Henderson of Houston, Texas.
The final hand would see Henderson shove with pocket fours and Chan call with ace-nine. The board was filled with blanks until the river brought a nine to seal the deal for Chan as he was crowned the 1987 WSOP Main Event champion.
Chan’s WSOP career began in 1983, and following this win, he added another in the 1988 WSOP Main Event before finishing runner-up in the 1989 WSOP Main Event. Chan will enter the upcoming 2021 WSOP with 10 WSOP bracelets, 51 WSOP cashes, and nearly $4.7 million in WSOP earnings.
The 1987 WSOP Main Event, along with WSOP coverage from 1973 to 2020 can all be found exclusively on PokerGO.com.
About the World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker® is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, having awarded more than $3.29 billion in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest-running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2019, the event attracted 187,298 entrants from 118 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and awarded more than $293 million in prize money. In addition, the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent of WSOP Europe in 2007 and the WSOP Asia-Pacific in 2013 and the WSOP International Circuit Series in 2015. All WSOP events are subject to the then-current and applicable WSOP tournament rules. For more information, please visit www.wsop.com.
