Player Profile

One of the original legends of poker, Johnny Moss, along with players like Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, and Puggy Pearson, helped lay the foundation for the WSOP

Like many old school legends, Moss started his career as a rounder, frequenting the biggest underground poker games in his home state of Texas.

In 1970, Moss, along with six of the best poker players in the world, was invited to play in the inaugural World Series of Poker. In the first year of the Main Event, the winner was determined by vote amongst the players following a cash game session.

According to legend, it would take two rounds of voting to decide the champion, as initially, every participating player voted for themselves. Ultimately, Moss would be voted the winner and would go on to repeat the very next year when he took down the 1971 Main Event. He was the first of just four players to win back-to-back.

Winning 9 WSOP bracelets throughout his career, Moss would spend many years as the all-time leader until Johnny Chan won his tenth bracelet in 2011.

Considered one of the founding fathers of poker, even after his passing in 1995, the legacy of Johnny Moss lives on as players from all over gather each summer for the WSOP.