The World Series of Poker is the biggest and most renowned poker event in the world. Over the course of its history the WSOP has given thousands of poker enthusiasts a shot a fame and fortune. While the event took on an official capacity in 1970, it has its beginnings 20 years before then.

It is commonly held that Nicholas Dandolos ("Nick the Greek") made an unprecedented request to Benny Binion. He wanted to challenge the best players to a high-stakes poker marathon. It didn't take much convincing. Binion was onboard. He arranged a head-to-head between Dandolos and the legendary Johnny Moss. The catch was that the game had to be played in public view. No smoky private rooms.

The match was epic. Lasting five months, the two legends played every form of poker known at the time. They stopped only to eat and sleep. In the end, Moss won what was considered "the biggest game in town". He walked away with an estimated $2 million. When Dandolos lost his last pot, he arose from his chair, bowed slightly, and uttered the now-famous words, "Mr. Moss, I have to let you go."  He then went upstairs to bed.

The public's incredibly enthusiastic reception of this match planted a seed in Benny Binion's mind. Still, it wasn't until 1970 that Binion put his plan into action and arranged the first official World Series of Poker. The object was to recreate the excitement of the first battle of champions, but on a bigger scale.  Many of the best players in the country responded to the call, and, once again, Johnny Moss was the overall top player.

Moss also won in 1971, the year in which the winner was determined by a freezeout competition, with players being systematically eliminated until one player had all the chips. It wasn't until the following year that Moss was usurped as World Champion. Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston beat out 7 other contestants to win the title. This victory prompted invitations to appear on many talk-shows and the result was a marked growth in the WSOP fan base.  

Throughout these formative years, Binion remained confident that the number of entrants would grow - and this happened with the introduction of preliminary satellite competitions with lower buy-ins in the early 1980's. In 1982 the tournament drew 52 entrants and by 1987 the WSOP boasted 2,141 participants. By 2002 7,595 hopefuls took a seat. The prize money has increased proportionately, from $7,769,000 in 1982 to $19,599,230 a decade later. Jerry Yang, 2007's main event champion, walked away with a record $8.25 million.

The number and variety of events has also increased. For the first two years of existence, there was only one tournament and in 1972 a Five Card Stud game was added.  In 1988 there were 12 events scheduled, most of which were Texas Hold'em and Seven Card Stud. The 2004 WSOP, on the other hand, offered 33 competitions that featured an impressive selection of games.