The World Series of Poker began in 1970 when casino owner Benny Binion invited a small group of the best gamblers in America to Las Vegas. There wasn’t even a tournament in the modern sense. The players spent days battling in cash games before voting on who they thought was the best player in the world. Legend has it that every player voted for himself, forcing a second vote which eventually crowned Johnny Moss as the first world champion. Whether entirely true or not, the story perfectly captures the larger-than-life characters that built poker.

As the years passed, the WSOP became home to some of gambling’s greatest legends. Johnny Moss was known as the “Grand Old Man of Poker” and became the first three-time world champion. Doyle Brunson was a Texas road gambler who spent years driving across America looking for games, often carrying his entire bankroll in his pocket. He won back-to-back world championships in 1976 and 1977 with the same unlikely hand, ten-deuce, forever turning it into one of poker’s most famous holdings. Amarillo Slim became poker’s greatest showman, appearing on television with celebrities, challenging world champions from other sports and helping bring poker into the public eye long before television cameras arrived in card rooms.

Then there was Stu Ungar, a player many still regard as the most naturally gifted card player ever to sit at a poker table. Ungar possessed an almost supernatural ability to read opponents and dominated both poker and gin rummy. He won the Main Event three times despite battling personal demons that ultimately cut his life tragically short. His story remains one of poker’s greatest tales of brilliance and heartbreak.

The modern era brought new stars. Johnny Chan won back-to-back world titles and was immortalised in the film Rounders. Phil Hellmuth became famous not only for winning more WSOP bracelets than anyone else but also for his unforgettable table outbursts. Daniel Negreanu emerged as one of poker’s most recognisable ambassadors thanks to his ability to read opponents and explain the game to a wider audience.

The tournament changed forever in 2003 when an amateur accountant named Chris Moneymaker won an online satellite for just $86 and turned it into a Main Event victory worth $2.5 million. Suddenly millions of ordinary people believed they could do the same. Online poker exploded, television audiences soared and what became known as the “Moneymaker Effect” helped fuel the biggest boom the game has ever seen.

As poker grew, celebrities began taking their seats alongside the professionals. Ben Affleck became a serious tournament player and even won a major event in California. Matt Damon and Edward Norton helped make poker cool through Rounders. Actress Jennifer Tilly went one step further and won a WSOP bracelet herself. Tobey Maguire became a regular in some of the biggest private games in the world.

Of course, the WSOP has never been without controversy. There have been accusations of collusion, bitter disputes over sponsorship patches, online poker scandals and endless arguments about who truly deserves the title of greatest player of all time. The game’s colourful personalities have often generated as many headlines away from the table as on it.

Today the WSOP is a global phenomenon. The 2026 series is running from May 26 until July 15 at the Horseshoe and Paris casinos in Las Vegas. What began as a gathering of a few gamblers has become a festival featuring 100 bracelet events and tens of thousands of players from around the world.

The centrepiece remains the $10,000 Main Event. The final prize pool for 2026 will not be known until registration closes, but recent years have produced prize pools exceeding $90 million, with the winner expected to walk away with around $10 million and a place in poker history.

Michael Mizrachi, 2025 WSOP Main Event Winner, $10,000,000

And that dream is what has never changed. Every summer, seasoned professionals, wealthy businessmen, online qualifiers, celebrities and first-time visitors all walk through the same doors with the same ambition. For a few weeks in Las Vegas, everyone believes they might become the next poker legend.