| 1988 World Series of Poker | |
|---|---|
| Location | Binion's Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dates | 5 – 16 May |
| Champion | |
 Johnny Chan | |
The 1988 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was a series of poker tournaments held at Binion's Horseshoe between 5 May 1988, and 21 May 1988. [1]
There were 11 preliminary events at the 1988 World Series of Poker. [2] Johnny Moss became the first player to win nine career bracelets. No other player would reach nine career bracelets until the 2003 WSOP.
| # | Date | Event | Entries | Winner | Prize | Runner-up | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 5, 1988 | $1,500 Limit Hold'em | 400 | Val Carpenter (1/1) | $223,800 | Jack Keller (0/2) | Results |
| 2 | May 6, 1988 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 330 | Russell Gibe (1/1) | $181,800 | Hans Lund (0/1) | Results |
| 3 | May 7, 1988 | $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha | 111 | Gilbert Gross (1/1) | $181,000 | Hugh Todd | Results |
| 4 | May 8, 1988 | $5,000 Seven Card Stud | 79 | Thor Hansen (1/1) | $158,000 | David Heyden | Results |
| 5 | May 9, 1988 | $1,000 Limit Omaha | 228 | David Helms (1/1) | $91,200 | Don Williams (0/2) | Results |
| 6 | May 10, 1988 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud Split | 206 | Lance Hilt (1/1) | $123,600 | Joe Petro | Results |
| 7 | May 11, 1988 | $500 Ladies' Seven Card Stud | 85 | Loretta Huber (1/1) | $17,000 | Ester Rossi | Results |
| 8 | May 12, 1988 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud | 217 | Merrill Hunt (1/1) | $130,200 | Johnny Moss (0/8) | Results |
| 9 | May 13, 1988 | $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw | 38 | Seymour Leibowitz (1/1) | $157,500 | Chip Reese (0/2) | Results |
| 10 | May 14, 1988 | $1,500 Ace to Five Draw | 194 | Johnny Moss (1/9) | $116,400 | Richard Chase | Results |
| 11 | May 15, 1988 | $1,000 Seven Card Razz | 192 | Don Williams (1/3) | $76,800 | Art Youngblood | Results |
| 12 | May 16, 1988 | $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event | 167 | Johnny Chan (1/3) | $700,000 | Erik Seidel | Results |
There were 167 entrants to the main event on 16 May 1988. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament, with the top 36 players finishing in the money. The 1988 Main Event was the second consecutive World Championship for Johnny Chan. [3] The final hand that featured Chan against Erik Seidel would be featured in the 1998 movie Rounders . [4] [5] Jim Bechtel made the final table and finished in sixth place. He would later win the 1993 World Series of Poker Main Event. [6]
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Johnny Chan | $700,000 |
| 2nd | Erik Seidel | $280,000 |
| 3rd | Ron Graham | $140,000 |
| 4th | Humberto Brenes | $77,000 |
| 5th | T. J. Cloutier | $63,000 |
| 6th | Jim Bechtel | $49,000 |
NB: This list is restricted to In The Money finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 9th | Jesse Alto | $21,000 |
| 15th | Jay Heimowitz | $12,500 |
| 18th | Roger Moore | $12,500 |
| 20th | Mike Hart | $10,000 |
| 23rd | Ken Flaton | $10,000 |
| 26th | Don Williams | $10,000 |
| 27th | David Sklansky | $8,750 |
| 28th | John Spadavecchia | $8,750 |
| 31st | Jack Keller | $7,500 |
| 32nd | Chip Reese | $7,500 |
| 33rd | Phil Hellmuth | $7,500 |